Page 206 - Stand Down Vietnam
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William Calley, Jr.
Platoon Leader
My Lai, Vietnam
Calley was a lieutenant of the United States Army
during the Vietnam War.
March 1968: As Platoon Leader, Lieutenant Calley led
his soldiers into My Lai, South Vietnam. Apprehensive
that Viet Cong fighters were hiding in the village, he
ordered his men to kill all inhabitants.
Hundreds of citizens, mostly women, children, and
elderly men were murdered. In 1971, he was found
guilty of murder for ordering the killings.
Three years later, a military court delivered judgment
on Calley; he was sentenced to life in prison. He
appealed the conviction and received a shortened
sentence.
Calley was released from prison in 1974; only five
years after the incident.
