Why American Soldiers Killed Their Own Officers in Vietnam War

Summary

The video script delves into the dark phenomenon of 'fragging' during the Vietnam War, where U.S. soldiers killed their own officers. Driven by low morale, resentment towards the draft, and a lack of cohesion, soldiers turned against their leaders, often to discourage aggressive combat or due to perceived incompetence. The script explores the war's background, the Domino Theory's influence, and the rise of anti-war sentiment. It details specific fragging incidents, the impact on military operations, and the cultural and policy changes that resulted, including the shift to an all-volunteer military and the end of conscription.

Takeaways

• 🇺🇸 The term 'fragging' originated during the Vietnam War, referring to the deliberate killing of military officers by their own soldiers.
• 🕰️ The Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to 1975, a 20-year period marked by a deeply divisive conflict and significant opposition within the United States.
• 🔫 The Domino Theory was the primary motivation for U.S. involvement, fearing the spread of communism to neighboring countries if Vietnam fell to communism.
• 🌏 Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Viet Minh, sought to unite Vietnam under a communist government, contrasting with Western-aligned leaders like Ngo Dinh Diem.
• 📉 The United States' military involvement escalated with the support of anti-communist forces, despite growing domestic protests and a lack of public support for the war.
• 💣 'Fragging' incidents were prevalent, with around 900 cases reported from 1969 to 1972, resulting in 99 deaths and numerous injuries.
• 😡 Soldiers often fragged officers as an act of self-preservation or to remove leaders perceived as incompetent or a threat to their survival.
• 🚫 The military's attempts to curb fragging through restrictions and lockdowns were largely ineffective, as soldiers could access weapons through the black market.
• 🌐 The unpopularity of the Vietnam War and the draft contributed to the U.S. transitioning to an all-volunteer military force, ending conscription in 1973.
• 🏥 Exposure to Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military, led to numerous health issues for American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians alike.
• 🗣️ The My Lai Massacre highlighted the failures in leadership, discipline, and morale within the U.S. military, further fueling anti-war sentiments.

Q & A

What is the term 'fragging' and how did it originate?

The term 'fragging' refers to the deliberate killing of military colleagues, and it originated during the Vietnam War as a shockingly common phenomenon.

What was the driving force behind the United States' involvement in Vietnam?

The main driving force was the Domino Theory, which posited that if one country became communist, neighboring countries would follow, leading to the spread of communism throughout Asia.

Who was Ho Chi Minh and what did he want for Vietnam?

Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the Viet Minh, a Communist resistance army that fought against Japanese and French occupation. He wanted to unite Vietnam under a communist government.

How did the United States' involvement in Vietnam escalate?

Initially, the U.S. sent supplies, funding, and military advisers. Later, as the conflict escalated, American troops were sent to fight, leading to a significant U.S. military presence.

What was the significance of the student protests in the United States during the Vietnam War?

The student protests marked a significant domestic opposition to the war, growing in strength and sometimes turning violent, reflecting the deep divisions within American society.

Why did some American soldiers resort to fragging their officers?

Resentment towards superiors, a lack of morale due to an unpopular and losing war, and the desire for self-preservation were some reasons that drove soldiers to fragging.

How prevalent was fragging during the Vietnam War?

From 1969 to 1972, there were around 900 known or suspected cases of fragging, resulting in 99 deaths and numerous injuries.

What were some of the consequences of fragging for the military?

Fragging led to changes in military operations, such as tougher restrictions on weapon access, post-fragging lockdowns, and the eventual switch to an all-volunteer military force.

What was the impact of fragging on military leadership and morale?

Fragging had a significant impact on military leadership and morale, leading to a loss of trust between soldiers and their officers and contributing to a decline in overall discipline.

How did the My Lai Massacre affect public perception of the Vietnam War?

The My Lai Massacre, where American soldiers killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians, further fueled anti-war sentiments and highlighted the moral and leadership failures within the U.S. military.

