It was time to stop it, and I figured, at that point, that was the only way the madness, or whatever you want to call it, could be stopped.. He received a life sentence in 1971 for premeditated murder which was later reduced to 10 years. View the profiles of people named Hugh Thompson. Hes saved lives again. I wish I was, but I wont lie to anybody. US military helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson helped stop one of the most infamous massacres of the Vietnam War. He recounted in a CBS 60 Minutes television program in 2004, "I'd received death threats over the phone.Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up." [14] [7] It was a dime short and day late for Hugh, 30 years after the factafter causing him griefthen theyre going to call him a hero? What drove you to create the Hugh Thompson Foundation? Kyle Hockenberry: For Those I love I will sacrifice, Adam Brown: The life and legacy of fearless Navy SEAL, Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart: The real heroes of the Battle of Mogadishu, Ivica Jerak: The Croat who died as American hero. There were probably 10 in the squad. Thompson spent the rest of his life wondering if he could have saved more lives. Upon returning from the mission, Thompson reported what he had seen and experienced to his. It couldnt be gunships, they werent firing on people. A sergeant stood by the ditch. Then, as I was in this crowd, I turned around and there he waswith his beautiful wife and new baby boy. Facebook gives people the power to. Ive tried to put myself in their position, tried to empathize. If Hugh knew that, it would have made everything he went through worthwhile for him. I lost faith in the whole military organization and wanted to put it all behind me. 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. . Yes. We didnt talk about it. As I understand, that part of brain doesnt develop until 25. 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. Youve been back a few times? How do you intend to spread the word about the foundation? . It was unusual, the only time it happened while I was there. 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. 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. He remembered Glenn picking him up, seeing me in the ditch. Thompson told his crew, Im going to go over to the bunker myself and get these people out. And you want to instill the spirit of Thompson in others. Did they know that somebody tried to help? HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. That Is little Hugh!" It was "Little Hugh" sure enough. When the officers take part in it, it just escalates things. 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. 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. But to see people herded up like so many animals, marched into a ditch and machine-gunned? They landed their helicopter between the American forces and the civilians, and they trained their guns on the advancing Americans. 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 . Now that the dynamics have changed with Hugh passing, I understand now how difficult it was for him, carrying it around in his gut, alone. We were very protective of the men on the ground. I remember catching one of the soldiers eyes and I waved to him and he waved back. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Hugh struggled, but you see the people who survived are still in the same village, doing what they do. As we flew around more, we started seeing small groups of people dead or dying in other parts of the village. When he arrived, American soldiers had already killed 504 Vietnamese civilians (thats the Vietnamese count; the U.S. Army said 347). Im not going to let this happen, weve got to do something. That seemed suicidal to me, going out with next to no backup or firepower. The photos document the free, unobstructed flow of water through the easement area between the base of the dam and the drop inlets on the I just thank God everybody kept their cool and no one made any quick moves. As he told The Associated Press in 2004: "Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come. He found 69 between the ages of 4 and 7, and 91 between the ages of 8 and 12. He struggled too. Hugh Thompsonsdefiance and courage with that of his crew had given a new lease of life to others that they saved and will be remembered by all in the face of Humanity and History. When I got to Vietnam I was attached to a headquarters company. Well, it wasnt really an apology, was it? Were you glad you got it? 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. Thompson was vilified by many Americans for his testimony against United States Army personnel. Did the word about what happened at My Lai get around? Then he assumed the Army initiated an investigation. There was also testimony of absolute insanity. How many of them were paid and paid well to rape and murder innocent babies, children, women and men? "Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up. Youve got to love this guy. But it was mostly done with a machine gun. Oh, no, Mr. Thompson, let me see what we can do, he said. I had no idea what it was about. Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. (April 15, 1943 - January 6, 2006) was a United States Army Major, and a former warrant officer in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division.He is credited with ending the M Lai Massacre of the South Vietnamese village known as Sn M on March 16, 1968, alongside and hierarchically above Glenn Andreotta and Lawrence Colburn. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. 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. I thought that from a historical perspective, something needed to be in place so that when Im gone, what Hugh did at My Lai wont just fade into obscurity. I didnt write Hugh up for anything and he said he didnt write me up. You found later that that wasnt true? And although he lived with post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, and nightmare disorder for decades, he eventually became a veterans counselor for the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. When it was all over, hundreds of unarmed civilians had been murdered by American forces. Our purpose for being there was to protect them. Innocent people didnt die that day They didnt just fly off the handle and engage a target that was borderline. Thompson had become something of a professional witness. I may have clipped him but he made it to the trees. "I threatened never to fly again. I went back in 2008 for the 40th anniversary. Typically, when we post testimonies here on truthsaves, we're detailing conversion experiences. We also did a lot of recon missions and flying into free-fire zones to find enemy positions. It was so blatantly wrong what they were doing, we had no choice, we had to do what we did. Sometimes we did and sometimes we didnt. Hugh Thompson is a genuine, bone-fide hero of the Vietnam war, protecting hundreds from being massacred by US troops at My Lai. So we continued our recon. Thompson landed his helicopter next to a ditch that contained 150 people many dead, but many others wounded and trying to escape. Interview - Larry Colburn: Why My Lai, Hugh Thompson Matter. Medina and maybe higher. You are the ones that deserve to be called American Soldiers. When Mr. Thompson returned home, it seemed to him that he was viewed as the guilty party. As we watched from about 15 feet off the ground, back maybe 20 meters, we saw this captain approach the woman, look down at her, kick her, step back and then blow her away. He said youre a plant arent you. 