Last year the Vietnam @LegerBattleTour visited a location that after a few hours on one day in 1968, was to become infamous due to the horrors inflicted on it by one US Army Company. This thread was difficult to put together as this was simply not just soldiers running amoke.

There are so many layers to this tragedy that it is impossible to give it justice in a twitter thread. The causes and the aftermath are critically important to the story, however I wanted to share the experience of our visit as simply as possible.

On March 16th 1968 at 7.22am, the first elements of Charlie Company, First Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division leave LZ Dottie.
(1st Unknown 2nd Ron Haeberle)

Nine helicopters carrying the first element include 1st Platoon led by Lieutenant Calley and 2nd Platoon led by Lieutenant Stephen Brooks. Their destination was the hamlet My Lai (4) in Quảng Ngãi Province.

At 07.30am the first elements land on the west side of the village, taking up a defensive position whilst awaiting the remainder of 2nd Platoon and Lt Jeffrey LaCross' 3rd Platoon who land at 07.47am.
( Ron Haeberle)

At 7.50am 1st and 2nd Platoons enter the hamlet. 2nd to the North and 1st under Lt Calley to the South.

Both platoons move through the Hamlet occupied by woman and children as well as elderly men. Indiscriminate burning of buildings and shooting of civilians start. 3rd platoon who are still on the Western side follow through a while later and continue with the killing.

We stopped midway along the southern side of the hamlet. It was here that a large group of villagers were seen by a scout helicopter being guarded by soldiers. Returning over the area some time later, this group of villagers had all been murdered.

It was here we met Ha Thi Quy, a survivor of the massacre. This wasn't planned, she was just there and it was by chance had the opportunity to meet her.

This is her story
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnamese-survivors-remember-my-lai-massacre-with-horror-and-confusion-3723079.html

Memorials are dotted throughout the hamlet at locations of atrocities detailing the names of those who were murdered that day.

Despite the horrors of the 16th March 1968, the hamlet has come back to life and is a thriving community again and the locals we came across where both warm and welcoming.

Coming out onto the Eastern side of the hamlet looking out over the ground where WO Hugh Thompson Jr landed his Hiller OH-23 Raven helicopter. It was on these fields he ordered his crew, Glenn Andreotta and Lawrence Colburn, to shoot any soldier who harmed any civilians.

We finished up at the Sơn Mỹ Memorial. Within the site is the irrigation ditch in which many of the villager were rounded up, forced into and then murdered by the men of Charlie Company

The memorial site remains as it was following its destruction on the 16/03/1968. The foundations of the destroyed homes remain and the names of those that lived there and died are displayed as a stark reminder of the depths men can sink to.

Charlie Company spent 4 hours in My Lai and in this time at least 504 people were murdered. There were 20 known rapes with victims as young as 10

This is as I mentioned is a mere snapshot of the events that day. There is a wealth of literature out there not just in print but also. on the interweb. I recommend this as a good read and also this article in the NY Times by @Chris_Levesque_
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/opinion/the-truth-behind-my-lai.html