In March 1968, in the midst of the Vietnam War, U.S. troops massacred hundreds of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in the village of Son My. The massacre is known as the My Lai Massacre in the United States because one of the areas of the village was called My Lai.
To make matters worse, the incident was kept under wraps until November 1969, over a year and a half after the incident. Once the massacre became public knowledge there was an increase in opposition to the Vietnam War.
Victims of the massacre included men, women, and children. The troops were under the impression that all civilians would have gone to the market and if they were still in the village they must be the enemy.
The lone convicted soldier was a platoon leader. He was sentenced to life in prison but only ended up serving 3.5 years of… house arrest.