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. Having redeemed himself for other peoples mistakes, his heroic act was written in US Military history. Bettmann/Getty ImagesHugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. Hugh Thompson on his way to testify against William Calley on November 23, 1970. They got some people to listen, and then there were others in the Pentagon trying to put it at the bottom of the stack. Instead, the Army hid the slaughter of hundreds of innocent people, including 182 women and 173 children. And just sitting there saying, God, howd this happen? Yes. It can be disturbing. At 8 years old, he made his way about 10 miles through the jungle by himself to the village. Back at the base, Thompson threw his flight helmet on the ground. How did you and Hugh reconcile what you knew happened with the outpouring of public support for Calley and his men? Thats what keeps me going. No. I just wish our crew that day could have helped more people than we did.". Jon Wiener is professor emeritus of history at UC Irvine, and working, with Mike Davis, on a book on Los Angeles in the 1960s. Thompson and his crew managed to evacuate the civilians and stop the massacre. We knew something seemed wrong. We know that Americans committed a massacre 50 years ago today; and we also know that an American stopped it. Mr. Thompson worked as a veterans' counselor in Louisiana after leaving military service. We also want to carry on Hughs passionate advocacy for all veterans, not just Vietnam vets. Calley was the only person found guilty out of the 14 charged. endstream endobj 172 0 obj <. Then he assumed the Army initiated an investigation. I flew from Ft. He made some notes on a legal pad and excused me and I left. No. I thank God to this day that everybody did stay cool and nobody opened up. Those on station knew something about it but not many saw it up close and personal except for the men on the ground and a couple of helicopter crews. None. 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. This ended his combat career in Vietnam. So, he decided to do something. Id never seen nor heard of anything like that before, except in World War II. Like most 18-year-old males I was nave, had no idea what risks were. I felt that my testimony validated Hughs, and that was why it was important. They were not combatants. Then, in 1998, the Army awarded him the Soldiers Medal for heroism. PFC. So he called our low gunship, piloted by a friend of his, Dan Millans, and said: Danny, I need a favor. I testified in the trials of Henderson, Medina and Calley. He was evacuated to a hospital in Japan and began a long rehabilitation period. After Hugh died, I was invited to Annapolis to speak one more time. Mr. Thompson told of what he had seen when he returned to his base. Were you talking about this at the time? You must have had some post-traumatic stress after your experience in Vietnam. 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 did hear that the men on the ground were told to pretend like it never happened. Id seen civilians get in the way and unfortunately lose their lives because of that. "I cannot explain why it happened. Thompson ran over and said, These are civilians, we got to help them out.. Court-martial me, and he left his weapon and walked away. Every time Ive been back there, the survivors ask me, Why dont the men who committed the atrocities come back and ask for forgiveness so that we might forgive them. Theyre Buddhists you know, they can forgive, put it behind them and carry on. 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. Michael Bernhardt, who was at M Lai. We were the closest and should have been able to communicate, but thats the way it was structured. People need to know who Hugh Thompson was, what he did and why he did it. ' Thompson recalled. All content is protected by copyright and may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written permission. At that point, no one had a clue beside you and Hugh? 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. Mr. Thompson radioed for a helicopter gunship to evacuate the group, and then his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, pulled a boy from a nearby irrigation ditch, and their helicopter flew him to safety. How many of them went on to draw military pay and benefits? 171 0 obj <> endobj 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. Where else in history has a massacre of civilians been stopped in the middle of the massacre? On February 8, Congressman Charles Boustany (R-La.) At some point they finally did call for a cease-fire, but by then it was too late. I was back at Ft. However, Ive spoken to survivors on different occasions who had been at the bottom of the pile. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. 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 . And I was just devastated. I wish we could have done more to thank him. He threw his weapon down and said he wasnt going to do it. I think that is probably what has helped me get through it all. When Hugh gave his order, I distinctly remember pointing my weapon directly down at the ground, so there was no question. She enticed me to move to east Oregon, near a ski area. There was some chatter since most of the people at Ft. As far as a place in history, thats not something I dwell on. . By this time, Lt. William Calleys Charlie Company was reaching My Lai? It was Hugh and he told me that I would be getting orders to report to Washington. Whenever I felt discouraged about things, Hugh would remind me that if we get through to just one person, its worth it. In the last incident, his helicopter was brought down by enemy machine-gun fire, and he broke his back in the resulting crash landing. Glenn and I were staring them down and watching to see how it would unfold. You still didnt understand what was actually happening? Out of the blue, our unit was called out onto the tarmac for an awards and decoration ceremony. Afterwards Thompson testified at the trial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer during the massacre. He showed no reaction at all. Justice Thompson was re-elected for additional six-year terms in 2000, 2006, and 2012. It has turned me into a cynic philosopher. In front of Lt. Calley,Hugh Thompson was outranked. 