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History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. Having redeemed himself for other peoples mistakes, his heroic act was written in US Military history. Oh, no, Mr. Thompson, let me see what we can do, he said. Central to the case prosecuted by the Civilian Complaint. Hugh Thompson Jr (1943-2006) - EA Forum In 1966, Thompson enlisted in the United States Army and completed the Warrant Officer Flight Program training at Fort Wolters, Texas, and Fort Rucker, Alabama. They were not combatants. Hannah's Testimony. Friends I had on the division level told me they were taking volunteers for the 123rd Aviation Battalion. before the subcommittee, and then refused to release the transcripts of the testimony. Any hesitation? Hugh P. Thompson was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Hugh transmitted what he could to the low gun in hopes that it would get up to the commander and someone would make a decision to stop it. It was denial on the part of the public, said Colburn. That morning, Hugh said, This is supposed to be a VC stronghold, but you know G2. Usually, when intelligence said an area was hot, it wasnt, and visa versa. Calley pointed his weapon at him and threatened him with a court-martial. Testimony of Dr. Hugh Thompson, HTA Engineering (Expert Witness) (Exhibit Allegra-10) Exhibit Allegra-10 includes Survey Notes and 12 photographs taken by HTA Engineering on January 12, 2010. Thompson ran over and said, These are civilians, we got to help them out.. When you see your lieutenant or captain initiate these things, some enlisted men on the ground are more likely to do the same thing. This ended his combat career in Vietnam. If they fire on these people, or fire on me while Im doing that, shoot em! Now Hugh really had no idea who or what was in that bunker, could have been an AK47 waiting for him there. Jan. 6 defendant Dustin Thompson, who blamed Trump for storming Capitol Wed done what we could. Hugh Thompson was a United States Army Major and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division who helped end the My Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. I was a helicopter pilot that day, and I guess I was invited here to tell you about a day of my life. While the massacre took place, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his crew flew over the jungle, offering air support. Did you fly with him much before My Lai? It was a case of bloodlust. These people appeared to be no threat at all, and we couldnt figure out why they were fired on and killed as they were leaving the area. He angered some GIs as he tried to photograph them as they fondled the breasts of a fifteen-year-old Vietnamese girl. Did they know that somebody tried to help? And yes, they did know that. She asked me what it was about, and I said I wasnt sure. Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to Wessie and Hugh Clowers Thompson. At 8 years old, he made his way about 10 miles through the jungle by himself to the village. They awarded him the Soldiers Medal for heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy., On the 30th anniversary of the massacre, Thompson went back to My Lai and met some of the people whose lives he had saved. Ever reflect about how you are part of an event of such historical significance? An American Hero - CBS News When the American people responded as they did in defense of Calley, it was really hard, especially for Hugh. If people have some confusion about that, thats their problem. But that was not to be the case. by Vietnam magazine 2/7/2011. Interview - Larry Colburn: Why My Lai, Hugh Thompson Matter He wanted to give us some idea of what were getting into. The military was forced after an eight-year letter writing campaign by David Egan, a professor at Clemson University, and a businessman named William Cavanaugh. They couldnt have been killed by artillery. As we got back on station, we saw a lot of villagers leaving and figured that we may have dropped leaflets or had fired some artillery in morning. Thompson and his crew managed to evacuate the civilians and stop the massacre. What about those who didnt stand up to evil in their midst? Months later you were surprised with a medal for action at My Lai? The Army covered it up, but the facts eventually came to light and the responsible officer, Capt. Using hand signals, Mr. Thompson persuaded the Vietnamese to come out while ordering his gunner and his crew chief to shoot any American soldiers who opened fire on the civilians. They killed everything. He looked up and saw us and then took off for the tree line. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Wed talk a lot and if I was stressing I could always pick up the phone and Hugh could always talk me down. When I first joined the company, the commander took the volunteers to the flight line and showed us bullet holes in the aircraft and asked us if we knew what they were. I was back in Mount Vernon, outside Washington, and I got a call from my mother saying there were some people at the house who wanted to talk to me. Weve been accused of many things, of being traitors. Thompson had become something of a professional witness. Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. In the last incident, his helicopter was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire, and he broke his back in the resulting crash landing. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai . At that point, Hugh realizes hes got an aircraft that wont accommodate them. Hugh landed and ran over and told the sergeant, These are civilians, we got to help them out. The sergeant agreed, telling Hugh hed help themout of their misery. Hugh continued to argue, said they were no threat, they had no weapons. All of the investigations led to nothing, Hugh and I felt like all three trials were just window dressing. Everywhere wed look, wed see bodies. But despite Thompsons heroic actions, the Army tried to cover up the massacre. We hope to link up with other organizations and grow some legs. At first, they only wanted to give it to Hugh at a private ceremony. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Now we saw them again, but they were all lying on the road, dead or dying. I said Im not really at liberty to say. I dont know, at the time I thought about creating a diversion, discharging my weapon in another direction. He made some notes on a legal pad and excused me and I left. Interview: Larry Colburn | American Experience | PBS A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Finally, when the sergeant said OK, Hugh thought hed convinced him and got back in the helicopter and we pulled out. Thompson wanted you to also make a report? Then, as I was in this crowd, I turned around and there he waswith his beautiful wife and new baby boy. Im not judge, jury and executioner. As the wounded tried to crawl out, they were fired on by someone who had been left there to do just that. They waited until the sun went down and they crawled out of that ditch. Hood and my CO called me in, said I had a phone call. "Something terrible happened here 30 years ago today," Mr. Thompson was quoted as saying by CNN. How many of them went on to draw military pay and benefits? This meant that military prosecutors would be prohibited from calling those persons as witnesses . This fella stood up and said: Fuck you. I flew from Ft. No. I was always comfortable as the sidekick and enjoyed the time with Hugh. Hugh Thompson is a genuine, bone-fide hero of the Vietnam war, protecting hundreds from being massacred by US troops at My Lai. Did you have a sense that what you had seen at My Lai was and isolated incident or did you suspect similar atrocities were happening elsewhere? I read the citation and thought what? Harry's phone-hacking testimony contained 'troubling factual inconsistencies', hacking judge says. Before the story broke, did you or Hugh consider going public with the story? Mr. Thompson remained in combat, then returned to the United States to train helicopter pilots. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai 4, which was better known to us as Pinkville." It was supposed to be a real big operation that day. Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. Im sorry. You know, you think everybody feels you and you can ignore your own symptoms. When he arrived,. It can be disturbing. They were old women, old men, children, kids, babies., Then Thompson and his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, and his gunner, Lawrence Colburn, saw some civilians hiding in a bunker, cowering, looking out the door. Did you know when the story was about to break? He was very helpful to General Peers and it seemed like he wasnt just going through the motions, it was like he really wanted to know what happened. Charlie Company arrived in M Lai with orders to destroy the village. Hugh M. Thompson IV on LinkedIn: Weekly market wrap The dead were women, old men and children. . How did you and Hugh reconcile what you knew happened with the outpouring of public support for Calley and his men? Hugh Thompson, who has died aged 62, was the helicopter pilot who tried to halt the My Lai massacre of more than 500 villagers by American troops during the Vietnam war . Except for the boy, it appeared the rest were already dead. We knew something seemed wrong. Hugh Thompson Jr. - Wikipedia Sorry thats not what we did and I dont care what they think of me. Hugh Thompson died in 2006, when he was only 62. Calley told Thompson that he was following orders, presumably from Capt. Trent Angers, Thompsons biographer and friend, analyzed the list and found about 50 there who were 3 years old or younger. Justice, if it could ever be achieved in this case, would have been to line each and every one of them up in front of a firing squad and start shooting from the knees up. Hugh and I went in 1998 with 60 Minutes, just after we were given the Soldiers Medal. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! No, we had no knowledge of who they were, we just knew they were Americans on the ground and we would have done anything for them. It was like he dropped out of the sky. 1st Platoon of Company C, commanded by Lieutenant William Laws Calley Jr., forced approximately 7080 villagers, mostly women and children, into an irrigation ditch and murdered the civilians with knives, bayonets, grenades, and small arms fire. Nobody would be held responsible. You and Hugh had the opportunity to tell your stories to young military officers. Hugh Thompson was a helicopter pilot in 1968, on a day American soldiers gunned down more than 500 unarmed civilians in a village called My Lai. People need to know who Hugh Thompson was, what he did and why he did it. It was so blatantly wrong what they were doing, we had no choice, we had to do what we did. Meet the Soldier Who Prevented More Killings During the My Lai Massacre On March 16, 1968, he was flying a mission in Vietnam and came across a large number of dead civilian bodies; and in pursuing surveillance, he discovered that those civilians had been killed, and the survivors were still under fire, by American forces. . Hugh Thompson, 62, Who Saved Civilians at My Lai, Dies It was unusual, the only time it happened while I was there. I was aghast at hearing how Lt William Calley got away with cold blooded murder, spending one day behind bars as a convicted criminal. Following graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served in a naval mobile construction battalion at Naval Air Station Atlanta, Georgia, as a heavy equipment operator. I was on the backup team that day and we went out to try to retrieve the bodies. "I'd received death threats over the phone," he told the CBS News program "60 Minutes" in 2004. Thompson kept testifying against the butchers of My Lai in hopes of securing justice for the civilians killed that day. Ill have no part of this, Ill tear these wings off and never fly again! Fortunately, people calmed him down before he reported to Colonel Henderson. We came to think we were indirectly killing these people ourselves by marking them with smoke. We didnt talk too much about it ourselves because we reported on it and we were, frankly, preoccupied with the next mission. The M Lai massacre started when the U.S. Army declared everyone in a broad region of Vietnam either part of the Viet Cong or sympathizers. Among those numbers were 17 pregnant women and 56 infants. Wed 11 Jan 2006 08.06 EST. Hell, I didnt want to believe it, either, but I had no choice because I saw it. When it was all over, hundreds of unarmed civilians had been murdered by American forces. I saw them shoot an M79 [grenade launcher] into a group of people who were still alive, said Sgt. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. US military helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson helped stop one of the most infamous massacres of the Vietnam War. I said, Thank you, sir, and went back to work. Upon seeing that, Hugh Thompson landed the helicopter, approached Calley, and talked to him. He remembered Glenn picking him up, seeing me in the ditch. There could be a reason for doing it, or there could have simply been a complete breakdown in leadership. How did you get to the 123rd Aviation Battalion? 187 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<24715D214BB8264D9C081C2824AD5AA6><5B5B6AB10B516B4B92CEE481B23C2455>]/Index[171 29]/Info 170 0 R/Length 83/Prev 54619/Root 172 0 R/Size 200/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream Now, if I had known then what I know now about some of the activity going on there, the rapes and barbarism. We came in from altitude down to low level. Hugh was running scenarios through his head to figure it out. Ill have no part of this, Ill tear these wings off and never fly again!. We would have died for them. "I threatened never to fly again. Some peoplepublicly stated that they felt Thompson was the only soldier at My Lai who should be punished (for turning his weapons on fellow American troops) and wanted to see him court-martialed for his actions at My Lai. Hugh Thompson: The Forgotten Hero of My Lai - Spec Ops Magazine When he arrived, American soldiers had already killed 504 Vietnamese civilians (thats the Vietnamese count; the U.S. Army said 347). %PDF-1.6 %
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