The Courage of Major Hugh Thompson Jr. during the My Lai Massacre

Welcome back, everyone! I know it has been some time since I released an episode.  I am glad to be back and I can’t wait to share this week’s.  But before I do that, let me share the audio pulled from a YouTube short I released about US Army Air Forces Major William Shomo and his actions during World War II.

On Jan. 11, 1945 Maj. William Shomo led a flight of two fighters on an armed reconnaissance and strafing mission. 

En route to the objective, he spotted a twin-engine Mitsubishi Betty bomber escorted by 12 fighters flying 2,500 feet above in the opposite direction over Luzon, Philippines. 

Despite the overwhelming odds of 13 to 2, Maj. Shomo immediately ordered an attack.

With his wingman, Lieutenant Paul Lipscomb, by his side, he executed a climbing turn and fired on the lead plane of the third enemy element, causing it to explode midair. 

He then shifted his assault to the left side of the formation, shooting down another fighter. As the enemy pilots attempted to regroup for a counterattack, Maj. Shomo maneuvered to the opposite flank and destroyed a third fighter.

Diving beneath the bomber, he delivered a precise burst into its underside, sending it crashing to the ground in flames.

Pulling up, he engaged a fifth enemy aircraft in a head-on confrontation, destroying it instantly. 

Without hesitation, he then dove into the first enemy element, downing the lead fighter.  

Maj. Shomo then pursued another aircraft to just 300 feet above the ground, striking it with his initial burst and sending it crashing in flames. With this final victory, he secured seven aerial kills in the engagement. 

Meanwhile, LT Lipscomb had successfully shot down three additional enemy planes, forcing the remaining three fighters to flee into a cloud bank.

For his actions that day, Maj. William Shomo was awarded the Medal of Honor.  William Shomo survived the war and transitioned into the Air Force when it was formed in 1947 and retired in 1968 at the rank of LT Col.  William Shomo passed away on Jun. 25, 1990 at the age of 72. 

Only one American aviator had more aerial victories in one engagement than he had during the war.  Navy Commander David McCampbell had nine confirmed, and two other probable victories, which shows just how remarkable Col. Shomo’s actions were.  

Before I begin today’s episode, I want to share a quick note.

Most of the stories I tell focus on acts of valor against an armed enemy — stories where our nation’s heroes face overwhelming odds on the battlefield and rise to meet them. But today’s story is a bit different.

This episode isn’t about facing an enemy force. It’s about the rare and extraordinary courage it takes to stand up to your own — to confront fellow soldiers in the midst of chaos.  

It’s the story of moral bravery exhibited by US Army Major Hugh Thompson Jr. during the Vietnam War.  Though it doesn’t shed a positive light on some of our soldiers, I believe it’s important to be honest when telling these stories, and if you don’t know Major Thompson’s story, I think you’ll admire his bravery.  

I do want to give you a warning before we begin. This story contains descriptions of graphic violence, including rape, torture, executions, and violence against children.  Listener discretion is strongly advised.

Hugh was born on April 15, 1943, in Atlanta, GA, to parents Wessie and Hugh Thompson Sr. During WWII, Hugh Sr. served in the Navy and moved the family to Stone Mountain, GA after the war. There, Hugh and his brother Tommie were raised to respect others and live a life of integrity. To help support their family, Hugh Jr. worked as a field hand and later as an assistant at a mortuary.

In 1961, Hugh graduated high school and followed in his father’s footsteps by enlisting in the Navy. He served as a Seabee and was trained as a heavy equipment operator. While in the Navy, he married in 1963 and was honorably discharged the following year. After returning to Georgia, he continued his work in the mortuary business and became a funeral director.

As the U.S. became increasingly involved in Vietnam, Hugh wanted to contribute, so he enlisted in the Army. He was selected for and completed the Warrant Officer Flight Program and became a helicopter pilot. In December 1967, he was assigned to Company B, 123rd Aviation Battalion, 23rd Infantry Division, and sent to Vietnam.

While in Vietnam, Warrant Officer Thompson flew a Hiller OH-23 Raven light observation helicopter. On March 16, 1968, Thompson, along with his gunner Specialist 4 Lawrence Colburn and his crew chief Specialist 4 Glenn Andreotta, were flying in support of Task Force Barker.