What was the role of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War and its aftermath?

Agent Orange was a herbicide used by the U.S. to clear foliage and eliminate hiding places for the Viet Cong. Exposure to Agent Orange is believed to have caused health issues, including cancer and birth defects, among both American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians.

Outlines

00:00

🏹 The Emergence of 'Fragging' During the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, lasting from 1955 to 1975, was a period of significant conflict and turmoil. The term 'fragging' emerged as a descriptor for the intentional killing of military officers by their own troops, a shockingly common occurrence during this war. The United States' involvement was driven by the Domino Theory, which posited that the spread of communism to South Vietnam could lead to its domino effect across Asia. The conflict saw a stark divide within the U.S., with growing anti-war sentiments and protests. The military draft contributed to resentment among soldiers, many of whom were conscripted against their will. This environment of distrust and animosity led to around 900 known or suspected fragging incidents from 1969 to 1972, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The war's unpopularity and the soldiers' lack of support for it contributed to their loss of morale and the rise in insubordination.

05:00

💥 The Motivations and Consequences of Fragging

Fragging was a dire response to the leadership's aggressive combat stance, with soldiers targeting officers perceived as threats to their survival or incompetent. It was also linked to the rise of drug addiction among troops, as officers who tolerated drug use to avoid fragging inadvertently facilitated widespread substance abuse. Warnings to strict leaders included leaving grenades with names written on them, and some leaders were even attacked for enforcing discipline. Fragging incidents were rarely solved, with soldiers protecting their comrades, making it difficult to identify culprits. When convictions did occur, sentences were lenient. Notable incidents include the bounty on Lieutenant Colonel Weldon Honeycutt's head and the murder of Captain Scott Edward Schneider by Private David K. Locklin, highlighting the desperation and drug-induced motivations behind fragging. Racial tensions also played a role in some cases, as seen in the killing of two white lieutenants by a black private, reflecting the complex social dynamics at play.

10:05

🔒 The Impact of Fragging on Military Policy and the Transition to an All-Volunteer Force

Fragging had profound implications for military operations and policies. It led to stricter regulations on weapon access and post-incident lockdowns, although these measures were not entirely effective. The military temporarily stopped issuing grenades and confiscated weapons in an attempt to curb fragging. However, soldiers turned to the black market to obtain weapons, indicating the depth of the problem. The issue of fragging was one of the factors that influenced the U.S. to transition to an all-volunteer military, ending conscription in 1973. This move was intended to address the lack of morale and commitment among draftees, which was believed to contribute to incidents like fragging. The end of the draft was also a political response to widespread anti-war sentiment and protests.

15:06

🗡 The My Lai Massacre: A Dark Chapter in the Vietnam War

The My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, stands as a horrific atrocity committed by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War. Charlie Company of the Americal Division invaded the village, killing 504 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, including children, within a span of three hours. The massacre was characterized by brutal acts of violence, with victims being clubbed, stabbed, and women assaulted. Despite the absence of enemy fire, Lt. William Calley ordered his troops to fire on the villagers. The few who resisted the order, like Robert Maples, faced threats from their own commanding officers. Helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr. intervened, rescuing villagers and reporting the massacre, which led to a cover-up attempt by the military. The public exposure of the My Lai Massacre, through the investigative journalism of Seymour M. Hersh, intensified anti-war sentiments and revealed systemic failures in leadership, discipline, and morale within the U.S. military.

Keywords

💡Fragging

Fragging refers to the deliberate act of killing military officers by their own soldiers, a phenomenon that gained notoriety during the Vietnam War. It is central to the video's theme as it explores the reasons behind this insubordination and its consequences. The term is used to illustrate the extreme levels of dissatisfaction and distrust among soldiers towards their commanding officers, as seen in the numerous cases cited throughout the script.

💡Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, lasting from 1955 to 1975, was a long and divisive conflict that deeply affected both the United States and Vietnam. It serves as the backdrop for the video, highlighting the war's impact on military operations and morale. The script discusses the war's origins, the U.S. involvement based on the Domino Theory, and the internal and external challenges faced by American soldiers.

