Legal drama centering on the 1970 court martial of lt. William calley cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. The case against calley and, eventually, fourteen other military officers emerged from the investigations conducted by colonel william wilson. This is an interesting account of the trial convicted of murder. This docudrama follows the courtmartial of the title character, the man held responsible for the my lai massacre during the vietnam war. Lieutenant william calley, as leader of one group, played an active role. Nov 18, 2009 the courtmartial essentially a military trial is the oldest system of justice in the united states, predating even the constitution and declaration of independence. The courtmartial essentially a military trial is the oldest system of justice in the united states, predating even the constitution and declaration of independence. Calleys puzzlemiat over moral priorities and options seems typically in the american grain, for he then goes on to brood. The docudrama is faithful to the trial transcripts.
Rusty calley for the massacre of my lai 4 during the vietnam war. Harrison ford is given top billing on the cover of the dvd but in fact appears only briefly in the dvd as one of the members of calleys platoon. Courtmartial of lieutenant william calley by anna yarling. Testimony and documents relating to the court martial of william l. The roots of military law stretch back to ancient rome, where it was adopted to enforce discipline within the ranks, especially among mercenaries. Almost everyone wanted to make him more than he was, but pudgy, babyfaced, nottoobright rusty calley lacked demonic stature and hammers lugubrious reflections on the nature of heroes, antiheroes, scapegoats, martyrs, victims and murderers as he sat through four months of testimony in the 59seat court house in fort benning, georgia, seem to have been a desultory vigil for grand drama.
Platinum disc corporation the trial and conviction of william rusty calley, an unknown 27yearold lieutenant charged with the murder of 102 men, women and children in the tiny vietnamese village of my. Richard basehart plays the defense attorney, george lattimer, in the trial of william rusty calley, a 27 year old lieutenant charged with the murder of 102 men, women and children in the tiny vietnamese village of my lai. Calley was released to house arrest under orders by president richard nixon three days after his conviction. Calley, and the public reaction to calley s conviction. Historical context the vietnam war scarred all in involved with the conflict. Text of the calley verdict speedal ho the new york allmem fort benn1ng, ga. The soldiers came home from the war with serious psychological impacts, many experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder, such as john wade in tim obriens novel, in the lake of the woods. See the article in its original context from september 12, 1971, section br, page 1 buy. An emotional william calley says he is sorry we are not. Biographies of key figures in the my lai courts martial.
Calley was also charged with assault with the intent to kill a toddler. William calley, richard basehart george latimer, olive clark, oliver clark, harrison ford frank crowder, ted gehring. Emmy winning tv movie addresses the dichotomy of war. The cross examination of lieutenant william calley 1970. The court martial of lieutenant william calley 1121975 tv credits.
The court martial of lieutenant william calley film. Your deliberations on this question do not focus on lieutenant calley and the manner in which he perceived the legality of. Lieutenant william calley has been found guilty of murder at a court martial for his part in the my lai massacre which claimed the lives of 500 south vietnamese civilians. A lieutenant is court martialed in the aftermath of the mai lai massacre. Calley is a 1971 spoken word recording with vocals by terry nelson and music by pickup group ccompany. This book offers clear insight into the events of the massacre, the coverup by officers in the americal division, the trial of lt. This docudrama follows the courtmartial of the title character, the man held. These were the issues facing the us military court that charged first lieutenant william calley with the premeditated murder of 22 vietnamese civilians, including infants, children, women, and elderly men. Sep 12, 1971 calleys puzzlemiat over moral priorities and options seems typically in the american grain, for he then goes on to brood. Meadlo and the lieutenant were spraying gunfire into a crowd of villagers the lieutenant shouted something and shot down a dozen women and kids and then reloaded and shot down more and then reloaded and shot down more and then reloaded again.
This story is the obstruction of justice and conflict of interest trial of richard schaller in the us district court in pensacola fl in july 2009. Calley, and the public reaction to calleys conviction. A recent new york times editorial raised the stakes, calling him a classic scapegoat. To his horror, wilson learned that the inconceivable rumors about the ruthless slaughter of my lai villagers by us infantrymen under calleys command were true. William calley charged for my lai massacre history. On the evidence, the courtmartial could reasonably find calley guilty of the. William calley is charged with six specifications of premeditated murder in the death of 109 vietnamese civilians at my lai in march 1968. Of course, if i had been order to mylai to rape it, pillage, and.
