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The My Lai Massacre: Military Involvement In Vietnam

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From the beginning of the United States military involvement in Vietnam in 1955, to its withdrawal in 1973 public support for the war was strong at first, but began to slowly erode as military actions escalated. Among the soldiers fighting in the war a critical turning point in their support for the war occurred after the revealing of the My Lai massacre. The My Lai Massacre was a turning point in the soldiers’ about the war and their support for the Vietnam War. Because of its documentation and publicity the My Lai massacre among many atrocities had such an impact, that it turned the viewpoints of the soldiers who were present at the massacre, but also those who were not. In 1955 the tensions related to the Cold War spilled over into the …show more content…

In March 29, 1969, Mr. Ridenhour wrote letters to inform the government about important details the US military wanted to keep a secret. Despite the military’s previous attempts to cover up the incident, Mr. Ridenhour efforts helped spark the publicity of the My Lai massacre and draw the publics attention even more to this atrocity. To the soldiers who had once fought in the war enthusiastically, the My Lai massacre caused them to see the ward in a new light they never thought of. “There is more wanting to kill or to hurt, than to love or to care. The loving feeling or the caring feeling is not there…that was caused by My Lai.” These were words of Vernado Simpson who was present at My Lai.
The soldiers fought in the war to protect the southern Vietnamese from communism, but in this event it was not the South that was protected, rather they were victimized. All of the soldiers who served honorably in Vietnam were unfairly tarred with the brush of the My Lai massacre. That terrible event spoke more about a failure of American leadership, than it did about the American

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