💡Domino Theory

The Domino Theory was a key factor in the U.S. decision to enter the Vietnam War. It posits that if one country falls to communism, neighboring countries would follow in a domino effect. The concept is integral to understanding the U.S.'s strategic motivations and the broader geopolitical context of the war, as mentioned in the script's discussion of the conflict's onset.

💡Guerilla Warfare

Guerilla warfare is a form of combat where small, mobile groups engage in hit-and-run tactics against larger, more formal armies. The Viet Cong's reliance on guerilla methods, such as setting traps and ambushes, is highlighted in the script as a significant challenge faced by American soldiers, contributing to the harsh realities of the war and the frustration that led to fragging.

💡Draft

The draft, or conscription, was the mandatory enlistment of men for military service during the Vietnam War. The script notes that 2.2 million men were drafted, which led to widespread resentment and avoidance tactics among the population. This involuntary service is a key factor in the video's narrative, as it contributed to low morale and the tensions that resulted in fragging.

💡Morale

Morale refers to the confidence, enthusiasm, and fighting spirit of military personnel. The script discusses how the unpopularity of the Vietnam War and the conditions faced by soldiers led to a decline in morale. This decline is directly linked to the rise in fragging incidents, as soldiers with low morale were less likely to support their officers and more likely to engage in acts of insubordination.

💡Insubordination

Insubordination is the refusal to follow orders or acknowledge authority, often as an act of defiance. The video's theme revolves around this concept, particularly in the context of fragging. The script provides examples of soldiers killing their officers as a form of insubordination, driven by a lack of support for the war and dissatisfaction with military leadership.

💡My Lai Massacre

The My Lai Massacre was a horrific event during the Vietnam War where American soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians. The script uses this incident to illustrate the broader issues of brutality, leadership failures, and the decline in military discipline and morale. It serves as a stark example of the extreme consequences of the military's challenges during the war.

💡Agent Orange

Agent Orange is a herbicide used by the U.S. military to clear foliage and eliminate hiding places for the Viet Cong. The script mentions its use and the subsequent health issues faced by American soldiers who were exposed to it, including cancer and other medical problems. This term is relevant as it highlights another aspect of the war's lasting impact on those who served.

💡All-Volunteer Military

An all-volunteer military is a force composed of personnel who serve voluntarily without conscription. The script explains that the U.S. transitioned to this model following the Vietnam War, in part due to the issues of fragging and low morale associated with the draft. This change is presented as a response to the war's lessons and a move towards a more professional and motivated military force.

Highlights

The term 'fragging' originated during the Vietnam War, referring to the deliberate killing of military colleagues.

Fragging was shockingly common during the Vietnam War due to various factors.

The Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to 1975, a 20-year-long conflict.

The Domino Theory was a primary reason for U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh aimed to unite Vietnam under a communist government.

Ngo Dinh Diem, an anti-communist, became president of South Vietnam in 1955.

Diem's forces received U.S. military support and targeted Viet Minh sympathizers.

The U.S. was divided on the Vietnam War, with the first substantial student protest in 1963.

American soldiers faced death and cruelty, often fighting against Viet Cong guerrilla tactics.

Many American soldiers were drafted, leading to resentment towards superiors.

There were around 900 cases of known or suspected fragging during the Vietnam War.

Fragging was used as a means to discourage combat enthusiasm and remove incompetent leaders.

Drug use and fragging were linked, with soldiers using fragging to fight anti-drug policies.

Fragging incidents were rarely solved, with soldiers protecting each other to avoid identification.

The My Lai Massacre in 1968 was a dark atrocity committed by U.S. soldiers.

The end of the draft and transition to an all-volunteer military was partly due to fragging.

The Vietnam War led to widespread resentment and health issues among soldiers.