The trial and conviction of william rusty calley, an unknown. The us army field manuals afm standard for measuring his liability was whether a soldier of common understanding would know that an order to summarily execute unarmed civilians is illegal and must be disobeyed. Make sure you pick your most highly motivated students to be calley, medina, and the attorneys. Us army lieutenant william calley was the subject of a 1971 military courts martial because of his widelypublicized conduct in 1968 during the viet nam war. The song is set to the tune of the battle hymn of the republic. During these periods of instruction and training, you were instructed by anybody in connection with the geneva conference. It looks like we dont have a synopsis for this title yet. Except for a relatively relaxed direct examination, it had. Juni 1943 in miami, florida ist ein ehemaliger usamerikanischer. Richard basehart plays the defense attorney, george lattimer, in the trial of william rusty calley, a 27 year old lieutenant charged with the murder of 102 men, women and children in the tiny vietnamese village. Thirteen months later april 1969 ron ridenhour sent a letter to president. William calley bio arts and humanities flashcards quizlet. On the evidence, the court martial could reasonably find calley guilty of the offences before us. The shortcomings in the drama are the narrations to try and explain to trial and add comentary.
The trial and conviction of rusty calley, an obscure 27yearold lieutenant charged with murdering 102 men, women and children in a. Military culture, war crimes and the defence of superior orders. Roland bob harris, linda haynes calleys girl, bo hopkins prosecuting attorney, geoffrey horne, bruce kimball juror, stanley kramer host, william lucking. He was convicted of the 1968 killing of 22 civilians in the vietnamese village of my lai. Cross examination of lt william calley 1970 excerpts from the cross examination of lieutenant william calley, during his court martial for the my lai massacre in 1968. March 31 1971 sentenced to life imprisonment at fort leavenworth. Ronald haeberle robert maples dennis conti paul meadlo. Calley apologizes for my lai massacre us news military. First lieutenant calley stands convicted of the premeditated murder of 22 infants, children. Media no videos, backdrops or posters have been added to judgment. With tony musante, richard basehart, bo hopkins, g. The us army field manuals afm standard for measuring his liability was whether a soldier of common understanding would know that an order to summarily execute unarmed. William calley musante for the murder of not less than 70 vietnamese civilians by the 23rd.
Benning, georgia contributor names brodie, howard, 19152010, artist. Over the years i reluctantly have taken a look deeper at it to get a picture of what went on, as time and patience permits. They claimed he was doing his duty in a land where one could not easily recognize the enemy. Testimony and documents relating to the court martial of. For many years now the young lieutenant convicted in 1971 of the murder of 22 vietnamese villagers at my lai has been regarded as a scapegoat. The court martial of lieutenant william calley tv movie.
William calley 1975 a dramatized account of the controversial trial that lasted for five months. Us army lieutenant william calley was the subject of a 1971 military courtsmartial because of his widelypublicized conduct in 1968 during the viet nam war. Finally, over fortyone years after the my lai massacre, when us troops killed more than 500 men, women and children in vietnam, the former army lieutenant who was convicted for his role in the killings has publicly apologized. Lieutenant cailey, it is my duty as president of this court to inform you that the court. Testimony and documents relating to the court martial of ernest l. Remember second lieutenant william calley, the platoon leader in vietnam, who, on march 16, 1968, swept into the little village of mylai and murdered 500 civilians. September 5th, 1969 charged with 6 cases of premeditated murder. Wikipedia is hosted by the wikimedia foundation, a nonprofit organization that also hosts a range of other projects. Stanley kramer, a director known for his socially pointed films, tackles yet another political topic with judgement. Calley illustrates, many sided with calley in debates about what happened at my lai.
The trial and conviction of rusty calley, an obscure 27yearold lieutenant charged with murdering 102 men, women and children in a tiny vietnamese hamlet of my lai, which rocked the very foundations of the nation and aroused and polarized public opinion. The court martial of lieutenant colonel retired richard sc. In much publicized proceedings, appellant was convicted by general court martial of three specifications of premeditated murder and one of assault with intent to commit murder in violation of articles 118 and 4, uniform code of military justice, 10 usc ss 918 and 934, respectively. The trial and conviction of william rusty calley, an unknown 27yearold lieutenant charged with the murder of 102 men, women, and children in the tiny vietnamese village of my lai, shocked the nation and split public opinion of our presence and involvement in vietnam. The 27yearold commander could receive the death penalty or life imprisonment after the massacre which saw us soldiers open fire on civilians in my lai and neighbouring. Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the. Juni 1943 in miami, florida ist ein ehemaliger us amerikanischer. Download wikipedia for android or ios save your favorite articles to read offline, sync your reading lists across devices and customize your reading experience with the official wikipedia app. William calley for his actions relating to the my lai massacre. William calley was the only us soldier held legally responsible for the slayings. Appendix 4 extract from the trial of lieutenant william calley. Harrison ford is given top billing on the cover of the dvd but in fact appears only briefly in the dvd as one of the members of calley s platoon.
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