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In April of 1971, thousands of GI’s took part in what was called, Dewey Canyon III. The 5-day series of peaceful protest dubbed a “limited incursion into the country of Colonel Oran Henderson, the highest- ranking officer to have faced court martial charges in the My Lai massacre, famously stated that, “every unit of brigade size has its My Lai hidden some place.” Although contested by the U.S. government, Colonel Henderson’s conclusion has become increasingly accepted over the years, causing the events at My Lai 4 to appear as an “extreme yet logical outgrowth of military strategy”, one that was widespread and generally understood among the ranks.
As the pacification program “accelerated” in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, another case of the military’s "indiscriminate use of firepower”, was reported by Kevin Buckley, Newsweek Bureau chief in Saigon. His report documented the six month pacification program conducted by the U.S. Ninth Infantry Division, code-named “Speedy Express.” His report indicated that, perhaps as many as 5,000 noncombatant civilians, were killed by U.S. firepower to “pacify” the province. Reported to be an NLF strong hold, the U.S. military sent 8,000 infantrymen into the countryside, supported by heavy artillery, helicopters, and 3,381 tactical air strikes. Buckley’s report cited “cumulative statistics” provided by the 9th division’s official magazine, showing that 10,899 "enemy" were killed, with "over 3,000 enemy troops killed in the month of March alone… the largest monthly total for any American division in the Vietnam War.” When asked about the inflated body counts, coupled with the small number of weapons captured from the enemy (less than 800), a senior officer explained that helicopter crews had regularly opened fire on unarmed enemy guerillas. This version of the story was not corroborated by the Vietnamese interviewed by Buckley, who repeatedly told him that “the enemy" were farmers, gunned down while they worked in their rice fields.”
PHOTO: The comic depicted here is taken from the GI Press publication, INS. The series of images illustrate a common sentiment throughout the military at this time, particularly after the disclosure of the My Lai Massacre.
As the pacification program “accelerated” in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, another case of the military’s "indiscriminate use of firepower”, was reported by Kevin Buckley, Newsweek Bureau chief in Saigon. His report documented the six month pacification program conducted by the U.S. Ninth Infantry Division, code-named “Speedy Express.” His report indicated that, perhaps as many as 5,000 noncombatant civilians, were killed by U.S. firepower to “pacify” the province. Reported to be an NLF strong hold, the U.S. military sent 8,000 infantrymen into the countryside, supported by heavy artillery, helicopters, and 3,381 tactical air strikes. Buckley’s report cited “cumulative statistics” provided by the 9th division’s official magazine, showing that 10,899 "enemy" were killed, with "over 3,000 enemy troops killed in the month of March alone… the largest monthly total for any American division in the Vietnam War.” When asked about the inflated body counts, coupled with the small number of weapons captured from the enemy (less than 800), a senior officer explained that helicopter crews had regularly opened fire on unarmed enemy guerillas. This version of the story was not corroborated by the Vietnamese interviewed by Buckley, who repeatedly told him that “the enemy" were farmers, gunned down while they worked in their rice fields.”
PHOTO: The comic depicted here is taken from the GI Press publication, INS. The series of images illustrate a common sentiment throughout the military at this time, particularly after the disclosure of the My Lai Massacre.
Copyright Joel Woodman. All rights reserved. 2008