Transcripts

The term “fragging,” or the deliberate  killing of your military colleagues,  

was coined during the Vietnam War. It was a  shockingly common phenomenon during that conflict,  

but why? Why were American soldiers killing  their own officers? What drove them to do  

it? How did they get away with it? And  what impact did this unprecedented level  

of murderous insubordination have  on how the military operates today?

Before we get to that, let’s talk a little bit  about the Vietnam War and how it all began.

The Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to  1975, making it a 20-year-long hell  

for all involved on both sides. It was  a divisive conflict, and to this day,  

many Americans question if the United  States should have gotten involved.

The main driving force for the United States’  invasion of Vietnam was the Domino Theory,  

the belief that if one country were to become  communist, all of the neighboring countries  

would do the same. The US feared communism would  spread to South Vietnam and the rest of Asia. In  

an attempt to stop this from happening, the U.S.  government sent supplies, funding, and military  

advisers to South Vietnam, involving the United  States in what was, at the time, a civil war.

Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the Viet Minh, a  Communist resistance army that fought against  

the Japanese and French occupation. Ho  Chi Minh wanted to unite Vietnam under a  

communist government. The country had been under  French colonial rule since the 19th century,  

and during World War Two, the country had been  invaded by Japan. When Japan was defeated in 1945,  

they withdrew from Vietnam, and  this would be the first domino  

falling - if you’ll pardon the metaphor  - that would lead to the Vietnam War.

Emperor Bao Dai was in control of the  country until he abdicated in 1945 at  

Ho Chi Minh’s urging, leaving the country  in the hands of the Viet Minh. Bao Dai spent  

a year as a supreme advisor to the Viet  Minh until he left Vietnam for Hong Kong,  

but the French and Viet Minh continued to  unsuccessfully ask him for political support.

When a coalition of Vietnamese  anti-communists formed a National Union,  

they told Bao Dai they would support him,  but only if he would seek independence for  

Vietnam. Bao Dai would align himself with  them. In 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem, a staunchly  

anti-communist politician, became president  of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam.

Both sides had the same goal of a United  Vietnam but drastically different ideas on  

what a unified Vietnam would look  like politically. Ho Chi Minh and  

his supporters wished for a Communist  government, while Bao Dai and Ngo Dinh  

Diem looked for a government closer  to what existed in Western countries.

Diem’s forces received training and equipment  from the United States military and the CIA,  

and they would use this to punish Viet Minh  sympathizers in the South. Diem would refer  

to them as the Viet Cong, meaning Vietnamese  Communists. He had 100,000 people arrested,  

of which many were tortured and executed.

In the United States, America was equally  divided on the war. The first substantial  

student protest occurred in October 1963.  At the time, the United States had only  

sent American military advisers to Vietnam, but  students across the United States were speaking  

out. They were united under the belief that  the Vietnam War was wrong. The protests grew  

in strength as the conflict escalated,  and some of the protests turned violent.

When American troops were sent to Vietnam, they  were surrounded by death and cruelty. American  

soldiers had to go up against the Viet Cong, who  relied on guerrilla methods. They set traps in  

the jungle, and would ambush American soldiers.  And crucially to what will follow, many of the  

American soldiers were also not there voluntarily  but brought over due to the ongoing draft.

Out of 27 million eligible men, the United  States drafted 2.2 million American men  

during the Vietnam War. Although only 25  percent of the military were draftees,  

it also spurred a lot of men into joining  the military to avoid being drafted into  

it. There were a lot of people who did  everything in their power to avoid the  

draft, including intentionally failing  aptitude tests and fleeing to Canada.

It’s not surprising that resentment would build  between soldiers and their superiors. Although the  

total is incomplete, from 1969 to 1972, there  were around 900 cases of known or suspected  

fragging during the Vietnam War, which resulted  in 99 deaths and an untold amount of injuries.

