My+Lai+Massacre+(March+16,+1968)

The My Lai Massacre was a horrific atrocity carried out by U.S. troops on March 16, 1968. On that date, soldiers of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade (Light) of the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division attacked the hamlets of Son My village as part of a supposed search-and-destroy operation. It quickly degenerated into a massacre, resulting in upwards of 504 Vietnamese villagers dead.

Some say that this was part of the Phoenix Program, a CIA operation designed to destroy Viet Cong infrastructure.

The story of the My Lai Massacre was first leaked to the public by controversial journalist Seymour Hersh. He also detailed that there was a coverup going on inside the U.S. military.

The massacre, and the coverup to go along with it, shattered positive views of the Vietnam War.

=Sources=

Tucker, Spencer C. "My Lai Massacre." The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. Second Edition. Volume II. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011. Print.

"The My Lai Massacre." American Experience. n. page. Web. 22 Dec. 2011. .