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. 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 Im Irish so Im to suffer. There could be a reason for doing it, or there could have simply been a complete breakdown in leadership. This is not how this military organization is supposed to conduct operations. We hope to link up with other organizations and grow some legs. Like the trials, it was forced. He angered some GIs as he tried to photograph them as they fondled the breasts of a fifteen-year-old Vietnamese girl. Mercy Thompson, Testimony, Church of Christ in Missouri v. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 70 F. 179 (8th Cir. And the people guilty of committing war crimes should have been dealt with. He kept the aircraft and himself in between these people and the squad. Unfortunately, Lt. Calley and the rest of Company C never paid the price for the atrocities they committed. Hugh Thompsons actions may be unique. Thompson was more experienced than Lt. Calley, more ethical, more talented, and brighter, and probably recognized Calley didnt know what he was doing. My father landed on Normandy Beach and as a kid I watched the television series Victory at Sea and went to bed praying never to have to face the fire like those men on Normandy. 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. He didnt have much support for decades. So, what do you make of Calleys apology last year? Except for the boy, it appeared the rest were already dead. Did you experience retaliation for what you did that day, or for talking to Henderson? We are developing the concept of a Hugh Thompson Medallion to do that. %PDF-1.6 % He wanted to give us some idea of what were getting into. Some soldiers even jumped on the water buffalos, riding them around while trying to kill them with their bayonets. California cities shouldnt be deterred. How do you think your story, of an event now long in the past, can make a difference? 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. 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. I said Im not really at liberty to say. There was no time to get an ethics opinion or consult authorities. After we took the boy to Quang Nai, we went back to our base, and Hugh Thompson and I reported to Colonel Oran Henderson. Mr. Thompson, you and Mr. Colburn are indeed the heroes in this sordid story and I am ashamed at how they were treated. From his helicopter, Hugh Thompson could not communicate with Charlie Company on the ground. What about those who didnt stand up to evil in their midst? Hugh Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians during the My Lai massacre, reported the killings to his superior officers in a rage over what he had seen, testified at. Hugh Thompson died in 2006, when he was only 62. Upon seeing that, Hugh Thompson landed the helicopter, approached Calley, and talked to him. Hell, I didnt want to believe it, either, but I had no choice because I saw it.. Likewise, what Hugh did has been ignored or glossed over in history texts, much the same way the incident has been. endstream endobj startxref Thompson wanted you to also make a report? For his interference. Traces the life of U.S. Army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson, who tried to stop the infamous My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War Genres NonfictionHistoryWar BiographyMilitary HistoryMilitary Fiction 248 pages, Hardcover First published May 1, 1999 Book details & editions About the author Trent Angers 40 books6 followers Friends Following I met Thompson in 2000 and interviewed him for my radio program on KPFK in Los Angeles. I imagine he wants to get right with God; hes not a young guy anymore. With Hugh, usually the more tense the situation, the more comical he would be. While the massacre took place, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his crew flew over the jungle, offering air support. Friends I had on the division level told me they were taking volunteers for the 123rd Aviation Battalion. That particular morning we were to provide reconnaissance for a ground operation that was going on in My Lai . We didnt talk too much about it ourselves because we reported on it and we were, frankly, preoccupied with the next mission. Many fellow GIs still dont think you did the right thing? It was denial on the part of the public, said Colburn. Indeed, for a time, Thompson himself feared court-martial. It went on like that for another year and half until finally they agreed to award medals to all of us. I believe Glenn got a Bronze Star too. Nicholas Goldberg: Is God on the side of blasphemy laws? 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. And when Thomson reported the horrific actions, the Army tried to cover up the M Lai massacre. If people have some confusion about that, thats their problem. He looked up and saw us and then took off for the tree line. You risked your lives, I said, to protect those Vietnamese civilians., Well, it didnt come to that, he replied. It is amazing to see the strength of the human spirit. These were infants, two-, three-, four-, five-year-olds, women, very old men, no draft-age people whatsoever.. "They said I was screaming quite loud," he told U.S. News & World Report in 2004. The alternative was to be in an infantry unit, and I was told it would be a good idea to attach to an aviation company, better odds there. 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:. 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. LinkedIn is the world's largest business network, helping professionals like Hugh Thompson discover inside connections to recommended job . He tried to persuade him to stop the attack but with no success. When I moved to the East Coast, I stopped at a VA hospital and had a list of things I thought I should get out. If its not sincere, it doesnt mean anything. He also wanted to be able to get out quickly if need be. Thompson spent the rest of his life wondering if he could have saved more lives. When Hugh asked me to come with him and report what had happened, he said: Just tell the truth. Thompson left the Army in 1983 and became a private helicopter pilot in the South. When Hugh realized it was our people doing this killing, he knew he had to take drastic measures, recalled Larry Colburn, a gunner on Thompsons crew. 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. Im not going to let this happen, weve got to do something.
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