From 1970 to 1971, the incidents  of fragging increased even as the  

United States was withdrawing from  Vietnam. But by the end of the war,  

it’s believed that at least 450 officers  and 600 United States soldiers had been  

killed by fragging, and 1400 had  died under mysterious circumstances.

Fragging was not new, as similar incidents  had occurred prior to the 1960s, but it  

became far more prevalent. It was a way for  soldiers to discourage those in charge from  

being too enthusiastic for combat. As the  Vietnam War grew more and more unpopular,  

the soldiers lost morale. They saw no  reason to risk their lives for a losing  

war that many of them didn’t support.  There were a lot of soldiers who were  

given a one-year tour of duty, and this  meant there was less cohesion among units.

For some, it was self-preservation, killing  their officers to ensure they might get out  

of the Vietnam War alive. American soldiers  were staring down the Viet Cong as the United  

States was making little progress in the  war. At times, fragging was used in order  

to remove leaders that soldiers viewed as  incompetent or a threat to their survival.  

Soldiers resented that unit leaders would  risk their soldiers' lives for personal gain.

Fragging had surprising consequences, such as an  opium addiction among American soldiers. In some  

units, soldiers used fragging in order to fight  anti-drug policies. So, officers would tolerate  

drug use and general insubordination among their  soldiers due to a fear of fragging. Without any  

restrictions on narcotics, drugs became freely  available to the already traumatized soldiers.

There were incidents where unit leaders who were  considered too strict would be given warnings  

from their soldiers. When a unit leader would  enforce discipline or regulations, sometimes  

they would find a frag grenade with the safety  pin left in and their name written on it in their  

bunk. Other times, soldiers might have discharged  a smoke grenade under their bunk. These always  

had a loud and clear message, and unit leaders  would back down due to the threat of fragging.

If you’re wondering if anyone was  ever caught committing the offense,  

it wasn’t many, and even fewer people were  convicted of the crime. Lower-ranked GIs  

united to protect their fellow  soldiers, and they helped make  

it difficult to identify the guilty party in  incidents. Of those who had been convicted,  

they were given incredibly light sentences.  Some were sentenced to only ten months in jail.

There were some notable incidents. In  1969, after the assault on Hamburger Hill,  

there was an underground G.I. newspaper  that placed a $10,000 bounty on Lieutenant  

Colonel Weldon Honeycutt’s head. Honeycutt had  ordered and led the attack at Hamburger Hill,  

and the bounty had led to several  unsuccessful attempts on Honeycutt’s life.

Hamburger Hill was a 10-day battle where, in  a remote valley in South Vietnam, American  

troops fought for control of a 3,000-foot-tall  hill. After days of a bloody and vicious battle,  

they were able to take the hill, but they  would abandon it only days later. After  

they abandoned it, the North Vietnamese  would return to reoccupy it. Many saw  

it as a senseless loss of lives, and the  debate continues to this day. Anger over  

the loss of life most likely incentivized  American soldiers to want Honeycutt dead.

In 1970, in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province,  25-year-old Captain Scott Edward Schneider  

was the commander of a United States Army  artillery battery. At 1:40 AM on August 17,  

he was killed when an American soldier threw  a frag grenade into his quarters while he  

slept. He died instantly. Private David K.  Locklin would be charged with his murder.

19-year-old Locklin was described as a  druggie, known for using hashish, LSD,  

and meth. He was also known for consuming a  6-ounce bottle of Obesitol on a daily basis.  

Obesitol was a drug that combined several  amphetamine salts in order to treat obesity.

Locklin would spend most of his time in  a nearby village with a group of marines.  

One of his platoon mates recalled that he  would spend his time smoking “opium with  

the old men.” He was assigned menial chores,  mostly due to his drug habit and absences,  

and he was prohibited from  operating complex artillery.

Schneider would eventually demote him from  Specialist to a Private, or an E-4 to an  

E-1. They believed that Locklin’s motive for the  murder was a drug-induced grudge. Locklin would  

plead guilty to unpremeditated murder, and he  was sentenced to 25 years of hard labor. In 1979,  

Locklin would be released, after just eight  years and seven months of his sentence.

