My Lai Massacre

The My Lai Massacre was a tragic event during the Vietnam War that occurred on March 16, 1968, when U.S. Army soldiers killed between 347 and 504 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe. The soldiers were searching for Viet Cong fighters but instead engaged in widespread brutality. The incident was initially covered up but later exposed, leading to outrage in the United States and around the world. It highlighted issues of military ethics, war crimes, and the impact of war on civilian populations.