Fact #82638
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Short story:
Over 300 Vietnamese people, mostly women, children, infants and elderly people, are killed in The My Lai Massacre. The killings are carried out by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. 26 soldiers will be charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, but only one, Platoon Leader Second Lieutenant William Calley, will be convicted. Found guilty of killing 22 people, he will serve just three and a half years under house arrest. This atrocity inspires several songs, both for and against Calley. Tragically, the best-remembered is perhaps the fiercely patriotic Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley by Shelby Singleton.
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