10 Despicable War Crimes That Were Shamefully Denied

4. My Lai - The Vietnam War 1968

THE definitive US war crime, the My Lai massacre became partially infamous due to the attempted cover up by elements in the US army. The massacre happened in March 1968 when members of Company C marched into the village and killed roughly between 350-500 civilians - men, women and children. Initially civilian casualties were downplayed and the incident was hailed a success and was reported as such in the American media. Nevertheless, some soldiers in the US army were suspicious of the incident and began interviewing soldiers that had been at My Lai. The cat was let out of the bag by a pilot called Ronald Ridenhour who had witnessed the appalling slaughter from the skies and wrote 30 letters to various US Congressmen informing them of what was really going on in Vietnam. Again, the incident was hushed up until November 1969 when the story broke on several news channels and in the press. The uncovering of My Lai didn't just focus on that particular incident. An avalanche of reports of gross American war crimes in Vietnam bombarded civilians. My Lai will probably always stand as an iconic symbol for the worst American excesses in Vietnam. It is a grim incident indeed, and it comes as no surprise that the army tried to make light of it and deny it. The events at My Lai fuelled public disgust at the war and gave the pacifists a strong basis from which to protest against Vietnam.