We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:57:22 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification [Armorer's Note - this is an important story that too many people don't know. As it broke on a Friday night, and traffic is lower during the weekends, with many regular readers not checking back in until Monday - this post will remain up top through Monday night. New stuff comes in below. Bill picks up the story...] I would like to introduce you to someone: CW2 Hugh Thompson. A fellow helicopter pilot from my war... You probably don't recognize his name and you probably don't know what he did, but you will definitely recognize where and when he did... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html Mon, 09 Jan 2006 23:59:24 -0600 Jim - Even if he was fired upon--which he wasn't--the guns wouldn't have rolled in without being specifically told a. that he *was* taking fire, b. where it was coming from, reference his aircraft and c. if there were any friendlies or civilians in the area. They were loitering about a klick away, keeping him in sight--when he called, they came. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38651 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38651 Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:35:10 -0600 Sorry am so late to this- saw it when first posted but felt too shy to write here at the time. Nonetheless, when I first looked at that pic I thought, "Here is the primal example of Kewl&Manly appearance." Kewl&Manly behavior, too, apparently. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38650 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38650 Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:33:40 -0600 Yes, Thompson himself said there were good guys on the ground who just weren't in a position to stop it. In fact he said one infantryman blew off his own foot to get out of there. I just wish that Ridenour had gotten the recognition he deserved...and that Calley and some others had gotten what they deserved. In a way it was a missed opportunity. History is still waiting for an Army to properly clean up its own mess. Jim: Re the gunships supporting Thompson, they did actually come down to lift civilians out of the danger zone when Thompson called them. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38610 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38610 Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:52:56 -0600 I rhought Thompson was part of a CAV hunter killer team. If he had been fired on it's a good chance the gunners would have come down to his defense. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38605 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38605 Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:22:45 -0600 That said - I know personally of a Brigadier General, BG Young, an otherwise fine officer who was relieved and his career ended because he didn't find out about it and it happened on his watch. He didn't order it, he investigated it when it *was* reported, and he was in the chain of command when it happened. Not criminally liable, but paid as hefty a price as you could, publicly relieved of his command (not the job he had in Vietnam, but a subsequent command in Germany) and retired in disgrace. Not all the "blue" casualties were obvious to outsiders. And this isn't a "I knew a guy who knew about it" kind of story. Young was commanding the Brigade my father was commanding a battalion in. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38551 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38551 Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:21:16 -0600 Owen - It's not news that he never forgave the Army, and it's understandable, too. Thopson *did* report it though--he assumed that the courts-martial took place quietly and the guilty were punished. Ridenour entered the picture because, when Thompson found out that no one had been brought to account, he raised Cain about it and Ridenour wrote the right words to the right people. And John and I are in agreement that the crap rolled 'way too far downhill before it came to a stop. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38550 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38550 Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:12:20 -0600 http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mylai/ridenhour_ltr.html Not until men like Ridenour get the respect they deserve, can we be sure that black days like My Lai will never be repeated.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38541 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38541 Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:30:43 -0600 Truong - Amen to that thought. Thank you. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38179 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38179 Tue, 10 Jan 2006 16:07:32 -0600 A true hero like Hugh thompson will never die, he will always live on forever. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38162 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38162 Tue, 10 Jan 2006 14:51:17 -0600 Sharon - The civilian outcry included input from then-Governor Jimmy Carter. Mr. Thompson didn't receive a Silver Star, according to his biographer. But the Soldier's Medal is for equivalent bravery. Thanks for your comment! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38144 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38144 Tue, 10 Jan 2006 12:45:45 -0600 Thank you for telling his story. As an American History student, I "did" a paper on this Mai Lai story, from start to finish. It was in Amer. Military class. I was the only female in the class of 300. But, to the point: The aftermath of the court martial was that the military wanted to really throw the book at Calley, complete with hard time in Levenworth. It was civilian outcry that gave him a rather lenient pass. And, it was my knowledge that Thompson recieved the Silver Oaks Cluster for his action, and within the decade as well. Correct me if I am wrong. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38140 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38140 Tue, 10 Jan 2006 12:24:52 -0600 War takes a rasp to the veneer of civilization which covers a man and scrapes until the solid metal which forms his soul is exposed. Most soldiers are iron or steel, a few--very few--are base metal. And some are solid gold. They adhere to their values through the absolute worst that gets thrown their way and their souls survive untarnished... It's fitting that most of the commentary about him is taking place on the internet rather than on television or in the newspapers. Hugh Thompson wasn't one for making noise in his own behalf and the web is a quiet medium... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38016 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38016 Mon, 09 Jan 2006 00:00:29 -0600 Fall of 1971, I was with the HHC 45th Engr Gp. An Engineer Company was rebuilding the roads past My Lai and on to the north, to help resettle refugees. Their base was on a hill, overlooking the My Lai complex (I believe there actually 7 distinct villages). Just a grove of trees and the remains of the particular 'vil'. The rest of the villages around had been removed by Land Clearing but, that one grove remained. I spent many days at that base and always remember the grove of trees. Not our finest hour. But remember, we did something about it. And 34 yours later, we remember. