Source: Common Dreams
by George Cassidy Payne
“Courage is rarely convenient. Sometimes it is condemned. Ask Hugh Clowers Thompson Jr. On March 16, 1968, Thompson, a young Army helicopter pilot in the 123rd Aviation Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Division, flew over the South Vietnamese village of Sơn Mỹ and witnessed something unimaginable. American soldiers were systematically killing unarmed civilians — women, children, and the elderly. There were no enemy combatants. This was not war. This was a massacre. Most soldiers either did not see or refused to confront the truth. Thompson did. He acted decisively: He hovered his helicopter between the troops and the villagers; ordered his crew, Glenn Andreotta and Lawrence Colburn, to fire on American soldiers if the killing continued; and personally escorted terrified civilians to safety. He radioed repeated warnings to Task Force Barker headquarters. Eventually, his actions forced command to halt the massacre.” (12/02/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/obedience-complicity-military