U.S. History: Biographies

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Further reading

Calley, William L.

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

Calley, William L. (1943–) army officer, born in Miami. Calley was in command of the U.S. Army Americal Division, charged in the My Lai incident in which Vietnamese civilians, including women and children, were massacred on March 16, 1968 (the Army's final estimate of the number killed was 347). In the fall of 1969, letters written by a former soldier to government officials forced the Army to act. Several soldiers and veterans were charged with murder, and several officers were charged with dereliction of duty because they covered up the massacre. Special investigations by both the U.S. Army and the House of Representatives determined that a massacre had, in fact, occurred. Of the soldiers originally charged, only five were court-martialed. Of those, only Calley was convicted. On March 29, 1971, he was found guilty of the premeditated murder of at least twenty-two Vietnamese civilians and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Later, Calley's sentence was reduced to ten years, and, in 1974, a federal district court overturned his conviction and he was released.

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William L. Calley

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

William L. Calley see My Lai incident .

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"William L. Calley." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"William L. Calley." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Calley-W.html

"William L. Calley." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Calley-W.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	THE VIETNAM WAR ON TRIAL1 Magazine article from: Army Lawyer; 6/1/2006
	Army officer convicted of murder at My Lai apologizes.(Front) Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 8/22/2009
	Baa-Baas' inviting approach; ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Newspaper article from: Daily Mail (London); 6/26/1997