blzrul Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 After all these years the officer infamous for participating in the massacre of hundreds of villagers in Vietnam has admitted responsibility and apologized. I was very surprised to read about it, and the venue was somewhat odd. I wonder why now. At the end he got a standing ovation. I am not sure why. I guess because people felt it took courage for him to stand up in front of a small crowd, admit his guilt and remorse and answer questions. Maybe now another chapter in the darker side of American history is coming to a close. I don't know. I always had mixed feelings about My Lai...I don't know how our soldiers were supposed to tell a North from a South Vietnamese, or how they could spot an infiltrator since of course they didn't wear uniforms proclaiming their sympathies... I could see how these kids could snap and go nuts and massacre civilians, it was a war after all. The only conclusion that I could ever come to was that those young American soldiers should never have been there in the first place. Hindsight = 20/20. Well, I hope something good comes out of this and maybe Calley will finally have some peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseburger_in_paradise Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 After all these years the officer infamous for participating in the massacre of hundreds of villagers in Vietnam has admitted responsibility and apologized. I was very surprised to read about it, and the venue was somewhat odd. I wonder why now. At the end he got a standing ovation. I am not sure why. I guess because people felt it took courage for him to stand up in front of a small crowd, admit his guilt and remorse and answer questions. Maybe now another chapter in the darker side of American history is coming to a close. I don't know. I always had mixed feelings about My Lai...I don't know how our soldiers were supposed to tell a North from a South Vietnamese, or how they could spot an infiltrator since of course they didn't wear uniforms proclaiming their sympathies... I could see how these kids could snap and go nuts and massacre civilians, it was a war after all. The only conclusion that I could ever come to was that those young American soldiers should never have been there in the first place. Hindsight = 20/20. Well, I hope something good comes out of this and maybe Calley will finally have some peace. March 16, 1968. Why is this news? From a historical perspective , village massacres were quite common during the Vietnam conflict. Usually perped by the NV, not the Americans. That does not excuse Calley, or any of the others that got off scott free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 March 16, 1968. Why is this news? From a historical perspective , village massacres were quite common during the Vietnam conflict. Usually perped by the NV, not the Americans. That does not excuse Calley, or any of the others that got off scott free. It's news because he's never said a word about it all these years. What he did was sudden and unexpected. I wonder why after all these years, is all. Nothing political about it, I sort of wish he'd kept quiet to be honest. Some things are best forgotten, why open up such a painful topic after all these years.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeseburger_in_paradise Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 It's news because he's never said a word about it all these years. What he did was sudden and unexpected. I wonder why after all these years, is all. Nothing political about it, I sort of wish he'd kept quiet to be honest. Some things are best forgotten, why open up such a painful topic after all these years.... He has not changed his story. He still says he was following orders. That's what good soldiers do. Calley got screwed. I know a guy that was there. What a mess. The fog of war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 He has not changed his story. He still says he was following orders. That's what good soldiers do. Calley got screwed. I know a guy that was there. What a mess. The fog of war. I once dated a guy who had gone to my HS several years ahead of me, he was special forces in Vietnam and went places we weren't supposed to be, doing Lord knows what...he never said much about what he did but what little he said gave me the creeps. It clearly gave HIM the creeps and he was having a lot of trouble living with whatever it was. One more reason why I hate that war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I once dated a guy who had gone to my HS several years ahead of me, he was special forces in Vietnam and went places we weren't supposed to be, doing Lord knows what...he never said much about what he did but what little he said gave me the creeps. It clearly gave HIM the creeps and he was having a lot of trouble living with whatever it was. One more reason why I hate that war. I'm not sure I'd be able to keep it to hating just that war (I know that wasn't your meaning). War is so fuggin' horrible that words haven't been invented to describe it. It's kind of unfortunate that it seems so sterile now because people seem to be more immune to the harsh reality of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted August 25, 2009 Author Share Posted August 25, 2009 I'm not sure I'd be able to keep it to hating just that war (I know that wasn't your meaning). War is so fuggin' horrible that words haven't been invented to describe it. It's kind of unfortunate that it seems so sterile now because people seem to be more immune to the harsh reality of it. Much as it pains me to agree with you on anything , I do agree with you. There are some wars that were unavoidable, and needed to be fought. When I think of the wars that have been fought, ARE being fought, for no good reason I want to knock some heads together. I hope someday before the world ends humankind will figure out a way to settle differences without war. I know I'll be long gone when that happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts