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"Day of Massacre."
9:00 AM
"Lieutenant Calley reaches the drainage ditch into which the civilians had been herded and gives the order to start killing them. Within ten minutes, all are shot down by members of the 1st Platoon. Witnesses to the shooting report anywhere between 75 and 150 Vietnamese killed. None of the Vietnamese is armed."- PBS -
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Calley In Massacre
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"Calley's Name is First Mentioned."
"With a growing interest in what occurred at My Lai, Ridenhour seeks out Sergeant Larry LaCroix at Chu Lai, who specifically mentions Lieutenant Calley's involvement in firing upon a group of civilians with a machine gun."- PBS -
"Calley is a Suspect."
"Lieutenant Calley is identified as a suspect in an official inquiry and recalled to the U.S."- PBS -
"Calley is recognized."
"Warrant Officer Thompson is asked to identify the officer he argued with when he landed his plane at My Lai, and Thompson picks Lieutenant Calley out of a lineup." - PBS -
"Calley Being Discharged from Army."
"The day before his scheduled discharge from the Army, Lieutenant Calley is charged with six counts of premeditated murder. The public information office issues a press release stating Calley was being retained because of an ongoing investigation." -PBS -
"Calley's Court Begins."
"Lieutenant Calley's court-martial begins for six counts of premeditated murder that he had been charged with nearly a year before. A conviction of these charges could come with a death sentence, and therefore brought a massive amount of media attention. Calley's defense was that he was simply following the orders of Captain Medina, a defense damaged by Medina's denial of any such order." - PBS -
"Calley is Found Guilty."
"Calley is found guilty of premeditated murder of 22 civilians and sentenced to life in prison. This sentence is extremely controversial and generates a widespread public outcry, as an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that Calley was simply following orders, and condemn the fact that one soldier was serving as the army's scapegoat."- PBS -
"Calley's Sentence is Reduced."
"Lieutenant Calley's sentence is further reduced from 20 years to 10 years. Calley will return to the stockade from house arrest, but will be released on parole that November. In total, Calley serves four months in a stockade." - PBS -
'Calley Apologizes."
"For the first time Lieutenant Calley speaks publicly about My Lai. In front of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus, OH, he says, "There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry." - PBS
