Gainesville, Fla. — William L. Calley Jr., the former U.S. Army officer who was the only person convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, died on April 28 in a hospice center here. He was 80 years old. The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County confirmed his death, although details about the cause were not immediately disclosed by his family, who could not be reached for comment.
Calley was a controversial figure remembered chiefly for his involvement in one of the most infamous episodes of the Vietnam War, an event that starkly highlighted the brutalities of the conflict and spurred widespread outrage.
Born in Miami in 1943, Calley was an average youth who struggled academically and cycled through various jobs before joining the military. His entry into the Army marked the beginning of a military career that would make him a notorious figure in American history.
By March 1968, as a second lieutenant in command of a platoon, Calley led his men into My Lai, a small village in South Vietnam. What transpired there on March 16 was horrifying: over 500 unarmed civilians, including women, children, and elderly men, were killed by U.S. soldiers under his command. The soldiers were ostensibly searching for Viet Cong fighters but found none, leading instead to a massacre.
The details of what happened remained concealed from the public for over a year until investigative journalists exposed the events. The coverup and the eventual revelation sent shockwaves across the United States and the world, intensifying domestic opposition to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Calley was charged with premeditated murder for the deaths of 109 Vietnamese civilians and was convicted in 1971, though only sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. His trial was one of the longest and most divisive court-martials in U.S. military history. Public opinion was split, with some viewing Calley as a scapegoat for failed military policies while others saw him as a symbol of American moral lapse in Vietnam.
After serving just three years, largely under house arrest, his sentence was reduced and he was released on parole. Subsequently, Calley lived relatively out of the public eye, working in a family-owned jewelry store in Columbus, Georgia. He almost never spoke publicly about My Lai until 2009, when he issued an apology at a Kiwanis Club meeting in Columbus.
“My Lai was the absolute low point in the history of the modern U.S. military,” said Thomas E. Ricks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning military correspondent whose work often explores military ethics and history. Ricks suggested that My Lai forced the U.S. Army to reassess practices and procedures, although it also underscored the profound ethical challenges within military command structures.
Calley’s death ignites a renewed examination of My Lai, reflecting on its impacts on military practice and American consciousness. His life encapsulates a tumultuous chapter in American history, one that continues to evoke debate on military ethics, leadership, and accountability.
The repercussions of My Lai reverberated through subsequent U.S. military engagements, influencing how operations are conducted and how soldiers are trained. The massacre became a case study in numerous military and ethics courses across the globe, symbolizing the need for constant vigilance in upholding human rights standards in conflict zones.
Calley’s story remains a cautionary tale of the psychological and moral injuries of war, the responsibilities of command, and the heavy burdens of history. As the nation remembers Calley, it also revisits the lessons of My Lai — a reminder of the grave consequences when those lessons are disregarded.