1968 Song My village tragedy

Fifty years ago, on March 16, 1968, American troops destroyed the South Vietnamese village of Song My (My Lai). It was assumed that the headquarters of the communist partisans was located there, but in fact there were only civilians in the village. Company C of the 1st Battalion of the 20th Infantry Regiment destroyed, according to various estimates, from 200 to 550 people. 1st Platoon commander William Kelly was later found guilty of killing 22 people, sentenced to hard labor for life, but pardoned in 1974.