Calley Finally Speaks
Former Army lieutenant William Calley made his first public apology four days ago (i.e., 8.19) for the infamous 1968 My Lai massacre, in which he participated and for which he was convicted for the premeditated murder of 104 women, children and elderly folk on 3.16.68. Nearly 500 non-combatants were reportedly slaughtered that day in the village, which was actually called Son My.
(l.) George Lois's famous Calley-and-the-kids Esquire cover; (r.) an August 1971 National Lampoon cover.
"There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai," Calley reportedly told a Kiwanis Club gathering in Columbus Georgia, last Wednesday evening. "I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry."
Calley has also been reported as saying that "if you are asking why I did not stand up to them when I was given the orders, I will have to say that I was a 2nd Lieutenant getting orders from my commander" -- Cpt. Ernest Medina, he meant -- "and I followed them. Foolishly, I guess.
The guy says nothing about his role in one of the worst U.S. military atrocities for over 40 years? What did he do with those ghosts and demons all that time? Did they take up residence in a guest room? Calley's silence seems especially appalling considering a 10.6.07 Daily Mail story called "Found: The Monster of My Lai", which states that the first time he thought about openly discussing it (but only for an hour) was because he thought he might pocket a big check.
Wikipedia summarizes the story as follows: "In October 2007, Calley agreed to be interviewed by the UK newspaper the Daily Mail to discuss the massacre, saying, 'Meet me in the lobby of the nearest bank at opening time tomorrow, and give me a certified cheque for $25,000, then I'll talk to you for precisely one hour.' When the journalist 'showed up at the appointed hour, armed not with a cheque but a list of pertinent questions', Calley left."
Calley during last Wednesday's appearance in Columbus, Georgia.
At the time of his conviction on 3.31.71 (which resulted in a commuted sentence and being freed from house arrest after three years), a reported 79% of Middle Americans disagreed with the verdict, seeing Calley as a scapegoat. It is presumed that many U.S. soldiers wasted Vietnamese civilians during that infernal conflict, and that Calley is just the only one who stood trial for it.
For what it's worth I never saw the My Lai massacre as strictly analagous to the citizen-killing situation depicted in Bruce Beresford's Breaker Morant. To go by Seymour Hersh's reportings the My Lai killings didn't seem strategically necessary as much as impulsive murders that were primarily emotional in nature. It's too bad that Oliver Stone's Pinkville, which would have dealt with the massacre and the whistle-blower who finally revealed what happened, was deep-sixed.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 23, 2009 at 8:25 AM
comment #1
Ray
says ...
"Looking not just older than his 66 years but like a withered Ernst Stavro Blofeld,"
Anyone else notice the fairly recent and unrelenting obsession on this blog with aging, decrepitude, and death?
I really think the guy looks like a fairly average 66 year old male.
As for what he did, he's simply acting like any other person in this age of quick-cash, profit off of ugliness.
Posted by Ray
at August 23, 2009 10:23 AM
comment #2
TulseLuper
says ...
The Daily Mail is among the least credible newspapers in the world -- up there with The New York Post -- but otherwise I agree with you.
Posted by TulseLuper
at August 23, 2009 10:58 AM
comment #3
Jonas Grumby
says ...
[For breaking HE's personal insult rule, Jonas Grumby is banned for life.]
Posted by Jonas Grumby
at August 23, 2009 11:22 AM
comment #4
Jack South P.I.
says ...
Almost as bad as the massacre itself was the fact that instead of spending his life in prison, he (with help from Richard Nixon) only served 3.5 years of house arrest. This is one of the most shameful chapters in American history.
Anyone interested in more about this should read Tim O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods, a brilliant novel that deals in large part with the slow-release traumas of Vietnam. His description of the massacre starts around page 105. He is far and away my favorite Vietnam author, and one of my favorites in general.
Posted by Jack South P.I.
at August 23, 2009 12:11 PM
comment #5
Wrecktem
says ...
He looks strikingly like my step-father, who is 65.
Wells, notice that the comments are veering away from the general points of your post? That's because you make ridiculous statements about looks and age all the time, and your readership is subsequently attuned to discuss those matters. Perhaps if you didn't needlessly make parenthetical statements like this, the comments to your articles would stay more focused.
Posted by Wrecktem
at August 23, 2009 12:17 PM
comment #6
Emmanuel_Goldstein
says ...
For Christ sake Jonas simmer down... why don't you post a picture of your mug so we can judge it harshly and unfairly as well. Bad form...
Posted by Emmanuel_Goldstein
at August 23, 2009 12:23 PM
comment #7
Ulysses
says ...
This is me on my Faceboob page:
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Posted by Ulysses
at August 23, 2009 12:51 PM
comment #8
Ulysses
says ...
Jonas probably shoulda stayed on the island.
Posted by Ulysses
at August 23, 2009 1:27 PM
comment #9
SpinDozer
says ...
'...the citizen-killing situation depicted in Bruce Beresford's Breaker Morant.'
uh, what? Reverand Hess was the only citizen-killing depicted in Breaker Morant, and he was liquidated for contact with the guerillas to be executed shortly. While it was a "war crime", one of many depicted in the film, I would think the appropriate description would be 'totaly non-analagous' to what happened to the villagers at Son My. Everyone else KIA or shot after surrender in Morant were combatants.
Posted by SpinDozer
at August 23, 2009 1:45 PM
comment #10
matt cousens
says ...
Wrecktem is absolutely right. Both my grandfathers are this mans age, and they both look very similar to him. That man looks like he's in his mid 60's.
Posted by matt cousens
at August 23, 2009 1:57 PM
comment #11
DeeZee
says ...
" was because he thought he might pocket a big check"
His tell-all should be called, "If I did it, but got a free pass, because it was 'Nam, and I was white and the military manipulated the media to focus on the Manson thing instead".
Posted by DeeZee
at August 23, 2009 2:02 PM
comment #12
Felonious Monk
says ...
[R.I.P., Felonious Monk -- banned for life.]
Posted by Felonious Monk
at August 23, 2009 2:16 PM
comment #13
Travis Crabtree
says ...
DeeZee wrote....
"" was because he thought he might pocket a big check"
His tell-all should be called, "If I did it, but got a free pass, because it was 'Nam, and I was white and the military manipulated the media to focus on the Manson thing instead"."
Holy shit.
Posted by Travis Crabtree
at August 23, 2009 3:14 PM
comment #14
Travis Crabtree
says ...
Adios Grumby, you weak-ass fucking loser.
Posted by Travis Crabtree
at August 23, 2009 11:33 PM
comment #15
Floyd Thursby
says ...
Jesus Christ, he looks like me!
Posted by Floyd Thursby
at August 24, 2009 11:15 AM
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dd
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