This task force, named for its commander Lt. Col. Frank Barker, was on a search-and-destroy mission. They were under orders to locate and eliminate the 48th Viet Cong Local Force Battalion, believed to be near Son My village in South Vietnam, nicknamed Pinkville by the US Army.

The officers leading individual units in the task force were given broad discretion to complete their mission. The day prior, a message made its way to the task force stating that all residents of Son My Village were sympathizers or supporters of the Viet Cong and thus considered second-class citizens. But the intelligence used to reach this conclusion was flawed — and it led to some of the most atrocious acts committed by U.S. forces during the war.

Prior to ground troops approaching on foot, Warrant Officer Thompson and others flew over the village to locate enemy forces, but they encountered no enemy fire. Shortly after, an artillery and helicopter gunship barrage was fired on the village to root out any supposed enemy presence.

After the barrage ended, 100 soldiers of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, led by Capt. Ernest Medina, were inserted into the village by helicopter.  Though they weren’t fired upon during or after landing, they continued to operate as if all present were enemy combatants.

As the soldiers moved into the village, specifically the hamlet of My Lai, they did so unopposed. What they found were women, children, and elderly villagers eating breakfast as they prepared for a market day. Though these villagers were neutral in the war, the broad declaration that everyone in the village was Viet Cong led to an order to neutralize them all.

The hours-long chaos that followed saw U.S. troops round up villagers into small groups and execute them indiscriminately. As villagers ran in terror, soldiers gunned them down with machine guns.

In one instance, a soldier who later testified about the violence said that 15–20 people, mostly women and children, were sobbing and kneeling at a temple when they were all shot in the head.

The 1st Platoon, led by 2nd Lt. William Calley, lined up 70–80 villagers by an irrigation ditch, pushed them in, and then shot them. Not long after, women lying on top of their children were executed — and when the children began to move from their mothers’ corpses, Lt. Calley and others opened fire again.

They set huts on fire and shot anyone who ran out. Another group of soldiers marched villagers out of the village, then opened fire using M16s and M79 grenade launchers. Soldiers used pistols, rifles, grenades, knives, and bayonets to eliminate the villagers.

In addition to these killings, soldiers raped women and girls, and executed the elderly — even those who were clearly unable to pose any threat. There are more atrocities I could share, but I’ll end it there.

After the killings had been going on for some time, Warrant Officer Thompson flew over the village. He and his crew saw hundreds of bodies scattered throughout. Initially, Thompson assumed the casualties were caused by the opening barrage — but he quickly realized that wasn’t possible.

It became clear that U.S. forces were responsible. The crew spotted a young girl lying wounded and marked her location with a smoke grenade. The smoke was green — indicating it was safe to approach. Hovering less than 20 feet away, they watched in horror as Capt. Medina walked over to the girl, kicked her, and executed her on the spot.

Right after, they spotted the irrigation ditch filled with bodies. Thompson immediately radioed headquarters:

“It looks to me like there's an awful lot of unnecessary killing going on down there. Something ain't right about this. There's bodies everywhere... There's something wrong here.”

Unable to contact troops on the ground directly, Thompson landed and moved to assist survivors.

As he approached the ditch, Lt. Calley arrived. Their exchange, quoted from the book titled The Forgotten Hero of My Lai by Trent Angers, went like this:

Thompson asked: What’s going on here, Lieutenant?

Calley’s response: This is my business.

Thompson: What is this? Who are these people?

Calley: Just following orders.

Thompson: Orders? Whose orders?

Calley: Just following...

Thompson: But these are human beings — unarmed civilians, sir.

Calley: Look, Thompson, this is my show. I’m in charge here. It ain’t your concern.

Thompson: Yeah, great job.

Calley: You better get back in that chopper and mind your own business.

Thompson: You ain't heard the last of this.

As the conversation ended, Sgt. David Mitchell began firing into the ditch again, killing any survivors.

Disgusted, Thompson returned to his helicopter. To the northeast, they spotted a group of women, children, and elderly fleeing. Seeing that 2nd Platoon was approaching them, Thompson acted.

He landed his helicopter between the soldiers and the civilians. He ordered Colburn and Andreotta to aim their weapons at the approaching troops — and to open fire if anyone attacked the civilians.

If you’re picturing a large, armored helicopter — this wasn’t it. Thompson’s Raven was a small, light observation aircraft, barely big enough for four people. The canopy offered minimal protection. If anyone opened fire, Colburn and Andreotta wouldn’t have lasted long.

Thompson pleaded with the soldiers to let him evacuate the civilians and one soldier reportedly joked, “We can get them out with a hand grenade.”

Undeterred, Thompson approached the group and convinced them he was there to help. Since he couldn’t carry them all himself, he radioed two friends who flew in UH-1 Hueys to extract them safely.

By then, Thompson’s helicopter was low on fuel. As they lifted off to go refuel, Andreotta spotted movement in the irrigation ditch and alerted Thompson, who circled back.

When they landed, Andreotta ran toward the spot with Thompson and Colburn provided cover. Andreotta walked over the corpses and discovered a young boy, around five or six years old, covered in blood — not his own, but from the dead around him. The boy was physically unharmed.

They lifted the child into the helicopter and flew him to a hospital.

Thompson then flew directly to Task Force Barker headquarters and reported everything. Lt. Col. Barker ordered an immediate cease to all killings.

Warrant Officer Thompson’s official report led to the cancellation of similar planned missions. But the My Lai Massacre itself was covered up.

Thompson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross — but the citation was fabricated, claiming the child he saved had been caught in crossfire. Disgusted, Thompson threw the medal away and refused to wear it.

He continued flying missions in Vietnam and was shot down five times. The fifth left him badly injured, ending his combat role. He returned to the U.S., became a helicopter instructor at Fort Rucker, and later received a commission as an officer.

It took nearly a year and a half before others learned of My Lai. Ronald Ridenhour, a fellow Vietnam veteran, heard rumors of the massacre and began collecting testimony while he was still in Vietnam. After leaving the Army, he sent letters to Congress, the Pentagon, and President Nixon.

An investigation was launched and Thompson testimony helped lead to charges against 26 individuals.

In 1970, just before Lt. Calley’s trial for the murder of 109 civilians, the story broke. Thompson testified, helping to secure Calley’s conviction — though he was sentenced to life, President Nixon commuted it to house arrest just three days later. Calley ultimately served only about three years. Even though 504 civilians were killed, of the 26 charged, he was the only one convicted of any crimes.

Thompson was vilified by many. Some members of Congress even argued that he should have been court-martialed for aiming weapons at U.S. troops. He received death threats, and occasionally found dead animals placed on his porch. But his resolve never wavered.

Hugh Thompson retired from the Army as a Major in 1983.  He worked as helicopter pilot for oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico and later served as a counselor at the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.  

In the years after his retirement, he gave multiple speeches about moral courage, the service academies and his and his crew's actions are taught to future military leaders.

In 1998, 30 years after the massacre, Thompson and Colburn returned to Son My and met some of those they saved — including two women shielded by his helicopter. One asked him,

“Why didn’t the people who committed these acts come back with you? So we could forgive them.”

Her comment floored Thompson, who later told a reporter

“I’m not man enough to do that. I’m sorry. I wish I was, but I won’t lie to anybody. I’m not that much of a man.”

That same year, the Army awarded Major Thompson and Specialists Colburn and Andreotta the Soldier’s Medal, which is awarded for heroism not involving conflict with an enemy.  Glenn Andreotta’s medal was presented posthumously as he had been killed in combat just months after the massacre.

Major Hugh Thompson Jr. passed away on January 6, 2006, at the age of 62, and was buried with full military honors. By his side in his final moments was Lawrence Colburn.

Major Hugh Thompson Jr. showed the world that true courage isn't just found in the heat of battle — it's found in the strength to what is morally right.

He followed his principles — and in doing so, saved lives and upheld the honor of the uniform he wore.

Major Thompson proved that valor isn't always about charging the enemy — sometimes, it's about confronting your own side when they’ve lost their way.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor. If you enjoyed this episode and our show in general, please like, follow, and share our show wherever you’re listening.  You can also support the show directly at patreon.com/dutyandvalor or by becoming a member of our Duty & Valor YouTube community. 

To read more about this week’s hero, check out the sources used in today's episode in our show notes and at dutyandvalor.com.

Remember, we release new episodes on the Duty & Valor YouTube channel on Fridays at 5 pm. On our channel, we also release daily YouTube shorts that highlight our Nation’s heroes, many of whom haven’t been featured on the show yet.

Please join us for our next episode, where we'll be sharing the inspiring story of another American hero who served with pride and lived with humility.