Lai Massacre Essay

The explanation of why upright people execute wrongful actions is interpreted in multiple ways. In "The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience," Herbert C. Kelman, a professor of social ethics, and V. Lee Hamilton, a sociologist, discuss how the practice of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization are employed to carry out unethical actions similar to the My Lai Massacre. The American Law assumes that subordinates should be obeying orders; however, when linked to obeying superiors

The Implications of Obedience Within the United States Military: The My Lai Massacre On March 16, 1968, a unit of the United States military was ordered to advance into a village called Son My in northern Vietnam. It was there that a mass execution of unarmed civilians took place. One may wonder how the United States could do something so seemingly inhumane after considering what the Nazis did only twenty years prior to the Vietnam War. However, in the context of a tense situation, there are particular

My Lai Massacre Soldiers are trained to always follow orders, and to never question orders. But that belief is somewhat illogical. Soldier's are to obey any lawful order given. But the training involved, the often chaotic nature of battle, and the need to follow authority to maintain survival can lead to a very blurred vision of what is right or wrong. One's animalistic instincts may take over. Sometimes there are such situations when you've stepped over the line. Such as the horrendous

My Lai Massacre ​Cowardice. Lack of education. Immorality. These are only a few traits to describe the soldiers that went along with the My Lai Massacre in 1968. The My Lai Massacre took place during the Vietnam War in the southern village of My Lai. American troops were told to bomb and kill the “armed” and “dangerous” people of this village because it was believed to be “stronghold for forces of the National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam, or Viet Cong” (My Lai Massacre). These American troops

The My Lai massacre was located in part of the village of Son My. There were a company of American soldiers that had brutally killed practically the whole majority of south vietnamese hamlets population of the My Lai on March in the year 1968. Though we aren't for sure the exact number still it is told that as many as 500 people, this is including women child and some of the elderly, were killed in the My Lai Massacre. The U.S. Army board in the 1970s had charged 14 officers for crimes that were

These were Second Lieutenant William Calley’s words in response to the My Lai Massacre, but were an example of how most soldiers felt at the time. The My Lai Massacre was a killing of over 500 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in March 16th, 1968. During this time, The Vietnam war was growing and US support towards the war was increasing. Unfortunately, the American public was very against the Vietnam war and the My Lai Massacre was the turning point of The United States militaristic role in Vietnam

My Lai On March 16, 1968, in the Quang Ngai region of Vietnam, specifically My Lai, the United States military was involved in an appalling slaughter of approximately 500 Vietnamese civilians. There are numerous arguments as to why this incident even had the capacity to occur. Although some of the arguments seem valid, can one really make excuses for the slaughter of innocent people? The company that was responsible for the My Lai incident was the Charlie Company and throughout the company there

The My Lai massacre was a very dramatic event affecting many livelihoods and destroying communities. The US Army was heavily involved in the massacre. It is believed that approximately 504 innocent Vietnamese men, women and children lost their lives to the massacre. Before the massacre Vietnam was still war-stricken with civil wars between the north and south Vietnamese people but after the US got involved many other countries came into the mix as well like Australia, China, Cambodia, North Korea

think one of the main reasons why the My Lai Massacre occurred was due to conformity. Conforming to a group of norm is powerful when it comes to ambiguous and confusing situations as what happened at My Lai. The soldiers were instructed to kill everyone in sight, whether they were old people, children, babies, or animals. The soldiers followed orders because they felt obligated to obey an authoritative figure who had power over them. The soldiers at My Lai were influenced by other soldiers who were

point in the Vietnam War occurred in the small village of My Lai, Vietnam. The hamlet of My Lai was known for being fertile Viet Cong territory. A unit of the 11th Infantry Brigade, known as the Charlie Company, was sent to My Lai on a “search and destroy” mission. Soldiers of the Charlie Company were ordered to locate and eliminate communist fighters said to be in the area. On the morning of March 16, 1968 U.S. soldiers entered My Lai and, in what was said to be a matter of hours, killed hundreds