I believe Glenn got a Bronze Star too. Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials. Before the story broke, did you or Hugh consider going public with the story? Ive mulled this over for years. Hugh and I were skeptical in 01, so we asked him a lot of questions and he told us things only he could have known. Since Hughs death, I have become the recipient of some of the hate mail he used to get. How did you feel about that? No, but Hugh was sent on missions in his OH-23 with his back up another OH-23no gunshipsinto Dragon Valley, where there was rocket activity. Meet Hugh Thompson, The Hero Who Stopped The M Lai Massacre And Was Branded A Traitor For It. The daring act of a man in defiance of combat differences in saving unarmed civilians from being deliberately butchered by his own side while under combat orders. They were taking volunteers for the 11th Brigade. I flew in the 23 as a gunner through that summer, then I asked about throwing my hat into ring for a gunship where there was a little more armor and security. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Oh, no, Mr. Thompson, let me see what we can do, he said. People should realize that when atrocities are committed like this and covered up, it degrades us all. A list of his survivors was not immediately available. That was the only enemy combatant we saw that day. People need to know who Hugh Thompson was, what he did and why he did it. In late December 1967, at the age of 25, Hugh Thompson was ordered to Vietnam and assigned to Company B, 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division. Having redeemed himself for other peoples mistakes, his heroic act was written in US Military history. Did you expect something would be done as a result? Wed 11 Jan 2006 08.06 EST. By the end of what has become known as the M Lai massacre, the Vietnamese government estimates that American soldiers killed at least 504 people, mainly women and children. Then came the backlash. View the profiles of people named Hugh Thompson. We took him out of the area to a hospital and gave him to a nun. Some of Calleys men didnt follow Calleys orders and did nothing. Then, in 1998, the Army awarded him the Soldiers Medal for heroism. Thompson risked his life and career and had Lt. Calley shoot him. I figured, I was in the Army, so I should experience it where the action was. . We never thought we were heroes. 1895), in United States testimony 1892, typescript, 247, Church History Library, Salt Lake City. Hugh Thompson, the hero who stopped a massacre committed by US troops in the Vietnamese village of My Lai by landing his helicopter in the line of fire, 1968. I was a helicopter pilot that day, and I guess I was invited here to tell you about a day of my life. According to Miriam-Webster.com, the word "testimony means: proof or evidence that something exists or is true, firsthand authentication of a fact, an open acknowledgment, a public profession of religious experience . Any hesitation? Today theres a little museum in My Lai, where Thompson is honored, and which displays a list of the names and ages of people killed that day. Like the trials, it was forced. Upon entering Sn M, officers and soldiers of Company C moved through the Song My Village and vicinity, murdering civilians, raping women, and setting fire to huts. Mercy Thompson, Testimony, Church of Christ in Missouri v. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 70 F. 179 (8th Cir. In the last incident, his helicopter was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire, and he broke his back in the resulting crash landing. The lieutenant told him to mind his own business and get out of the way. He studied mortuary science and became a licensed funeral director. They waited until the sun went down and they crawled out of that ditch. Im not that much of a man., I always questioned, in my mind, did anybody know we all arent like that? You are not comfortable with being called a hero, either? HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. On February 8, Congressman Charles Boustany (R-La.) It was unusual, the only time it happened while I was there. He received a life sentence in 1971 for premeditated murder which was later reduced to 10 years. I wish we could have done more to thank him. If its not sincere, it doesnt mean anything. The dead were women, old men and children. Amid a flurry of corporate earnings releases and somewhat lackluster market activity last week, an important milestone went largely unnoticed. Hugh told me to keep my mouth shut and I did. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. Calley had many supporters, who condemned and harassed Thompson. Prepared Testimony and Statement for the Record of Hugh Thompson Chief Technology Officer Hearing on "Bolstering the Government's Cybersecurity: Lessons Learned from WannaCry" Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Research and Technology Thompson and his crew managed to evacuate the civilians and stop the massacre. 