VIETNAM: THE WAR CRIMES FILES-Civilian Killings Went Unpunished(LAT)

[kpete]

VIETNAM: THE WAR CRIMES FILES
Civilian Killings Went Unpunished



Declassified papers show U.S. atrocities went far beyond My Lai.
By Nick Turse and Deborah Nelson, Special to The Times
August 6, 2006

The men of B Company were in a dangerous state of mind. They had lost five men in a firefight the day before. The morning of Feb. 8, 1968, brought unwelcome orders to resume their sweep of the countryside, a green patchwork of rice paddies along Vietnam's central coast.

They met no resistance as they entered a nondescript settlement in Quang Nam province. So Jamie Henry, a 20-year-old medic, set his rifle down in a hut, unfastened his bandoliers and lighted a cigarette.

Just then, the voice of a lieutenant crackled across the radio. He reported that he had rounded up 19 civilians, and wanted to know what to do with them. Henry later recalled the company commander's response:

Kill anything that moves.

much more (8 pages) at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-vietnam6aug06,0,6350517.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Monkeyman]

1. Go over to the daily kos look at reaction there

[kpete]

2. thanks for pointing me over there

history repeating itself again...

will we ever learn?

[NVMojo]

3. I get lost on KOS, can you post the link, please?? thanks.

[NVMojo]

4. you don't even want me to tell you the atrocities my father used to

bring up that were done in Korea in the 50s by our soldiers. I get nightmares thinking of it.

[tyedyeto]

5. Even if there is more initial coverage of civilian horror stories now...

than during the Vietnam War, it takes so long before anyone is accused or tried and punished, that all these 'high profile' war crimes get relegated to Section D, page 19 of most major newspapers. Even with initial public outrage, the military knows the American public will not care beyond the first day coverage.

[bananarepublican]

6. "Operation Pheonix", "Tiger Force". Say no more! Thanks kpete...

... everyone needs to truly understand the Vietnam War.