Re: My Lai
A complete bibliogrpahy can be found in Brune and Burns, American and
the Indochina Wars, 1945-1990, Regina Books, Claremont California,
1992. Anyone who teaches or offers a course on Vietnam should have
this book. It is organized into minute subsections perfect for
student's looking for paper topics.
Please also consult Randy Fertel, whose stewardship of the Conference
on My Lai at Tulane University has led to some very useful video as
historical evidence. He is on this user net.
Fours Hours at My Lai, mentioned by others, is perhaps the best
single source, but you should consult the Peers Commission Report
(W. R. Peers, The My Lai Inquiry, 1979, Norton).
At last report, Calley still works for his father-in-law's jewelry
store in Columbus GA.
Tim O'Brien, who visited My Lai one year after, reminds us that Nixon
insured that only those still in the military could be tried, meaning
in practice, mostly NCOs, Medina and Calley. As for the others, you
definitely want to read Rod Ridnehour's account of how he talked to
each man in Charlie Company, his own former company, while in
Vietnam. I believe it is the Viet Nam Generation Big Book. If you
do not know what that is, ask, and this network will provide the
answer.
As for what the military learned, see the New York Times for the case
of Captain Rockwood in Haiti last year. They still have not learned
that you have to encourage reporting, not create an atmosphere that
discourages it. They threw the book at Rockwood, and it wasn't
Four Hours at My Lai.
Marc