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. Did you fly with him much before My Lai? Hugh Thompson is a genuine, bone-fide hero of the Vietnam war, protecting hundreds from being massacred by US troops at My Lai. But one of things the most infuriating is being called a whistleblower, as if we went and ratted someone out. Everybodys heard of the My Lai massacre March 16, 1968, 50 years ago today but not many know about the man who stopped it: Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot. How many of them went on to draw military pay and benefits? Hugh P. Thompson was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Everybody walked. It took several weeks of time, and several volumes of testimony to satisfy the United States pen<rion bureau that "Old Reliable" was the identical soldier who had enlisted in Company H, Fifteenth Ohio volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and who was last reported "wounded and missing In battle of . Glenn shouted, Hes firing into the ditch again!, How did Hugh react when reason failed? Im sorry. Then he assumed the Army initiated an investigation. endstream endobj 172 0 obj <. In mid-March 2022, posts about a warrant officer named Hugh Thompson and his role in the My Lai massacre circulated on social media, including a tweet describing that time period as the 50-year anniversary of that incident:. Glenn said, If we are going to do something, we better do it right now! So Hugh lands right between the approaching squad and the bunker. We knew something seemed wrong. When I got to Vietnam I was attached to a headquarters company. That is completely false, there was no backstabbing going onwe were right in their face at My Lai, we were ready to confront those people then and there. It was a case of bloodlust. The second time, he touched down near a bunker in which a group of about 10 civilians were being menaced by American troops. They interviewed Hugh Thompson and his crew. Still, Thompson had saved civilians who would have been killed if he had not intervened. I did hear that the men on the ground were told to pretend like it never happened. It all crystallized in that moment. As Hugh jumped out, he told us to take our weapons down off the bungee cords and take some belted ammo and backup weapons and set up a little perimeter around the aircraft. He remembered Glenn picking him up, seeing me in the ditch. Inside Brianna Maitland's Chilling Disappearance And The Bizarre Clues Left Behind, How Ken Miles Helped Ford Beat Ferrari Before Dying Tragically Behind The Wheel, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. They couldnt have been killed by artillery. At the age of 62, after extensive cancer treatment, Thompson was removed from life support and died on January 6, 2006, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pineville, Louisiana. He was first appointed to the court on March 1, 1994, by Governor Zell Miller (D). The Army covered it up. Did you get help? He left the aircraft in flight idle, as rotor blades can be somewhat intimidating. But, after going through the process and seeing the ultimate outcome, I wasnt really surprised, but I was disillusioned. It went on like that for another year and half until finally they agreed to award medals to all of us. I think Task Force Barkers intent was to create panic and drive the enemy forces out of the area. And you want to instill the spirit of Thompson in others. Even though the military has admitted to the massacre, many people are not capable of acknowledging and processing that information. He just lateraled the ball to Medina. At first, I just felt shock. We didnt know what was happening. What would I have done if I were a man on the ground? The squad leader ordered Thompson and his men to get out of the way. There are those hardcore people who do still say we shouldnt have told the truth, that we should have covered for those guys in the field; that we didnt know what it was like on the ground. It wasn't war.". When you see something like that happen, with no negative repercussions, you begin to think perhaps this is the method of operation. Glenn went down into the ditch and found the boy that he had seen moving and handed him up to me. Whenever I felt discouraged about things, Hugh would remind me that if we get through to just one person, its worth it. Spec Ops Magazine 2023 All Rights Reserved. He is an amazing person made me cry just reading the research about him. On March 6, 1998, the Army presented the Soldier's Medal, for heroism not involving conflict with an enemy, to Mr. Thompson; to his gunner, Lawrence Colburn; and, posthumously, to Mr. Andreotta, who was killed in a helicopter crash three weeks after the My Lai massacre. Thompson was later promoted to Major, but Thompson was a Warrant Officer in his heroic acts. I stayed on gunships for rest of my time in Vietnam. That morning was clear and as we came over a hilltop we saw a suspect in uniform with a pack, carrying a carbine in the middle of a rice paddy. In 1964, Thompson received an honorable discharge from the Navy and returned to Stone Mountain to live a quiet life and raise a family with his wife. Company C (Charlie Company), 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Barker, led by Captain Ernest Medina, moved into Sn M. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. He angered some GIs as he tried to photograph them as they fondled the breasts of a fifteen-year-old Vietnamese girl. Thompson told his crew, Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. Thompson landed his helicopter next to a ditch that contained 150 people many dead, but many others wounded and trying to escape. Thompson was the first to communicate back to headquarters about the killing occurring on the ground. Hugh and I went in 1998 with 60 Minutes, just after we were given the Soldiers Medal. 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. What happened next was one of the most remarkable events of the entire war, and perhaps unique: Thompson told the American troops that, if they opened fire on the Vietnamese civilians in the bunker, he and his crew would open fire on them. After we took the boy to Quang Nai, we went back to our base, and Hugh Thompson and I reported to Colonel Oran Henderson. No, because the commander was on a different frequency. On March 16, 1968, Chief Warrant Officer Thompson and his two crewmen were flying on a reconnaissance mission over the South Vietnamese village of My Lai when they spotted the bodies of men, women and children strewn over the landscape. 