John BullMar 16, 2023

On 16th March, 1968 Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jnr was flying helicopter reconnaissance for an attack on an alleged North Vietnamese-controlled village at My Lai.

As the ground attack developed below, Thompson realised he was in fact witnessing something something else:

A massacre.

He decided to act. /1 🧵 #history #histodons

Show threadJohn BullMar 16, 2023

At first Thompson and his crew, Lawrence Colburn and Glen Andreotta thought the wounded Vietnamese they saw below them were the result of artillery fire.

They dropped a green flare near a wounded civilian, expecting the infantry to help. Instead, Captain Medina of Charlie Company walked over and shot her in the head. /2

Show threadSteve Williams
@garius What a great thread. Thank you. I'm currently listening (again) to Max Hastings account of Vietnam. What a march of folly. No lessons learnt, either.
Mar 16, 2023 at 4:20pmWeb