While drugs played a large part  in fragging, racial tension was  

also considered a motivating factor  in some cases. On March 15, 1971,  

at an army base in Bien Hoa, Lieutenants  Thomas A. Dellwo and Richard E. Harlan,  

two white men, were killed by a grenade  being thrown into their sleeping quarters.

When Billy Dean Smith, a black  private, was arrested for the crime,  

the prosecution argued that Smith had  actually meant to target Captain Randall  

L. Rigby and 1st Sergeant Billie Willis  due to their racist encounters with Smith.

When Smith’s case received international  attention, it was moved from Vietnam to  

Fort Ord, California. The defense argued  that the grenade pin had been planted in  

Smith’s pocket after the attack. They  alleged he had been targeted due to his  

antiwar statements prior to the murders.  According to Black Scholar magazine,  

Smith was the “logical guilty party” because  he was “a black GI with a bad attitude.”

Billy Dean Smith was found not guilty.

It wasn’t unusual for the fragging incidents  to miss their intended target. In 1969,  

a new commander was put in charge of Battery D of  the 11th Marines at Phu Lac. Due to his style of  

discipline, he became unpopular with some of  the Marines. On February 27, someone threw a  

grenade into his sleeping quarters, hoping to frag  him. But he wasn’t in his quarters that night.

Instead, the explosion would kill 1st Sergeant  Warren R. Furse, who was scheduled to return  

home to his family in just a few days.  They never convicted anyone of his murder.

At the Quảng Trị Combat Base on April 21, 1969,  someone threw a grenade into the company office  

of K Company, 9th Marines. First Lieutenant  Robert R. Rohweller would die as a result of  

the explosion. Private Reginald F. Smith would  go on to brag to a colleague about the murder,  

which led to his being apprehended. As he told  of his exploits, he still had the grenade ring  

on his finger. Smith would plead guilty to the  murder, and he was sentenced to 40 years. He  

wouldn’t finish his time there, though. On July  25, 1982, he was murdered by a fellow inmate.

Army Captain and incoming commander of the 188th  

Military Police Company Roy Moore was  strict. When he arrived near Da Nang,  

he would quickly discover that some of his MPs  had developed addictions to drugs and alcohol.  

Moore comfortably filed disciplinary charges  against addicted and insubordinate soldiers.

Unsurprisingly, he received threats of  fragging. One night, Moore was told that  

one of his soldiers, Kidwell, a known  drug user, had shot 1st Sergeant Howard  

and planned to attack Moore next. Moore took  precautions to defend himself against Kidwell,  

only to discover he had already been  taken into custody and was in his  

office. Kidwell was court-martialed, and  1st Sergeant Howard survived the attack.

The United States Army wasn’t the only  one contending with fragging. It was  

prevalent in the Australian military as well.

Lieutenant Robert Thomas Convery of the 9th  Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment died  

on November 23, 1969, at the age of 22. After  a night of heavy drinking with his battalion,  

a grenade was placed in his tent in Nui  Dat at around midnight. He was killed  

when the grenade exploded as he slept.  He was due to return home in five days.

Later on, Private Denzil Allen would be  convicted of his murder and sentenced  

to a life sentence in Risdon Prison, but he  would only serve ten years and eight months.

In one case, a booby trap  may have saved a man’s life!

Eugene Linden was an American author who once  wrote about the demoralization of American  

troops in Vietnam in a 1971 Saturday  Review article. He told the story of  

a company commander in the 23rd Infantry  Division. The captain was injured when he  

fell on a punji stick, a booby trap that is  a simple spike made from sharpened bamboo.

It turns out this was a life-saving event as it  removed him from combat. He was informed by a  

medic that all of the men in his unit were most  likely pleased that he’d fallen on that stick.  

The medic explained to him that his unit felt  he constantly put his men in danger and lacked  

common sense. The men had been talking about  fragging him until he fell on that punji stick.

