An all-encompassing, multidimensional examination of the 1968 My
Lai massacre by a distinguished group of historians, military men,
journalists, poets, and novelists. Most compilations of academic
conference papers are dry affairs filled with essays written in
yawn-Inducing academese. Facing My Lai, on the other hand, is made
up primarily of reader-friendly transcripts of remarks made at
roundtable discussions that were held at a three-day Tulane
University conference in December 1994, 25 years after the infamous
massacre. Anderson (History and Political Science/Univ. of
Indianapolis) has edited judiciously and chosen wisely from the
words of the accomplished conferees. The participants included
journalists David Halberstam and Seymour Hersh, poets John Balaban
and W.D. Ehrhart, historians George Herring and Stephen Ambrose,
military strategy analyst Col. Harry Summers, and psychiatrist
Robert J. Lifton. Also on hand were two Vietnam veterans who acted
honorably and courageously in connection with My Lai: Hugh Thompson
Jr., a former helicopter pilot who rescued Vietnamese civilians
during the massacre, and Ron Ridenhour, a former infantryman who
learned of the massacre and did not rest until the story was made
public. The book's highlights include Thompson's emotionally
wrenching firsthand testimony; Herfing's illuminating essay on the
reasons why the Vietnam War was different from other American wars;
Summers's thoughtful comments on leadership in the military;
Patience Mason's adroit mix of personal and professional
reflections on post-traumatic stress disorder; and conference
co-organizer Randy Fertel's summarizing essay on the conference's
goals and accomplishments. One theme was the debate over whether My
Lai was an aberration. Most conferees argued that the massacre was
not, as Herring put it, "typical in any sense." But others
disagreed, seeing My Lai as symptomatic of how the war was
prosecuted by the US. Thoughtful and thought-provoking ideas on a
still-controversial topic. (Kirkus Reviews)
The My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968 and the court martial of Lt.
William Calley a year and a half later are among the bleakest
episodes in American history and continue to provide a volatile
focus for debates about the Vietnam War. Other books have exposed
the facts surrounding the incident; "Facing My Lai" now examines
its haunting legacy through a unique exchange of contemporary
viewpoints.
This powerful book emerges from a stellar gathering of
historians, military professionals, writers, mental health experts,
and Vietnamese and American war veterans convened to memorialize
the tragedy. The cast of prominent speakers included journalists
Seymour Hersh and David Halberstam, novelist Tim O'Brien,
psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, military prosecutor William
Eckhardt, and veterans Hugh Thompson and Ron Ridenhour--the two
true heroes in the My Lai story. David Anderson's reflective
recasting of their presentations creates an impassioned chorus of
voices that demonstrates why this tragedy remains one of the key
emblems of the American experience in Vietnam.
These authors address many of the troubling questions that still
persist about My Lai. Why had it been identified as a Viet Cong
stronghold? What orders were the troops actually given? Why didn't
someone stop the slaughter? But these questions are asked again in
the hope that they might lead to a better understanding of what My
Lai means for us now.
As these authors show, our nation is still trying to come to
grips with the bitter legacies of the Vietnam War. A grim window
into the darker side of American history (like the massacre at
Wounded Knee), My Lai reminds us of humanity's baffling capacity
for atrocity within the crucible of war. Facing My Lai does not
allow us to forget or hide from such horrors, but it also seeks to
heal the deep wounds inflicted by the war. Its unflinching look at
the past ultimately leads us away from darkness and towards a more
enlightened understanding of a war that in many ways is not over
yet.
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