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38003 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-38003 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 16:25:55 -0600 This comment is from a Vietnam helicopter listserver. Bruce is a former Little Bird driver turned preacher. I liked his comment and secured his permission to post it here. Friends: Stimulated by a bit of conversation that I had on one of the nets I hang around concerning less comment on Mr Thompson's death than might be expected from our circles, please allow me a moment for comment. I said nothing because I fear my words inadequate for the moment and might only serve to cheapen. In the years that passed and in my own learning of Mr. Thompson's moral courage, I could only hold my head a little bit higher that I too had been a Warrant Officer Pilot. Yet, it also scared me to ponder if I too would have had such moral courage. And so, from our midst has passed a soul which shone forth as a bright light in a moment of great darkness. By association, we are all lifted by this light. With great confidence, I can pass Mr. Thompson into the loving arms of God. Bruce E. Carlson Lexington NE. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37991 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37991 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 11:50:51 -0600 Thank you to introducing me to Hugh Thompson, Bill. Whatever I had heard about My Lai... I never wanted to accept, if that makes sense. But that there were heroes involved; yeah, I'll carry Thompson, Colburn and Andreotta with me from now on. Rest well, Chief. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37978 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37978 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 08:06:28 -0600 Apologies, John. Feel free to delete my above post. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37977 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37977 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 06:52:41 -0600 I don't mean to start a hate-fest or anything, but I would like to point out that I am unaware of any examples that John Kerry's Winter Soldier testimony ever 'followed him' in a negative way politically, UNTIL he ran for President... And that's about as far as I'll go with that, in this thread that has NOTHING to do with John Kerry... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37976 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37976 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 06:50:04 -0600 Sanger was writing his response while I wrote mine. Please don't make this thread about Kerry. That would just be... icky. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37975 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37975 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 06:46:53 -0600 you are one of the people he was talking about when he lied in to Congress. It doesn't matter what your job in Vietnam was because Kerry and his ilk painted with a very broad brush, telling the world and posterity that America was no different than all the fascist, totalitarian regimes it has ever fought. For my part, I still think Kerry should be tried for perjuring himself before Congress, for slandering American soldiers (a class-action suit would be nice), and maybe even for treason. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37974 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37974 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 06:39:20 -0600 Just a cautionary note for people tempted to respond to Mr. Thompson's comments on Kerry, Ellsberg, et. al. This is a Memorial Post, and I would rather keep it focused on Mr. Thompson and My Lai, and *not* get wrapped around certain political personalities, etc - or the Winter Soldier controversy. If that is simply unavoidable - remember The Rulez: The Message, Not the Messenger. No vile spewings, either. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37973 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37973 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 06:33:57 -0600 i was in viet-nam 1967-1968 there when my lai happen.i also think what Thompson did was heroic.i also think what John Kerry did when he testified before congress about what the country did to make animals of the young and poor men that served in viet-nam was heroic,that followed him thoughtout his policial career ie.swift boat campain against him.most veterans don't want to admit what they had done and it anger them .Daniel Elsburg (for give my spelling)also is a hero for telling the truth about viet-nam knowing that he would face prison for discloser.i can't for the life of me understand why people in position of knowledge of lies don't have the courage to speak out when the lies are used to send young men to war and the ones who send them to war over lies should be sent to prison.there are many good men that don't have the courage that these men have and had.bless america http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37972 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37972 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 05:45:40 -0600 Bad Cat Robot>> Likewise, I never heard of this man before, having learned 'all I ever wanted to know about it' from the Seattle Public School System. I had NO IDEA.. Thank you Bill, for sharing this with us. I suppose I better order that book, so my kids will learn about people like Mr. Thompson as well. So much history is lost, every day... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37971 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37971 Sun, 08 Jan 2006 00:54:36 -0600 Thank you for sharing his story. What he did took real courage. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37969 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37969 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 23:02:57 -0600 I read about Thompson a few years ago when they had the ceremony giving him the medal. Way back when, I used to think Lt. Calley did nothing wrong. "Hey, it's war." But the more I read, and the more I matured, the more I realized he WAS wrong. Thompson did a great thing. We need more like him in the military. Rest in Peace, Mr. Thopmspon. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37967 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37967 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 22:44:47 -0600 I heard that broadcast too! In fact, that was where I first heard the story! I was totally shocked that NPR of all people would air the story, but whaddya know. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37964 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37964 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 21:11:17 -0600 I was reading a book about the rush to Baghdad called "Generation Kill". The unit was taking a lot of fire and the order came down that anything that moved in the zone was considered a target. The unit the writer was with had a lieutenant who directed his men to ignore that order and to know what they were shooting at. I think that there are men like thompson all over who are willing make those distinctions, with honor and humanity. they exist just as many or more than such creatures as Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Stalin and even, unfortunately, Lt. Calley (who today, someone would notice that there was something wrong and take him off the line). The unfortunate problem is that it seems to be the lunatic, egomaniacal murderer who gets power over millions and hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) follow them. I am always amazed, but feel equally comforted in many ways that men like thompson exist. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37963 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37963 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 20:45:38 -0600 I believe I actually heard Chief Thompson speak about his actions at My Lai, and (prepare yourself for a shock) it was on NPR. What struck me most -- outside of the horrifying details that somehow never had made it into the Quik-notes version of the story -- was how *angry* he sounded when he mentioned Calley had never been punished. It made me angry too. Strange that NPR let it get out that an American stopped the slaughter and that some of the villagers survived. Never heard that before that program. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37962 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37962 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 20:33:18 -0600 All it took was one man with courage... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37961 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37961 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 20:22:22 -0600 In my heart, my mind, there can be no understanding or excuse for Lt. Calley. Dispatching one's armed enemies with extreme prejudice is killing. Dispatching non combatants is murder, pure and simple! A distinction, but with a difference. His men would never have been prosecuted for disobeying an order to kill unarmed people. Every soldier has the right to refuse an unlawful order. So, even they cannot be excused and should have been prosecuted. Yes, I was angered when my comrades were killed and took my revenge whenever and wherever I found the opportunity. But, there are no circumstances where killing unarmed women and children can be excused, or explained away. My opinion and worth every penny you paid for it. The stain this incident placed on the US Army will never fade, to Calley's eternal shame! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37959 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37959 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 16:58:20 -0600 I saw a short AP blurb on Hugh Thompson last night and linked it before I turned in, but I didn't know where to find as much information as I wished I had. I'm glad to see someone did. I'll link to your post before I do anything else. I was just getting ready to graduate from High School when My Lai happened and didn't get to 'Nam till late '71 but the effect My Lai had on the American psych definitely impacted my life. It's about time for the public to start learning more about men like Hugh Thompson and get over the notion that Lt. Calley was typical of our military in 'Nam. Thanks for a great post. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37958 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37958 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 16:31:18 -0600 Semper Fi, Chief Thompson... Godspeed... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37953 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37953 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 16:07:57 -0600 well. hell. I hate losing Real Men like Thompson. Men who aren't afraid to stick up for the right thing to do- even when it's not the popular or easy route to take. I do remember hearing about this story, but I honestly never thought a whole lot about it in recent years. It's such a shame that his death is what is making me think about the story now. Thanks for posting this, Bill... no matter how hard it may have been to write the words. (and on a side note, it saddens me that you would have to leave the "be polite, or i'll delete your a$$hat comments" note. so sad.) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37952 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37952 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 13:52:30 -0600 Thank you John, for bringing his story to light. We heard so much of the bad, but none of the good. I heard about him approx. five years ago and was stunned...mainly because One Would Think that Biased Reporting Did Not Exist. I would call him a hero. Rest in Peace, Chief. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37951 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37951 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 13:51:18 -0600 Those who have not served in combat fail to understand that war is, and has always been, an intensely personal experience. We react to the deaths of our friends and comrades based on our long-established moral values, and even then, anger and rage, which are often mistaken for heroism, create a propensity for outrageous deeds, which are much later a haunting memory, and a reason for sincere regret. Although I do not condone Lt. Calley's barbaric actions, I can understand the emotional forces which caused them. Calley was a weak man, obsessed by anger and possessed by fear, while Warrant Officer Thompson was able to overcome these nagging destructive emotions and act with an undeniable courage and the intensity of his deeply rooted positive emotions to infuse, at least temporarily, an appreciation for the need of sanity, even during the grim business of killing our fellow human beings. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37948 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37948 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 13:27:39 -0600 This gave me chills. I can't imagine the courage it took for CW2 Thompson, amidst the frightening chaos of all of that, to do what he felt was the only thing to do. What an honorable man. Thanks, Bill. It's good to remember these folks who stood in harms way to do the right thing. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37944 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37944 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 12:17:39 -0600 Excellent item, Bill - Thank you for introducing us to this fine man. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37941 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37941 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 11:10:05 -0600 What FbL said, plus the once-again reminder that its exactly in in situations like this that a person's true mettle is revealed. No thought, no need for a prod or a poke from behind, just doing what's right because it is so, without any real consideration or care about context or consequences! These are the people who rush into fires, dive into icy rivers, or place themselves between the shooter and the shot-at. These are the sheepdogs Lt. Colonel Grossman was talking about, and the finest kind of sheepdogs at that. Men to wanna be like. . . Thanks for the post. I had no idea, and I've read a little about My Lai. Clearly not enough. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37940 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37940 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 10:49:24 -0600 I didn't know the story of Thompson, Andreotta and Colburn before I read this. My eyes are filled with tears. There is a courage that is more than physical... and they obviously had it. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37919 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37919 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 07:15:58 -0600 Mr. Thompson's quiet brand of heroism isn't the kind that we readily reward with medals and fanfare. He didn't kill the enemy. He saved the lives of non combatants and at great risk to his and his crew's lives. His actions, though most noble, went unrewarded for decades, while the Army tried its level best to forget the whole incident. His heroism was unsung in life and I suspect it will be so in death. Bravo to the bloggers who will note his passing and celebrate the man he was. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37915 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/01/someone_you_need_to_meet.html#comment-37915 Sat, 07 Jan 2006 03:44:39 -0600