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Charlie Company Heads to Vietnam
A group of soldiers known as Charlie Company, departs for Vietnam's Quang Ngai province. Leading the group, the well-known and well-respected Captain Ernest L. Medina. William L. Calley, Lieutenant of Charlie Company's 1st Platoon, struggled with basic leadership and was often ridiculed and belittled by Medina, who called Calley "Sweetheart." -
Charlie Company Orientation
Charlie Company receives an orientation on the war and both US and Vietnamese strategies and techniques. A Judge Advocate General teaches Charlie Company how to distinguish Vietcong from noncombatants. -
Charlie Company Train at Carrington
Charlie Company establishes an 11th Brigade fire base at landing zone Carrington in the southern Quang Ngai Province. Work at Carrington is comprised of digging up bunkers, setting up latrines, and practicing patrol and search and destroy missions. -
Tet Offensive
Shortly after midnight, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese army launches the Tet Offensive against South Vietnam, attacking 36 of 44 provincial capitals. Charlie Company watches from a remote location called "Dottie." Shortly after, Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Company of Task Force Barker are sent on a search-and-destory mission in the Quang Ngai Province. -
Viet Cong Forces Repelled towards Pinkville
The Communist offensive, known as the Tet Offensive, is repelled by heavy American and South Vietnamese firepower. The Viet Cong retreat toward the coast through Pinkville, whose name comes from the color on military maps indicating densely populated areas. Morale drops, and anti-war sentiment grows. -
Charlie Company Grows Frustrated
After weeks of searching for Viet Cong with little avail, the 1st and 2nd platoon of Charlie Company suffer casualties from a minefield. Soldiers have been dying from traps and mines without ever seeing the enemy in person. Frustration and anger from the loss of their companions led to aggression from traumatized soldiers. -
Viet Cong 48th Battalion Suspected to be in My Lai Region
Intelligence reaches Lieutenant Barker that the Vietcong 48th Battalion -- the battalion which led the Tet Offensive -- is almost certainly near the villages of My Lai, regrouping and gaining strength. Officers believe that a surprise attack in the My Lai area could wipe out the 48th. -
Charlie Company Reaches a Breaking Point
While on a patrol, the popular Sergeant George Cox is killed by a booby trap, and two other GI's are seriously injured. In one of the first documented instances of outright aggression, frustrated and angry members of Charlie Company lash out – while passing through a Vietnamese village on their return to camp, troops shoot and kill a woman civilian working in a field. -
Charlie Company Emotional Debrief
One day before the My Lai massacre, the frustrated emotions of Charlie Company are primed by an emotional and vengeful debrief after the death of Sg. George Cox. To Charlie Company, the civilians of My Lai were the faceless enemy killing them off. Charlie Company prepares to enter My Lai of the Son My village. -
My Lai Massacre
Charlie Company attacks My Lai 4 under orders to clear the village. In three hours up to 504 Vietnamese civilians -- most, if not all, innocent -- are killed. While some troops refused to shoot, these same soldieres also did little to nothing to stop the massacre -- including Medina. -
Much of Son My Destroyed; Heralded as Success by Lt. Colonel Barker
A Vietnamese village chief reports to the leader of the Son Tinh District that 570 civilians have been killed and 90% of Son My village has been destroyed, including homes, animals and property. In an official report regarding the My Lai operation, Lieutenant Colonel Barker concludes the assault was successful: "This operation was well planned, well executed, and successful. Friendly casualties were light and the enemy suffered heavily." -
Ridenhour Writes a Letter to Congress Concerning My Lai
About a year after the My Lai massacre, Ridenhour decides to voice his concerns and evidence to Congress, and urges for an investigation. -
Ridenhour Sends a Letter to Congress Concering My Lai
After a little over a year after the My Lai massacre, Ridenhour decides to voice his concerns and evidence to Congress, urging for an investigation on My Lai. -
My Lai Massacre is Covered Up
Task Force Barker's mission is declared a success and the Companies involved are disbanded. Both US and South Vietnamese sources cover-up the massacre as being a success in the fight against the Viet Cong. -
Chief of Son My Reveals Death Count to Viet Cong
The chief of Son My submits a report to Vietcong officials, alleging that on March 16 a U.S. Army unit had killed more than 400 civilian residents of Son My Village and 90 more in Co Luy (My Khe) Village. -
Ron Ridenhour Learns of My Lai Massacre
Private "Butch" Gruver, who had been reassigned on April 1, sees G.I. veteran Ron Ridenhour and asks him if he had heard about Pinkville (My Lai). Ridenhour, who had trained with Charlie Company in Hawaii and went on to serve as a door gunner for another company, is told by Gruver that 300-400 civilians had been shot and killed. This piques Ridenhour's curiosity and he begins an informal investigation. -
Government Continues to Cover-Up My Lai; Viet Cong Attempt to Expose It
Colonel Henderson's investigation into Warrant Officer Thompson's allegations is officially closed. The report concludes that 20 civilians had been killed accidentally. Barker's investigation concurs with that of Henderson. After the Son My chief's report becomes public knowledge, local Vietcong unite in Quang Ngai and distribute leaflets about the incident. American commanders dismiss these leaflets as "propaganda." -
Witness Troops to My Lai Sent on Increasingly Dangerous Missions
The army sends several members of Charlie Company from My Lai, along with Warrant Officer Thompson (who saved several civilians during the My Lai Massacre), out in increasingly dangerous situations. -
Ridenhour Starts Gathering Evidence of My Lai Massacre
With a growing interest in what occurred at My Lai, Ridenhour seeks out Sergeant Larry LaCroix at Chu Lai, who specifically mentions Lieutenant Calley's involvement in firing upon a group of civilians with a machine gun. -
Two Officers Involved with My Lai Die
Colonel Barker and Captain Michles (the Captain of Bravo Company) are killed in an aircraft accident. -
Ridenhour Receives Testimony on My lai
Ron Ridenhour gets testimony from Private Michael Bernhardt, who had refused to take part in the massacre at My Lai. -
Ridenhour Sends a Letter to Congress Concerning My Lai
Over a year after the massacre, Ridenhour decides to send a letter to Congress voicing his concerns and evidence of the My Lai massacre. He urges Congress to send out an investigation of the event. -
Investigation Turned Over to CID
Enough proof has been garnered confirming the My Lai massacre. The investigation is turned over to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) after it is determined that a full criminal investigation is necessary. The CID is led by Chief Warrant Officer André Feher. -
Charges Placed Against Lt. William L. Calley; Americans Deny My Lai Massacre
Authorities at Fort Benning decide to press charges against Lieutenant Calley. The massacre has been exposed, but most Americans deny its existence. -
Seymour Hersh Releases News Stories Exposing My Lai
Seymour Hersh exposes the My Lai massacre and its cover-up to the public. Angered by both the massacre and the cover-up, Americans have difficulty coping, but eventually become outraged. Anti-war sentiment jumps. The story spreads to the rest of the world, and foreign nations start mounting pressure on the U.S. -
American Public Outraged
:All of Sergeant Haeberle's photos are published and exacerbate the already-strong public outcry over the My Lai massacre. On the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite issues a warning about the disturbing images for viewers before showing them. The horrific images immediately cause a country-wide uproar. -
Nixon Releases a Statement
President Nixon speaks for the first time about the My Lai investigation, acknowledging that it appears a massacre took place, but stating his confidence that it was an isolated incident. Nixon would continue to tolerate the crimes at My Lai, and severely shortened the sentence of William L. Calley.