
Merely Following Orders?
Clip: Season 22 Episode 6 | 1m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
Lt. Calley's 1971 trial upset those who felt he was unfairly blamed for Vietnam mistakes.
Lieutenant William Calley's 1971 conviction for crimes committed during the My Lai massacre set off protests in the U.S., with many feeling he was unfairly blamed for Vietnam mistakes.
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Merely Following Orders?
Clip: Season 22 Episode 6 | 1m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
Lieutenant William Calley's 1971 conviction for crimes committed during the My Lai massacre set off protests in the U.S., with many feeling he was unfairly blamed for Vietnam mistakes.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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When is a photo an act of resistance?
For families that just decades earlier were torn apart by chattel slavery, being photographed together was proof of their resilience.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThe My Lai Massacre: A National Shame
Video has Closed Captions
Learning about My Lai changed American opinions about the Vietnam War. (3m 10s)
What drove a company of US soldiers to commit the worst atrocity in US military history? (30s)
Video has Closed Captions
In the Vietnam War, military leaders failed to give moral guidance to scared US soldiers. (2m 14s)
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The 1968 attack of My Lai pushed soldiers and Americans to ask this hard question. (1m 3s)
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.