My Lai was the site of a massacre of hundreds of civilians during the Vietnam War. Disclosure of the incident months after its occurrence raised questions about the honesty of the military and the U.S. government regarding their actions in Vietnam. It also seemed to call into question what the United States was doing in Vietnam in the first place.

The village of My Lai is located in Quang Ngai Province in northeast South Vietnam. The province was regarded as a Vietcong stronghold and had been targeted by the U.S. Army in several search-and-destroy operations. One of those operations, dubbed Task Force Oregon, began in the spring of 1967. In September the 23rd Division, also known as the Americal Division, was deployed to assist in the operation. The Americal consisted of three brigades; the 11th, the 196th and the 198th. Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, 23rd...