The Forgotten Hero of My Lai (Hugh Thompson, Vietnam/USA)
Quick answer: What did Hugh Thompson do at My Lai?
On March 16, 1968, Army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson saw U.S. soldiers killing unarmed civilians at My Lai. He landed his OH-23 between soldiers and villagers sheltering in a bunker, told his crew to cover him, and confronted the officers. Crew members Lawrence Colburn and Glenn Andreotta stood with him. He reported it up the chain.
On the morning of March 16, 1968, Hugh Thompson flew his OH-23 Raven low over a village in Quảng Ngãi Province, with door gunner Lawrence Colburn and crew chief Glenn Andreotta. They weren't taking fire. They were seeing bodies: women, children, and old men with empty hands. Thompson landed by an irrigation ditch to ask about helping wounded civilians. A sergeant said he could help them out of their misery. Lieutenant William Calley told him it was “my show.” As they lifted off, Andreotta reported gunfire into the ditch. Then he spotted civilians at a bunker with soldiers closing in. Thompson set the helicopter down between them, engine at idle, and told his crew to cover him and open fire if anyone shot at him or the villagers. Then he walked toward the platoon leader. He spent thirty years living with the consequences. John's index card: name what's happening, put something real between the vulnerable and harm, report up the chain, and don't let retaliation rewrite the story.
Why it matters for leaders: Moral courage means naming the wrong while others try to rename it, and putting yourself between harm and the vulnerable.
Q: What did Thompson tell his crew before confronting the soldiers?
A: To cover him and open fire if the soldiers opened up on him or the civilians.
Q: What did Thompson say about doing the right thing?
A: In 2004: “Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come.”
Read the full essay on Substack → https://heroespath.substack.com/p/the-forgotten-hero-of-my-lai-hugh
By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation