When was the My Lai massacre?
March 16, 1968Mỹ Lai massacre / Start date
On March 16, 1968 the angry and frustrated men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division entered the Vietnamese village of My Lai. “This is what you’ve been waiting for — search and destroy — and you’ve got it,” said their superior officers. A short time later the killing began.
What was the first combat unit in Vietnam?
Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the first American combat troops in Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, 3,500 Marines of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrived in Da Nang to protect the U.S. airbase there from Viet Cong attacks.
How many soldiers were killed by snakes in Vietnam?
The United States Archives and other sources suggest that between 25 and 50 American soldiers a year were bitten by snakes during the war in Vietnam. Some 10,786 American soldiers died of non-combat causes, including 9,107 by accidents and 938 due to illness.
Why is it called Hamburger Hill?
Official histories of the engagement refer to it as Hill 937 after the elevation displayed on US Army maps, but the American soldiers who fought there dubbed it “Hamburger Hill,” suggesting that those who fought on the hill were “ground up like hamburger meat” in grim reference to the Battle of Pork Chop Hill during …
What was the point of the My Lai massacre?
Massacre at My Lai. Shortly before 7:30 am on March 16, 1968, Son My village was shelled by U.S. artillery. The preparatory barrage was intended to clear a landing area for Charlie Company’s helicopters, but its actual effect was to force those civilians who had begun leaving the area back to My Lai in search of cover.
What was the life expectancy of a combat soldier in Vietnam?
Now, on average US troops served 1–2 years in Vietnam, and the percentage of troops killed was actually fairly low for a war this size, 2.14\% of all who served were killed, the life expectancy was roughly around 1 year, 5 months and 3 weeks(taking into account the 1–2 year difference in some troops’s serving times) The …