William Calley, Army Officer Convicted for My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, Dies at 80

Jul 30, 2024, 11:15 AM

William Calley, the Army officer who became the face of the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, has died at the age of 80. Calley was the only person convicted in connection with the 1968 atrocity, in which U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, including men, women, and children. The massacre, which saw systematic slaughter and numerous war crimes, significantly turned public opinion against the Vietnam War. Calley led his platoon into the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai, where they carried out one of the worst war crimes in American military history. Despite his conviction, Calley largely escaped significant punishment and lived out his final years in relative obscurity, passing away in a hospice in Florida.