The Worst Massacre of Civilians By The US In Military History
An American war crime
The 20th century was the bloodiest in history. The world was rocked by a series of devastating wars that began with World War I and continued through the Persian Gulf War. Tens of millions of people were killed in battlefields from the trenches of Europe to tropical foxholes in Southeast Asia. Despite fighting in nearly every major war of the 20th century, the United States managed to keep a rather sterling reputation on the battlefield. Not only were the Americans adept fighters, they often fought with dignity and restraint that became the envy of the civilized war.
Through all of the violence, the United States tried to uphold a standard of decency. Americans tried to follow the rules of war, the rules of engagement and use common sense. In most cases, they succeeded. But not always. The United States is not spotless when it comes to war crimes and atrocities.
It will perhaps come as no surprise that one of America’s darkest hours came from the depths of the Vietnam War. Despite fighting in three previous titanic wars (World War I, World War II and the Korean War), the starkest example of a clear war crime committed by American boys came from the hamlets of South Vietnam.
