The Horrid Massacre Of March 16, 1968

Submitted By mnkybabe84
Words: 1544
Pages: 7
Open Document
Cruel, terrible, horrifying, all words to describe this horrid massacre that took place on March 16, 1968. Poor Vietnam families’ just peacefully eating breakfast had no intention of creating a war between them and American soldiers coming in their village. No intention of having to witness an unforgiving tragedy in just four hours of the morning. No reason to justify why they were targeted as the enemies; simply because they had different skin than the American soldiers, simply because the soldiers in Charlie Company were bored? How were they to know American soldiers even thought they were enemies after giving their children candy and water, then just wiping away their existence in a matter of hours; nobody could have foreseen that coming. What a disgrace to know that Georgia was the base where these young men were trained to kill, trained that their duty was to kill and nothing else. What can be said for this tragedy is little unless you were there, got to witness the awful cruelty going on but what can be learned is that it should have never happened and nobody should have been killed. Why did these soldiers kill the villagers? What caused them to feel as though this Vietnamese Village, Pinkville, was the enemy? The American soldiers say that at the beginning of their journey they never saw an enemy however part of their company kept getting injured. Michael Bernhardt said that they felt so close because they had nobody else, so when someone would die it was a very personal thing. Four soldiers were killed and 38 wounded from these obstructions placed by enemies. After you go through this entire experience can a person really think right? These men were convinced by Calley, their “leader”, that this village was the enemy, the reason for all their fellow friends passing’s. They killed because they were told to. Kenneth Hodges, a former sergeant of the Charlie Company stated, “As a soldier I had to carry out an order, never imagined disobeying.” These men killed because they were ordered to do so and in training that was what they were taught to do, to obey. But, this gives them no excuse for what they did. Many men chose to stand down, these men did not. Thompson said the reason these soldiers did this massacre was because of a few reasons: Bad leadership, negative peer pressure, prejudice, and fear. I completely agree with Mr. Thompson. These soldiers had fear of the unknown if they didn’t follow orders. Their orders came from bad leadership, leaders who decided to cruelly kill hundreds because they just decided they were the enemy. Lastly, negative peer pressure and prejudice took a huge part. You see all your fellow friends and your commanding leader killing as though there is a purpose and you began to believe there is one. Just like in the Asch Experiment, where 1 person in tricked into conforming with 4 other people because they are afraid to stand out. Kenneth Hodges says, “We carried out the orders in a morally fashion.” They believed everything they did was justified but even after all these excuses we know today that it was not. Excuses seem to sum up everything that comes out of every soldier’s mouth. Numberg defense was that they were just following orders; this could never be considered justifiable. I believe that this most definitely cannot be considered a legitimate excuse. In Thompson’s interview he tells us that not all the soldiers took part in the massacre. There were only roughly 13-18 men who actually killed villagers; there were 190 soldiers in the Charlie Company. All these other men did not take part in the massacre these other men didn’t follow the orders to kill. So why would we consider this a viable excuse when all these other men chose to not take part, chose to go
Show More

Related Documents: The Horrid Massacre Of March 16, 1968

The Legacy, Betrayal And Death Of Julius Caesar

that he may have. Brutus lived in honor of his own legacy. Brutus feels that there is no man more important than his family history. Brutus would like to think that he is killing Julius Caesar to better his fellow man. Brutus’ legacy, jealousy, betrayal and dishonor are ultimately what drives Brutus to kill Julius Caesar.We feel that Brutus’ legacy was his own excuse to kill Julius Caesar.(Act 2, Scene 1, Line 1-10, Pg.47-49)…

Words 567 - Pages 3

Phillip Caputo Rumor Of War

Rumor of War” by Phillip Caputo displays the reality of war. The heroic illusion of war that movies provide as being the ultimate adventure with everlasting glory was false. The reality of war forced men to become heartless killers, expect to lose friends, and lose all sense of morals except the idea of surviving. The year of 1960 young Phillip Caputo joined the marines inspired with mass patriotism with John F. Kennedy’s famous quote “ask what you can do for your country”. Phillip Caputo experienced…

Words 1308 - Pages 6

Ptsd: Vietnam War and Tim O’brien Essay

at war. O’Brien explains the different things he goes through, sometimes contradicting himself and even telling “lies”. In the book he explains that if he told his daughter he killed a man it’s the truth, but if he told his daughter that he did not kill a man it is also the truth. It’s understandably stated in the book that O’Brien would repeatedly write about the incidents that bother him to help him cope psychologically. Thus, PTSD is a bad disorder and causes O’Brien and many other soldiers to…

Words 841 - Pages 4

Essay On Manson Family Murders

The Manson Family Murders “If I wanted to kill somebody I’d take this book and beat you to death with it, and I wouldn’t feel a thing. It would just be just like walking to the drugstore.” (History.com Staff). On August 9th, 1969, five people were brutally murdered. One of the victims was up-and-coming actress Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant at the time. Then, on August 10th, 1969, Rosemary and Leno LaBianca were savagely murdered. After these two fateful nights, the “family” that committed…

Words 492 - Pages 2

David Crocket Essay

Texas Texans David Crockett Throughout the American history we the people have stood together to unite different cultures, races, and religions under one nation. Most importantly by the help of heroes we have accomplished what no other country in our time could accomplish, the land of the free. Today, let us take a journey back in history to recognize the accomplishments of David Crockett that helped lead to create the freedom we have today. David Crockett an American hero who was a…

Words 896 - Pages 4

Michael Parenti's The Assassination Of Julius Caesar

death than the eight that were in Shakespeare’s play. Like the character in the play, the real Julius Caesar was a political leader in the Roman Republic, which predates the Roman empire. Caesar had arrived for a Senate meeting with his peers and fellow Senate members. Unbeknownst to Caesar, there was an assassination plot underway from those he had worked with, resulting in being stabbed twenty-three times and bleeding to death in the Senate meeting (Julius Caesar’s…

Words 924 - Pages 4

America History X Essay

1 America History X Armond Shipp Gangs in America 2 The movie that I chose to review is American History X. I picked this movie because this relates to popular culture in so many ways. The first way that it relates is the fact that people back in the day, white individuals were racist against blacks and other minorities. The second way is that, although faced with adversity, you have to adapt to the current situation that you are put in. You can choose…

Words 1583 - Pages 7

Boy and Scout Essay

Someone Has to Wear the Pants Although feminism is a modern term, female characters in literature have shown these qualities throughout time. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, tells a story about a single father raising a boy and a girl during the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama. The main character, Jean Louise Finch, also known as "Scout," narrates the story of her childhood, growing up with a brother and another boy during a time when women were expected to be polite and feminine at…

Words 758 - Pages 4

Why Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book written in the setting of the 19th century America. During this time in American history, there were a lot of different ideas on what was considered morally right. So, there are a lot of themes about slavery, racism, and murder throughout most of this novel. Although these themes are controversial, they should not keep this wonderful piece of literature from being taught in high schools. Even though Huckleberry Finn deals with darker subject matter, the…

Words 645 - Pages 3

Comparing Macbeth To Shakespeare's Play

1045, in a battle between two Scottish armies. Many believe that Duncan's wife fled Scotland with her two sons. Her son’s Malcolm the 3rd and Donald the 3rd would be future kings. Writers say she fled to Duncan's kin in Atholl. The Macbeth of history was very different from shakespeare's story. After Duncan was defeated Macbeth was Unchallenged. The scholar Marianus Scouts says Macbeth traveled as far as Rome on a pilgrimage to Rome. It was the year of 1050 and he is said to have gave money to…

Words 742 - Pages 3