Letters to the Editor: A Vietnamese American reader on the My Lai massacre and William Calley

To the editor: The names William Calley and My Lai are forever etched as an indelible stain in history and the American psyche. (“William Calley, convicted U.S. soldier in My Lai massacre in Vietnam, dies,” obituary, July 30)

Growing up in Vietnam, I never forgot the image of terrified elderly women and children, huddling together, sobbing and begging for their lives. This senseless carnage would have been much worse were it not for the heroic act of a helicopter captain who risked his own life by positioning his aircraft in between the villagers and the American soldiers, threatening to shoot at them if they didn’t back down.

The ensuing cover-up of the My Lai massacre by the American commanders and the whitewashing of Calley’s heinous acts were shameful and horrendous. Thanks to conscientious and excellent journalism, we are able to see a sliver of horror in the American war in Vietnam.

Son Trinh, Long Beach