When helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr. flew over the Vietnamese village of My Lai on March 16, 1968, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Below him, American soldiers—his brothers in arms—were systematically executing unarmed civilians. Women, children, even infants lay dead or dying along village paths and in ditches. What happened next would define not just Thompson's life, but reshape our understanding of moral courage in warfare.

Thompson made a split-second decision that few would have the bravery to make. He landed his small OH-23 helicopter directly between American troops and fleeing Vietnamese villagers, ordering his crew to train their weapons on their fellow soldiers. "If these bastards open up on me or these people, you open up on them," he commanded. In that tense standoff, with American guns pointed at each other on foreign soil, Thompson evacuated eleven civilians to safety. Later, spotting movement in a mass grave, his crew rescued a five-year-old boy—the only survivor among hundreds of bodies.

The aftermath proved that moral courage often comes at devastating personal cost. Rather than being celebrated, Thompson was ostracized, received death threats, and was labeled a traitor by members of Congress. The military attempted to cover up the massacre, awarding Thompson a medal with a fabricated citation that disgusted him. For thirty years, he battled PTSD, depression, and alcoholism while the institution he served tried to bury both his actions and the atrocity he exposed. Only in 1998 did the Army finally acknowledge the truth, awarding Thompson and his crew the Soldier's Medal for their extraordinary heroism.

Thompson's legacy transcends the Vietnam War. His actions at My Lai now form the cornerstone of military ethics training, teaching soldiers that their ultimate loyalty must be to humanity and moral principles above unlawful orders. Join us as we explore the remarkable story of a man who, when faced with the ultimate test of character, chose to stand alone against overwhelming pressure and save innocent lives, reminding us all what true heroism looks like in our darkest hours.

Interview: Larry Colburn From the Collection: Vietnam War

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/my-lai-interview-larry-colburn/#:~:text=starting%20to%20see%20things%20%E2%80%94%C2%A0you,they%20were%20leaving%20on%2C%20and

Op-Ed: A forgotten hero stopped the My Lai massacre 50 years ago today

By Jon Wiener

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-wiener-my-lai-hugh-thompson-20180316-story.html#:~:text=Advertisement

Wikipedia: Hugh Thompson Jr.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.#:~:text=Thompson%20reported%20the%20atrocities%20by,destroy%20operations%20in%20the%20village

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