History Term paper
While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (history)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!
From a public relations standpoint, My Lai serves as one of the most damaging occurrences of the last century for the U.S.A. Almost anything related to the event, from the actual attack, to the following cover up, paints the U.S.A. in a negative light. Because of the nature of the events of March 16th, My Lai received widespread coverage, such as the cover of LIFE magazine, to mention only one. The world, not only the U.S.A., heard vivid details emerge as the trials of many of the men involved progressed. One of those trials was that of Lt. William Calley, perhaps the man deemed most responsible, by some at least, of the murder of over 400 unarmed civilians.
The trial of Lt. Calley was one which received much publicity, both during, and after it took place. Because Calley was in charge of troops present that fateful day, he is usually seen as instrumental in the event s taking place. The progression of his trial paints a clearer view of what exactly happened March 16th, and who was directly responsible. In the long run, despite the overwhelming mass of evidence, Lt. Calley has not faced what many see as justice . The following deals with the procession of the trial, which should show just how drastically the system failed to find any one person responsible enough to punish severely.
Of the cases against troops at My Lai, the strongest was that held against Calley. On November 12th of 1970, the prosecution opened its case against Calley. Held in Fort Benning, Georgia, the trial began with prosecutor Aubrey Daniel s opening statement. I want you to know My Lai 4. I want to put you there. Daniel s job was to convince the jury of six officers that Calley was indeed responsible for My Lai.
The case held by the prosecution was built up methodically. For several days, much grisly evidence accumulated, but none of it placed Calley at the scene of any of the actual shootings. One of the early witnesses was Ronald Haeberle, an army photographer who was present that day, camera in hand. Hugh Thomson, My Lai s hero, was also questioned. The defence, in its cross examination, accomplished fairly little, despite attempting to undermine Haeberle s credibility, and by questioning Thompson s heroics . Logically, Haeberle s credibility is irrelevant in regards to his biggest evidential input, the photographs. According to Richard Hammer, the author of The Court Martial of Lt. Calley, the attempt to devalue Thompson backfired.
The following days of the trial saw the more incriminating witnesses come to the fore. Robert Maples, of Calley s Platoon, testified that he saw Calley at the drainage ditch, firing into the people below. Maples also said that he was ordered by Calley to also fire on the civilians, but refused to do so. Another soldier, Dennis Conti, testified that he was ordered to round up civilians and bring them back to Calley. Conti then testified that Calley ordered him to bring the people to their knees, tightly grouped, so as to make sure they couldn t run. Minutes later machine gun fire sounded. Conti later said that soldier Paul Meadlo, who was firing with Calley, later broke down and cried.
Meadlo, the final prosecution witness, was also the most anticipated. He had been assured immunity from military prosecution in exchange for his testimony. Earlier, Meadlo was called to the stand, but refused to answer questions regarding March 16th, claiming the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate him self. When Meadlo limped to the stand a second time (he lost a foot to a land mine shortly after my Lai), he agreed to answer questions. He told the jury that he was left with a large group of mostly women and children, just south of the hamlet. Meadlo testified that Calley said, You know what I want you to do with them . Meadlo testified that he thought Calley wanted him to guard the people, and explained what happened upon Calley s return a few minutes later. Calley was surprised that the people were still alive. He backed away about thirty feet and opened fire on the gathered. Meadlo said that at this point he joined in. When Meadlo was asked about the events at the drainage ditch, he explained that he saw Calley firing about 300 rounds into the ditch. Upon completion of the Meadlo questioning, the prosecution rested.
The defence, meanwhile, was based on two main ideas. One was that concerning the stress of combat, and the fear of being killed...
MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 23 May, 2012 from
<http://essaymania.com/142187/history>
More College Papers
Age Of Exploration essay
Age of Exploration
AP Questions
Garret Matteotti
1. In what ways was the Age of Exploration an extension of the Renaissance?
The Age of Exploration was an extension of the Renaissance because of many factors. The rich during the Renaissance wanted spices. Spices they could only get in Asia.To ge
Ethnobotany essay
Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous plants. Cultures have been using the environment around them for thousands of years. The use of plants were mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi in Babylon circa 1770 BC. The ancient Egyptians believed
Socialized Medicine essay
Canada s healthcare system has been the envy of many western industrialized countries for years. England s Prime Minister Winston Churchill inspired it in 1948 when he said:
The discoveries of healing science must be the inheritance of all [ ] Disease must be attacked whether it occurs in the poor