To people who have never seen war, the massacre at My Lai 4 on March 16, 1968 seems like the most henious crime soldiers could commit. This was not something our American boys could do! But it did happen, and our boys did it.
In 1969, a year after the massacre, an interview was published by the New York Times, in the words of Paul Meadlo, a participant in the massacre:
"Why did I do it? Because I felt like I was ordered to do it, and it seemed like that at the time, I felt I was doing the right thing, because like I said I lost buddies. I lost a damn good buddy, Bobby Wilson, and it was on my conscience. So after I done it, I felt good, but later on that day, it was getting to me. (My Lai Testimony, Experiences of War, pg.263).
Why did the three units of Charlie Company murder almost 500 innocent old men, women and children in My Lai 4? Paul Meadlo stated that he was "ordered" to do it. Yet, he admits to the "pleasure of revenge!" Is there a confusion as to who the enemy was? The VC and NVA were Asian in stature. So were all the villagers in Vietnam! Did these soldiers "dehumanize" an entire race of human beings, and subconsciously make all of their population the enemy? Where do we draw the line at the murder of innocents? Were they killed for aiding the enemy, or did it not really matter? They were "defenseless gooks", and made an easy target for pent up retaliation. Could hate and revenge have gotten so consumed that reality is meaningless on the battlefield? Where is the "breaking point" between the human being and the murderer within us? Are so many participants of war psychological casualties? Why weren't the commanders of the field held responsible for the actions and mental fitness of their men? Is this the way we conducted the war?