Chapter 13, My Lai in May Summary and Analysis

One of the most heavily mined areas of Vietnam, the villages of the My Lai are dangerous and produce many fatalities. Located near the coast in the northern-most corner of South Vietnam, the area is referred to as Pinkville, due to the sandy red clay that weaves its way through the villages, and because on the military maps the area is shaded in pink. O'Brien finds the name Pinkville ironic, because the name has a carnival aspect and yet the area is a bombed out wasteland of the population center it used to be. The villages are treacherous because the Viet Cong find support among the residents. The soldiers cannot tell enemy from friend, as all Vietnamese look the same. Charlie could be a ten-year-old, an eighty-year old, or a beautiful young woman...