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. An army helicopter piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson arrived in the My Lai vicinity about 9 a.m. Thompson noticed dead and dying civilians all over the village. He said youre a plant arent you. Thats what keeps me going. I now know why he wanted me to come with him to events. I thought someone else was getting recognition for something. Were you prepared to fire on the squad? Hugh was running scenarios through his head to figure it out. After seeing U.S. troops advancing on a Vietnamese family, he landed his helicopter, called in gunships to rescue the civilians, and ordered his gunner to fire on any American who interfered. Hugh Thompson, a pilot of the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Americal Division, flew an observational helicopter supporting Task Force Barker on March 16, 1968. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. It was in their hands. Andreotta died in action a few weeks later, but Thompson and Colburn were key witnesses in the investigations and trials to follow. On March 16, 1998, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Colburn attended a service at My Lai marking the 30th anniversary of the massacre. Trent Angers, Thompsons biographer and friend, analyzed the list and found about 50 there who were 3 years old or younger. the testimony he gave to the House Committees and the courts-martial of the . He has had an impact on many young minds in the military. We would have died for them. They were shooting women and children just like anybody else.. It was fresh enough that things hadnt changed much. You were a witness for the prosecution in the trials that followed? When did you start talking to investigators? Of course anyone thinking of making a career in the military probably pretended they never heard anything. When it was all over, hundreds of unarmed civilians had been murdered by American forces. That was a point of no return for Thompson? How many of them were paid and paid well to rape and murder innocent babies, children, women and men? We couldnt come up with an explanation until Hugh marked a woman we saw who had a chest wound and decided to just move back in a hover when we saw a squad coming near. 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. U.S. ArmyWilliam Calley, the officer who ordered the slaughter at M Lai. Exactly what you saw. Since we were sitting shoulder to shoulder, we saw virtually the very same things. After Hugh died, I was invited to Annapolis to speak one more time. After the trial, Hugh Thompson received death threats. Hugh Clowers Thompson Sr. was an electrician who served in the United States Navy during World War II. And the people guilty of committing war crimes should have been dealt with. Afterwards Thompson testified at the trial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer during the massacre. I just figured it was time to do something, to not let these people get killed. They were not combatants. We came to think we were indirectly killing these people ourselves by marking them with smoke. William Calley, the officer who ordered the slaughter at M Lai. You saw him again in 2008? Thank you both for being of upstanding and outstanding moral character and having the backbone to stand up for what you know is right! Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. Hugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. Well, I took the prescriptions, ripped them up into little pieces and walked out. This is not what Im here for. 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. One of the instructors told me a story that he wished Hugh could hear. Hugh Thompson reported the massacre to his commanding officer. Dont salute me or call me sir, he said, Just Mr. Thompson. He didnt believe in that no fraternization stuff, he was really one of the fellows, he knew both sides. This is not what Im here for. It can be disturbing. 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. 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. We had no direct radio contact with the men on the ground. You found later that that wasnt true? 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. Only he would have known that. 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. As we flew around more, we started seeing small groups of people dead or dying in other parts of the village. He found 69 between the ages of 4 and 7, and 91 between the ages of 8 and 12. It is denial, a refusal to believe our young men could run amok the way they did. I got there and Ill never forget my mother taking me into the kitchen and telling me if I didnt want to tell these people anything, I didnt have to. Thompson was more experienced than Lt. Calley, more ethical, more talented, and brighter, and probably recognized Calley didnt know what he was doing. 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. Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. We also want to carry on Hughs passionate advocacy for all veterans, not just Vietnam vets. Wed talk a lot and if I was stressing I could always pick up the phone and Hugh could always talk me down. I give credit to my sister Mary, who saw my condition when I came home. The My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968, stands as one of the darkest moments in U.S. military history. As we did, we heard automatic weapon fire. Thompson had become something of a professional witness. Finally, the Army launched an inquiry. Had you ever seen anything even approaching this before? In this exclusive interview with Vietnam magazine and VietMag.com, Larry Colburn talks about his late friend Hugh Thompson, the My Lai massacre, the subsequent cover up, investigations and trials, his journeys back to Vietnam and meetings with survivors and the Hugh Thompson Foundation, which he formed after Thompsons death in 2006. Letters to the Editor: Should speed humps be put around all L.A. elementary schools? I have a few lined up at some universities this year. As he approached the soldiers, he told them to stop. When the officers take part in it, it just escalates things. You and Hugh had a pretty low profile during and after the trials? ArmyThe bodies of massacred villagers at M Lai, as captured by a U.S. Army photographer. Thompson left the Army in 1983 and became a private helicopter pilot in the South. Id received death threats over the phone, Thompson said in 2004. ", Hugh Thompson, 62, Who Saved Civilians at My Lai, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/us/hugh-thompson-62-who-saved-civilians-at-my-lai-dies.html. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. Testimony to the Truth [Smyth, Reverend Hugh P.] on Amazon.com. Hugh struggled, but you see the people who survived are still in the same village, doing what they do. Some were sent out into the field for 60-75 days straight, and they started getting the feeling somebody was trying to get rid of them. He walked about 50 meters and encountered the lieutenant who was leading the squad. I would be there from December 67 to December 68. I met Thompson in 2000 and interviewed him for my radio program on KPFK in Los Angeles. For hours, they raped, mutilated, and slaughtered innocent civilians until a helicopter pilot named Hugh Thompson Jr. put his own life on the line to stop the massacre. He is still tiny, but he remembers everything. No Id never seen nor heard of anything like that before, except in World War II. Thompson acted more instinctively, given his morals, character, and military training. "I cannot explain why it happened. For his interference. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. In November 1970, the M Lai trials started and Hugh Thompson testified against William Calley. Just then Glenn spotted some people in an earthen bunker, saw faces peering out of the entry. It was denial on the part of the public, said Colburn. Hugh Thompsons actions may be unique. That one person will go on to tell 10 other people. But to see people herded up like so many animals, marched into a ditch and machine-gunned? By this time, Lt. William Calleys Charlie Company was reaching My Lai? At some point they finally did call for a cease-fire, but by then it was too late. Charles Guiteau told a local newspaper that he shot James A. Garfield without malice or murderous intent.. HUGH THOMPSON'S TESTIMONY: I'm Hugh Thompson. Somehow they trusted him and they came out. When did you meet Hugh Thompson? US military helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson helped stop one of the most infamous massacres of the Vietnam War. There was a sergeant standing by the ditch by himself. For the sake of any kind of lame justice, they should have been put to death for their atrocities. Hell, I didnt want to believe it, either, but I had no choice because I saw it. So I was not a good guy.". But in the end,. We were told by the prosecuting attorneys to keep our mouths shut, and I didnt advertise the fact I was 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? Hugh Clowers Thompson, Jr. (April 15, 1943 - January 6, 2006) was a United States Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. Glenn and I were staring them down and watching to see how it would unfold. Calley pointed his weapon at him and threatened him with a court-martial. Ive tried to put myself in their position, tried to empathize. 0 If you are an American who thinks all of our foreign policy and actions over the years is as pure as the driven snow, well that is just not reality. No one wants a president to die in office. When I arrived at My Lai in 2008, no one knew where he was. How did you get to the 123rd Aviation Battalion? Im not going to let this happen, weve got to do something. That Is little Hugh!" It was "Little Hugh" sure enough. None did. As he told The Associated Press in 2004: "Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come. It was women, children and elders we saw. It has turned me into a cynic philosopher. Thompson kept testifying against the butchers of My Lai in hopes of securing justice for the civilians killed that day. Sorry thats not what we did and I dont care what they think of me. "I'd received death threats over the phone," he told the CBS News program "60 Minutes" in 2004. As murderous bloodlust unfolded on the ground below, Thompson and crew confronted fellow GIs to save numerous civilians from the fate of some 500 others that morning. But I still dont think the topic really gets the exposure it really needs. HOANG DINH NAM/AFP via Getty ImagesHugh Thompson returned to M Lai in 1998 and met some of the people he saved. The truth of the M Lai massacre did not come out until a year and a half later when a soldier whod seen reports on the massacre contacted a journalist. He tried to explain that these people appeared to be civilians, that we hadnt taken any fire and there was no evidence of combatants in that area. This fella stood up and said: Fuck you. Testimony to the Truth Then again, it was a Saturday morning and they were possibly going to market. Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot, had threatened to fire on the American troops in order to rescue Vietnamese women and children from the slaughter.
