Quang Ngai Hotels
Blatherwick's travel blogs:
- My trip to South America. 2007
- A little jaunt across the seas to... 2007
- Thailand, Vietnam, S. Korea 2006 2006
- Around the world in a month. 2005
- Mexico, Guatemala 2004 2004
- Vietnam and Japan 2004 2004
- Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam 2003 2003
- Vietnam & China 2002 2002
- Mexico City, Taxco, and Acapulco 2001 2001
- Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong 2001 2001
- My first time to Asia. Thailand,... 2000
- Europe 2007 1997
- Europe 1995 1995
- France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany 1992 1992
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My Lai
Entry 4 of 10 | show all | print this entry |
"Calley ordered the dozen or so platoon members there to push the
people into the ditch, and three or four GIs did. Calley ordered his
men to shoot into the ditch. Some refused, others obeyed. One who
followed Calley's order was Paul Meadlo, who estimated that he killed
about twenty-five civilians. (Later Meadlo was seen, head in hands,
crying.) Calley joined in the massacre. At one point, a two-year-old
child who somehow survived the gunfire began running towards the
hamlet. Calley grabbed the child, threw him back in the ditch, then
shot him."
- from "Four Hours at My Lai
Sometimes travel isn't all beer and good times. Sometimes you
have to go out and educate yourself by being in a certain place. Every
single one of these places that I've gone to (Dachau, the Killing
Fields) have been moving in their own way. My Lai is no exception.
Here is a brief history lesson.
On March 16, 1968 the members of Task Force Barker decended by
helocopters on the village of Son My. The soldiers had been told that
the people would be in the fields working but they only encountered
civilians. The killing began almost immediately after landing. Most
of the killings took place at Hamlet 4, otherwise known as My Lai.
After 4 hours of carnage 504 woman, children, and elderly people lay
dead. The greatest recorded atrocity by North Americans in a single
incident. The Army tried to cover it up (interestingly the hamlet name
is pronounced "Me Lie") but somebody had the bright idea to bring a
photographer along. So when the photos hit the newspapers it forever
changed the public opinion in the USA and was one of the key factors to
ending American involvement in the Vietnam War. Only 6 of the soldiers
faced court martial and only 1 was convicted. A Second Lieutenant by
the name of William Calley who was directly responsible for at least 22
murders. He served one year of house arrest and now works in a jewelry
store in Columbus, Georgia. I bet I can tell you who he voted for too.
The site today is fairly peaceful. There is a relatively new
hospital about 100 meters from where the hamlet once stood. As I
entered the hamlet site I was greeted by a sign that roughly translates
as "Never Forget the Hating Hearts of the Americans". Off to the left
of the entrance I encountered the first mass grave of 9 family
members. The oldest person was 70 years old. The youngest, less than
1. Scattered about the area are plaques where the huts once stood
before they were destroyed and who was killed that day. The ditch
refered to in the opening still exists and there is a mural next to it
with representitive art work. The coconut trees all still bear the
marks of automatic gunfire
In the middle of the site is a statue with a woman holding her arm
up defiantly. I find it uncomfortable making these people out as
heroes. I guess in the long run it could be seen as their "sacrifice"
helped to win the war. Still...These people were victims of a horrible
crime and I think that it is better to portray it that way. The small
museum is chilling (and more befitting) as it displays the pictures
taken that day as well as details of the operation.
So that was my day. Kind of heavy huh? Anyhow, I'm in Hoi An
right now and I got burnt to a crisp by the 5 hour motorbike ride out
to My Lai. However, when you take a motorbike on your own you get to
see so much more of the countryside and the people. This is still a
gorgeous country with rice paddies extending for miles and miles and
the rolling green hills. On the way I saw two dragon boat teams
practicing. They were probably trying to reach shore before their
boats sunk.
Hoi An is pretty much the same. Many scenes from the movie "The
Quiet American" were shot here so I've been location hunting and
talking to the people there. It is also clothes buying time so I'm
doing that as well. My hotel here is the best ever! I've got TV and
a bathtub in a great room. There is a swimming pool just outside my
door too. All for $12 US.
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