Fragging statistics mostly cover incidents  that involve explosives, typically grenades,  

but there were also several hundred  murders by firearms. In those cases,  

it was typically men of equal rank  shooting each other, though. According  

to the statistics on hand, less than ten  officers were killed by their colleagues  

via firearms. There were rumors of enlisted  soldiers deliberately killing officers and  

non-commissioned officers using the chaos  of the battlefield to get away with it.

Another incident in Nui Dat involved Private Paul  Raymond Ferriday opening fire into the Sergeant’s  

Mess of the Royal Australian Army Service  Corps with his SLR rifle. On December 25,  

1970, Ferriday shot and killed Sergeants Allan  Brian Moss and Wallace James Galvin, and wounded  

Sergeant Frederick Edwin Bowtell. He committed  the crime after an all-day drinking session.

Ferriday was described as being paranoid and  prone to fits of rage by an army psychiatrist  

during his court-martial. Witnesses would  state that Ferriday was aware of his own  

actions, and they provided details of  previous altercations with Ferriday.

Ferriday would be convicted on  two counts of manslaughter and one  

assault with a weapon. Of his ten-year  sentence, Ferriday only served eight.

The United States military began to instill  tougher restrictions on access to weapons to  

try to minimize the number of fraggings. They  would instill post-fragging lockdowns until  

the investigation was completed. In May 1971,  the United States Army had to temporarily stop  

issuing grenades to all units in Vietnam,  and they confiscated weapons, ammunition,  

grenades, and knives. Despite their efforts, this  didn’t reduce the amount of fragging incidents.

If they couldn’t get it from the  American military, soldiers would  

find weapons through the black market in Vietnam.

Fragging played a role in why the United  States switched to an all-volunteer military,  

dropping the draft altogether. Nixon signed the  legislation to end conscription on September 28,  

1971, but it wouldn’t go  into effect until January 27,  

1973. When Nixon ran for president in 1968,  he had promised he would end the draft.

Nixon also believed ending the draft would  put an end to the protests. He thought that  

middle-class Americans would lose interest  in the war if they didn’t fear that they,  

or their loved ones, might be sent  to fight. Despite running on that,  

Nixon wouldn’t act on his promise for  the first years of his presidency.

In fact, the draft was originally due to expire  in June 1971. Instead of allowing it to expire,  

Nixon asked Congress to approve a two-year  extension on it. They had even compiled draft  

priority numbers for men born in 1954, 1955, and  1956. Congress would not extend the draft, though.

Vietnam led to a great deal of resentment  from American soldiers. Many soldiers were  

also faced with Agent Orange, a mixture  of herbicides that the United States used  

to clear foliage. It was meant to take away the  Viet Cong’s hiding places, but it’s believed that  

nearly 3 million American soldiers may have been  exposed to Agent Orange. Many of these soldiers  

who were exposed later developed cancer or other  medical problems, including Parkinson’s Disease.

In 1979, United States veterans were able  to bring a class-action lawsuit against the  

seven herbicide manufacturers who produced Agent  Orange. They would settle out of court in 1984,  

creating a $180 million fund to compensate  the 250,000 victims and their families.

It’s also believed that exposure  to Agent Orange is responsible for  

abnormally high amounts of miscarriages,  skin disease, cancers, birth defects,  

and congenital malformations among  Vietnamese people in the 1970s.

American soldiers not only witnessed  brutality, they participated in it as well.

On March 16, 1968, the United States  committed one of its darkest atrocities  

during the Vietnam War in the village of  My Lai. The village of 700 civilians was  

invaded by the Charlie Company,  11th Brigade, Americal Division,  

and they slaughtered 504 Vietnamese innocents,  including children, within three hours.

There were no reports of opposing fire  from the village, but Lt. William Calley,  

the commander of the unit, ordered his troops to  enter the village firing. Civilians were clubbed,  

stabbed, and women were assaulted. The  soldiers mutilated some of their victims  

by carving “C Company” on their chests.  Only one American was injured during the  

massacre when he accidentally shot himself  in the foot when he was clearing his pistol.

