07-25-2010, 07:26 AM
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Analyst
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: UK/Australia
Posts: 2,216
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Hugh Thompson ... a true American hero?
Why is there not a statue of this courageous man in Washington, DC? Why have I not heard his courage and decency extolled by patriotic Americans? Why are there no Hollywood epics portraying his bravery? He is the sort of person of whom Americans should be genuinely proud.
Quote:
Hugh Thompson will forever be known for an extraordinary act of conscience and courage: putting a stop to the My Lai Massacre, in which 504 unarmed South Vietnamese villagers were terrorized and killed by U.S. soldiers on March 16, 1968.
That morning, Warrant Officer Thompson, 24, was piloting his fragile OH-23 aeroscout helicopter over My Lai with his crew chief, Glenn Andreotta, 20, and his gunner, Larry Colburn, 18. When the three realized that they were witnessing a massacre, Thompson landed his ship between fleeing Vietnamese survivors and pursuing American soldiers. There, Thompson told his crew that if the American soldiers tried to harm the cowering villagers, then they should open fire upon the Americans.
Next, enraged and armed only with a holstered pistol, Mr. Thompson confronted an American lieutenant. Mr. Thompson won that face-down, and the Americans pressed no farther..
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http://hughthompsonfoundation.org/hugh.htm
This is the kind of person I like to think typifies all that is good about Americans ... why is he largely ignored?
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I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country. E.M. Forster
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