The Court-Martial of William Calley for War Crimes
In the midst of the war in Vietnam, the small village of My Lai became the site of tragic events on March 16, 1968, when Captain Ernest Medina gathered one hundred men from Charlie Company for a search-and-destroy mission directed at the 48th Battalion of the Viet Cong.
Medina assured the troops that no innocent civilians would be present in the village. Although he denied instructing his men to kill everyone, some soldiers recalled receiving explicit orders to “kill everything that moved,” but others heard no such order at all; still others felt that the captain’s intentions were implied.
A massacre unfolded when Charlie Company entered the village. Expecting to engage in combat, they instead found the village occupied by unarmed women, children, and older villagers, with no military-aged men or resistance present. In an act of shocking brutality, U.S. soldiers indiscriminately shot at villagers as they attempted to flee or surrender. The assault included heinous acts, such as clubbing, stabbing, and raping civilians. Survivors were gathered into groups and executed with automatic weapons.
During the four-hour assault, over four hundred unarmed villagers were killed, with over forty U.S. soldiers participating in the atrocities without encountering any enemy fire.
What could have caused these Americans to lose their moral compass? Was it just the moral failings of individual soldiers (bad apples), psychological responses to combat stress, the dehumanization of the enemy, or the inevitable result of American military policy decisions (a bad barrel)?
Trial Materials:
Calley’s Court-Martial simulation includes 19 witnesses representing Vietnamese survivors, American soldiers and officers, Vietnamese officers, and the defendant Lieutenant Calley. Two exhibits are also included to be presented at trial (including a photograph taken during the masscare).
The simulation includes roles for two prosecutors, two defense attorneys, and a judge (played by the teacher). Every student in the class will have a role as a witness, defendant, attorney, or juror. All witnesses are real historical figures who will testify to actual historical events.
The trial resources include a teacher’s guide explaining the historical significance of the trial, along with student background information on the historical context, time period, and circumstances in which the case is situated. Students are also provided with key terms, a timeline of significant events, and role sheets that give each student specific information their character can testify to.
Additional materials include information on the trial’s aftermath, discussion questions, and guidelines for effective student attorneys, witnesses, and jurors. Rubrics are also included to assess attorneys, witnesses, and jurors.
