The New York Times wrote of the Barak Goodman documentary:
The film employs the usual archival images and talking heads, as well as audio recordings from the court martial of Lt. William L. Calley Jr., who was convicted of ordering the killings. But Mr. Goodman has gone well beyond that, persuading soldiers from Charlie Company, some of whom had never spoken publicly about the events of March 16, 1968, to sit for interviews.
They appear to be more interested in seeking understanding than in expressing remorse. “The people of that village were Viet Cong or Viet Cong sympathizers,” says Kenneth Hodges, a squad leader. “Maybe some see it differently. That’s the way I see it.” Often, though, their words and their eyes seem to be telling different stories.
The first half of My Lai is deeply haunting.
Good find on My Lai, John. I'm interested in catching this on the re-run.
ReplyDeleteWhile the scale of the atrocity (and therefore the cover-up) pales, the murders in Haditha, Iraq by the Marines a few years back has some striking similarities. Interesting that, as Americans, we didn't hesistate to string up the Nuremberg defendants for war crimes, but we certainly have a different view when American soliders, in the heat of war, commit crimes.
Maybe it's a nice tie-in to the "other" effects you mention in the the MIA vid.
The first hour of My Lai (it was an hour and a half long) was intense. They had all these soldiers from the Charlie Company comment on the run up and fall out of the entire incident. It's the most horrific account of war I've ever heard from American soldiers. That just might include any fictional account of Vietnam that I've seen/read of as well.
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