Vietnamese women and children in My Lai before being killed in the massacre, March 16, 1968. They were killed seconds after the photo was taken - Photo by Ronald L. Haeberle

Unidentified dead Vietnamese woman - Photo by Ronald L. Haeberle

Vietnamese women and children massacred at My Lai - Photo by Ronald L. Haeberle

Dead man and child - Photo by Ronald L. Haeberle

Video Beat MAX Part 2 - MY LAI MASSACRE on the Australia Network

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Many of the victims were sexually abused, beaten, tortured, and some of the bodies were found mutilated. The massacre took place in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe of Son My village during the American/Vietnam War. Women were gang raped; Vietnamese who had bowed to greet the Americans were beaten with fists and tortured, clubbed with rifle butts and stabbed with bayonets. Some victims were mutilated with the signature "C Company" carved into the chest. By late morning word had got back to higher authorities and a cease-fire was ordered. My Lai was in a state of carnage. Bodies were strewn through the village - STEPHEN HAWKING's Into the Universe

Sunday September 19, 2010

MY LAI

A must watch is the My Lai massacre documentary on the Australia Network. The program deals with the events that took place in the American Vietnam War.

As noted on the Australia Network site what drove a company of American soldiers - ordinary young men from around the country deployed to liberate a small foreign nation from an oppressive neighbor - to dehumanize and murder more than 300 unarmed civilians? Were they "just following orders" as some later declared? Or, as others argued, did they break under the pressure of a misguided military strategy that measured victory by body count?

Many of the victims were sexually abused, beaten, tortured, and some of the bodies were found mutilated. The massacre took place in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe of Son My village during the American/Vietnam War. Women were gang raped; Vietnamese who had bowed to greet the Americans were beaten with fists and tortured, clubbed with rifle butts and stabbed with bayonets. Some victims were mutilated with the signature "C Company" carved into the chest.

By late morning word had got back to higher authorities and a cease-fire was ordered. My Lai was in a state of carnage. Bodies were strewn through the village.

While 26 U.S. soldiers were initially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, only William Calley was convicted. He served only three years of an original life sentence, while on house arrest.

When the incident became public knowledge in 1969, it prompted widespread outrage around the world. The massacre also increased domestic opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Three U.S. servicemen who made an effort to halt the massacre and protect the wounded were denounced by U.S. Congressmen, received hate mail and death threats and found mutilated animals on their doorsteps. Only 30 years after the event were their efforts honored.

Today, as the United States once again finds itself questioning the morality of actions taken in the name of war, Academy Award- nominated filmmaker Barak Goodman (The Lobotomist, Scottsboro: An American Tragedy) focuses his lens on the 1968 My Lai Massacre, its subsequent cover-up, and the heroic efforts of the soldiers who broke rank to halt the atrocities.

My Lai draws upon the eyewitness accounts of Vietnamese survivors and the men of the Charlie Company11th Infantry Brigade and recently discovered audio recordings from the Peers Inquiry to recount one of the Vietnam War's darkest chapters.

The 88 minute documentary airs tonight Sunday September 19 at 7:30 PM and 11:30PM Thailand/Cambodia time and 8:30 PM and 12:30 AM in the Singapore/Hong Kong zones on the Australia Network in the East Asian region. Check your local listings for the time in your area.

Now on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDh1isMZMTM

STEPHEN HAWKING - Into the Universe

Another interesting upcoming show is Stephen Hawking's Into the Universe on the Discovery Channel. Recently Hawking drew some attention with his views that God didn't create man, man created God which blows the hell out of the Israeli's and Afrikaner's belief that the land they occupy is theirs because it says so in the bible.

What are his views on the universe... tune in or miss out. The program airs at 8 PM in the Thailand/Cambodia time zone and 9 PM in the Singapore/Honk Kong time zone. Check your local listings for the time in your area.

Part 3 - AMAZING RACE ASIA # 4

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