The
My Lai Letters
( pronounced em li
) |
Hu - 5/10/01 9:51 AM
Billy Kelly [bilikelly@hotmail.com]
RE: My Lai
Hello Larry,
I read your note with great interest.
Particularly that concerning My Lai. I don't think a day goes by when it
doesn't somehow cross my mind. It is still unfathomable to me. The latest
news concerning (Senator) Kerrey and Thanh Phong only heightens my interest -
'obsession'.
I feel sorry for Kerrey in that his 'name'
has brought him to the forefront. There are probably thousands of such
stories. Committed by both sides and, in truth, committed by soldiers from
time immemorial. Reality in any war can be a gruesome thing. But, for me, anytime Viet Nam is brought before
America's eyes, it is a good thing.
That 26 year old amnesia needs to be
penetrated. As a brief aside, I had just returned from Ben Tre province where
I was visiting the family of a friend. We were not more than 10K's from the
spot. Then last week, I was in Nha Trang. I just read that Kerrey received a
MOH for actions on islands off the coast of that city. We had rented a boat
and I toured all of them. They range from 2 to 10 K's from shoreline. At that
time, early 1969, Nha Trang was as 'armed a fortress' as you would find.
Naturally protected by a mountain chain completely encircling it, heavy, heavy
air and naval power based there and, I think, it was the HQ's of the Special
Forces. Hard to believe they would not clean up and man islands to their rear.
Citation is very sketchy. Unusual for a MOH. No name of the island, ( They all
were/are named ), times, results, etc. Even his name is incorrect. I was never
much impressed by 'heroism'. I think it in great part came from being in the
wrong place, at the wrong time, etc. And when performed it was an instinctual
act, or one out of extreme fear. True heroism for me was that displayed daily
by the infantryman who just had to put one foot in front of the other, day
after day and minute after minute in a 100% hostile environment.
I , as mentioned, have been following story at
length and I am writing some things about my feelings concerning these new
events. I will also paste on some writing I had done in past concerning My Lai
and a few other items. Hope I don't burden you. Save for a rainy day or
discard.
Best, Billy Kelly
PS: Most of these thoughts and letters have been printed. They in no way
mean to denigrate the GI. I have nothing but the highest respect for a
'grunt'. Some will prove redundant and some a bit sappy and sentimental. One
Vietnamese called me a 'romantic'?. I guess I am. Each year I bring 504 bright
red roses to the graves.
Return to Vietnam Today
.Billy Kelly's My Lai Letters
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Response to Economist Article
Subject: LEXINGTON: The man
who healed the Vietnam wound
From: William J. Kelly Jr.
Date: Sat, 07 Apr 2001 00:23:56
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To The Editor: New York Times
Subject: "McCain Eases The Stigma
Of Vietnam", Haberman,
29 Feb
2000,NYTimes
Response to NY Times Op-Ed piece
From: William J. Kelly Jr.
Date: Sat, 07 Apr 2001 00:26:10
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To The Editor: (re: No Gun Ri;
March
7, 2000)
From: William J. Kelly Jr.
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000
04:14:17 PST
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To The Editor (re: My Lai 2001)
My Lai, Quang Ngai, Viet Nam
From: William J. Kelly Jr.
16 March 2001
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To: The Viet Nam News
(re: My Lai)
From: William J. Kelly Jr.;
"My Kieu"
March 16, 2000
Da Nang, Viet Nam
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23 March 1999 (re: My Lai)
Ho Chi Minh City, V.N.
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To: Letters to the Editor
( My Lai
1999)
From: William J. Kelly, Jr.
#6A: Khach San Nguyen Thanh:
19b
Bui Thi Xuan: District I,
HCMC, VN: Tel:84-8-832-3095
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Related Topics
The My Lai Incident
For those
who may want to know more about March 16, 1968. . .
Confronting My Lai
Americans have apologized for My Lai, and the U.S. military has sought to ensure that such a thing cannot happen again. But where are the apologies of the Vietnamese communists and the Khmer Rouge for their atrocities?
My
Lai Peace Park
Nearly thirty years ago, Americans did
something terrible in a place we remember as My Lai.
Here is a chance to do something beautiful in that same place."
-- W.D. Ehrhart, Vietnam veteran and poet
Veterans Vietnam
Restoration Project
The VVRP is a small
non-governmental organization. Our primary mission is to provide American veterans and others with opportunities to return to Viet Nam for humanitarian service. We operate under the premise that returning to Viet Nam, working directly on community projects and returning to places where they served helps veterans heal the legacy of our war.
Famous American Trials:
Mai-Lai Courts Martial
Account of the trial includes transcript excerpts, profiles of the principal figures and a chronology of events. Includes a photo gallery
The American
Experience:
Vietnam/In the Trenches
Echoes Of My Lai
Thirty years after a brutal Vietnam War massacre, the survivors, and their children, still ask: Why?
My Lai Today
The village of My Lai is nestled amidst other small hamlets on the central coast of Viet Nam. I had wanted to visit it since my arrival to the country. The "American War," as the Vietnamese put it, was still fresh in my mind. And, I came to both Viet Nam and this small village to put faces and lives to the images I grew up with. It was still logistically challenging to get around Viet Nam, but finally the planning for my arrival to this small rural outpost paid
off
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