The My Lai Massacre (We the People: Modern America)

The South Vietnamese village of My Lai was the site of one of the most tragic events of the Vietnam War. On March 16, 1968, U.S. soldiers entered the village and killed hundreds of civilians. Though a few Army officers soon learned about the killings, it was more than a year before the rest of the world heard the truth about the massacre. As the story unfolded, one lieutenant was found to be responsible for the actions of the platoon. However, many Americans wondered if he deserved to be singled out.