Part 4: Running Riot!

In chapter 6 of her book “An Intimate History of Killing,” Joanna Bourke details several War atrocities committed by U.S. Soldiers and their allies in the Twentieth Century. First the slaughter of Son My (also known as My Lai,) a civilian village in Vietnam thought to be a secret Viet Cong base; 500 died. Lieutenant ‘Rusty’ Calley was the only man charged with a crime, more than one year after the event. He was tried and sentenced to Life in prison; two days later, through appeal, his sentence was reduced to house arrest by President Richard Nixon, he was paroled on September 10, 1975 after serving about three years.

During World War II U.S. troops of the 45^th Infantry murdered about seventy prisoners of war, at the trial of those accused of ordering the mass executions, the blame was laid on Lieutenant-General George S. Patton, who in a speech to the 45^th said amongst other things:

“…We will show him no mercy…when you get within 200 yards of him, and he wishes to surrender, oh no! You must kill him. Stick him between the third and fourth ribs. You will tell your men that. They must have the killer instinct…We will get the names of killers and killers are immortal.”

Some in charge at the 45^th thought this sounded like orders coming from a superior officer for some reason.

In War, it is sometimes difficult to tell who the good guys are; any survivors of the village of “Son My” might have a different opinion than the standard history book offers. Lieutenant Calley may also have been a victim; his reputation, career, and name forever tarnished by bad Intel and a blind devotion to orders. 

In her book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Fannie Flagg also mentions little, if any about the Japanese or the fiduciary aspects of WWII. She does discuss how the character Big George’s son, Willie Boy, joins the military and meets an untimely end. I discussed this myself in a previous paper;

“One set of opposing views of freedom, taken from the novel and erroneously left out of the movie, is the story of Willie Boy, Big George’s son. Willie Boy was smart and a good person, Mrs. Threadgoode states the community had hoped he would become a civil rights lawyer; Willie Boy was murdered by a fellow soldier after defending his father’s good name. Willie Boy felt it was his right to smash a bottle into the face of one Winston Lewis, who had called Big George an “Uncle Tom” for working for white people. Winston Lewis then felt it was his right to murder Willie Boy in his sleep as retribution; he then realized it was the Army’s right to prosecute him for the crime of murder, so he exercised his rights again and ran away. The problem is; that the first one to have had any rights violated, Winston Lewis, took matters into his own hands.  If he had reported the assault, Willie Boy would have been prosecuted, possibly squashing any hope for a career as an attorney. The dilemma; Willie Boy responded to harsh words with violence, violence begets violence. Did Winston go too far? Yes, but Willie Boy went too far first. Words can never be answered with force in a truly free world.”

In War, the opposing side is not always the only enemy. 
***For this section I thought it pertinent to imbibe you with the wisdom of this man...***