William Calley

William Calley (born June 8, 1943). Graduated high school in Miami Fla., Went to Palm Beach Jr. College in Lake Worth Fla. Later became a conductor for the Fla. East Coast Railroad before becoming a United States Army lieutenant in the Vietnam War believed responsible for the March 1968 My Lai Massacre. Calley was charged on September 5, 1969 with six specifications of premeditated murder for the death of 109 Vietnamese civilians in the village of Songmy, or My Lai 4, more commonly called My Lai in the U.S. press. In this well documented atrocity, 500 villagers, all of them women, children, infants and elderly, were assembled and then executed by soldiers of Charlie Company, Americal Division. Together with massive aerial bombardment, atrocities committed against civilians by ground troops help to explain why the ratio of civilian to soldier casualties in the Vietnam War was 20:1, higher than in previous wars involving the United States. Calley's trial started on November 17, 1969 and resulted in a conviction on March 29, 1971 of premeditated murder for his role in the massacre. Testimony revealed that Calley had ordered the men of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, American Division to shoot everyone in the village. Whether his immediate superior officer, Captain Medina had given him that order was disputed. Calley was seen by some as a scapegoat for the U.S. Army's failure to instill morale and discipline in its troops. Others,with lack of knowledge about his education or background, sought to excuse his actions because of his low intelligence and cultural background. Despite having ordered his troops to commit a massacre, he ultimately received a light sentence. He was initially sentenced to life in prison, but President Richard Nixon ordered him released from prison. Calley served 3 1/2 years of house arrest in his quarters at Fort Benning, Georgia and was then released in 1974 by a federal judge. He is now a jeweler in Columbus, Georgia. See also: Vietnam War Calley, William