Robert Maples, one of the soldiers at My Lai,  refused to open fire on Vietnamese civilians  

in a ditch. His commanding officer trained his  own weapon on him, and Maples still refused.  

Meanwhile, helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson Jr.  threatened to open fire on his fellow Americans,  

desperate to protect the Vietnamese villagers  from being massacred. He threatened to report  

the massacre as well. He had blocked the  American soldiers with his helicopter,  

and he had his crew aim their guns at the American  troops, and rescued villagers hiding in a bunker.

When Thompson noticed movement in one of the  ditches, he landed so that his crew chief,  

Glenn Andreotta, could rescue a young boy  from the ditch. The boy was covered in blood,  

but uninjured. Thompson would report  the incident to his Army officers,  

but while that did lead to a  cease-fire, it also led to a cover-up.

The United States military would work diligently  to keep what happened in My Lai a secret. L.  

Mendel Rivers, the chairman of the  House of Armed Services Committee,  

would later claim that Thompson  was the only guilty party there  

that day since he was the one who had  turned his gun on his fellow Americans.

It’s no surprise that Thompson would throw  away the Distinguished Flying Cross that they  

had awarded him for saving the lives of the  Vietnamese villagers. When given the medal,  

the citation made no mention that the  hostile fire he faced was from the  

American side. Thompson believed the United  States military wanted to buy his silence.

He would receive the Soldier’s Medal in 1998,  

but he refused to accept unless they also gave  the award to his door gunner, Lawrence Colburn,  

and the late Andreotta. Sadly, Glenn Andreotta  had died in a crash three weeks after My Lai.

The United States military couldn’t  keep the lid on My Lai forever,  

especially after Ron Ridenhour, a  22-year-old gunner in another unit,  

wrote letters to 30 congressional  and military officials a year later.

Someone connected to the military called  a part-time political columnist from The  

Village Voice to tell them about a United  States soldier being court-martialed for  

the massacre at a Vietnamese village, but  the Army didn’t want anyone reporting on it.

Naturally, the columnist, Geoffrey Cowan, was  interested. He called a freelancer named Seymour  

M. Hersh and told him about the story, and it was  Hersh who would dig deeper into what had happened.  

Hersh would fly out to Salt Lake City to meet  with Calley’s lawyer, and he would travel to Fort  

Benning, walking around the base until he found  Calley to interview him. Hersh would uncover the  

story for the American public, later winning the  1970 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

When the public learned about the My Lai  Massacre, anti-war sentiments rose further.

The investigation into the massacre uncovered  widespread failures in leadership, discipline,  

and morale. The United States military  had lost many career soldiers over the  

course of the ongoing war. If they hadn’t been  rotated out or retired, they were killed. They  

had been replaced with draftees, who lacked  experience. Military officials blamed the  

disappointing talent pool for the military  deteriorating. They argued that if they had  

more educated middle-class draftees, someone  like Calley, an unemployed college dropout,  

would have never been the leader of a unit.  Although he had dropped out of college, in 1967,  

Calley had managed to graduate from Officer's  Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Calley would testify that he was ordered  by Captain Ernest Medina to carry out the  

slaughter in My Lai. However, all of  the photographic and recorded evidence  

pointed to Calley alone. Calley was sentenced  to life in prison, but he was released in 1974.

He was given a dishonorable discharge, and  entered the insurance business afterward.

The Vietnam War was, in hindsight, a travesty  for all involved - With the flaws that cost  

countless thousands their lives trickling  down from the very top of leadership.  

Fragging is just one more shade of red amidst  the overall atmosphere of tragic, bloody chaos.

Now watch “Dirty Secrets of the  Vietnam War You Didn’t Know About  

“or “Most Insane Booby Traps  Used During the Vietnam War.”