Hugh Thompson Jr.

“What a great man. There are so many people today walking around alive because of him, not only in Vietnam, but people who kept their units under control under other circumstances because they had heard his story. We may never know just how many lives he saved.”

“You can't imagine what courage it took to do what he did.”

“It is good that America remembers you now, because many times America forgets much too easily. It also sometimes forgets the good it has done. My personal wish is to thank you and all of the Americans who came to Vietnam to help the South Vietnamese people, not kill them. I would like to thank all U.S. soldiers who helped my mother and sister and relatives in our village because, according to my family, there were mostly good soldiers who came to our village.You took a big risk for humanity. You are a brave man and a good one.”

“He was the guy who by his heroic actions gave a morality and dignity to the American military effort. At war sometimes things get topsy turvy, so he was a moral example at a time when things were pure evil.”

“Calley was convicted, Nixon had made it easy on him, five hundred and four people were dead in Vietnam, it was a war crime, no one paid for it. Thompson was disgusted. The hero of My Lai had had enough. He was worn down by the tension of the courtroom, angered by the lack of justice, wounded by the mean looks and cold shoulders he was getting while out in public. Now, he just wanted to go home, back to his base at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. He just wanted to be left alone.”

“Hugh Thompson, Larry Colburn and other men of goodwill- who cooperated in the Peers Inquiry and who testified repeatedly during the courts-martial and in the pre-trial hearings- had hoped to see justice done but ended up saddened and disillusioned at the outcome. A near-total sense of futility came over Thompson. He had gone to a lot of trouble for nearly no result, except for what he considered a token conviction. It would be a long, long time before he would go to that much trouble again for anyone or any cause.”

“In the same months that Thompson was becoming increasingly sensitive to the disapproval of others, Lt. Calley was gaining the sympathy of more and more Americans, who held the viewpoint that he was a soldier who was just taking orders when he did what he did at My Lai. They saw Calley as a scapegoat for the transgressions of his superiors, a guy who was singled out to take the fall for the officers over him and the men around him on that day in March of 1968. Calley was, in the minds of many, a national hero.”

“He was treated like a traitor for 30 years, so he was conditioned to just shut up and be quiet. Every bit of information I got from him, I had to drag it out of him.”

“Thompson landed again. Glenn and I got out of the aircraft, took out the guns. Hugh walked over to this lieutenant [Brooks], and I could tell they were in a shouting match. I thought they were going to get in a fist fight. He told me later what they said. Thompson: 'Let's get these people out of this bunker and get 'em out of here.' Brooks: 'We'll get 'em out with hand grenades.' Thompson: 'I can do better than that. Keep your people in place. My guns are on you.' Hugh was outranked, so this was not good to do, but that's how committed he was to stopping it.”

“They said I was screaming quite loud. I threatened never to fly again. I didn't want to be a part of that. It wasn't war.”

“These people were looking at me for help and there was no way I could turn my back on them”

“I'd received death threats over the phone. Dead animals on your porch, mutilated animals on your porch some mornings when you get up. So I was not a 'good guy'.”

“Something terrible happened here 30 years ago today. I cannot explain why it happened. I just wish our crew that day could have helped more people than we did.”

“Don't do the right thing looking for a reward, because it might not come.”

“I'm going to go over and get them out of the bunker myself. If the squad opens up on them, shoot 'em.”