ABSTRACT
In March of 1969, US infantryman Ron Ridenhour found himself deeply burdened by the massacre of 504 civilians at the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe in South Vietnam. After his discharge and return to Phoenix, Arizona, Ridenhour shared his consternation with his family and former high-school teacher, Arthur Oman. Although his family and close friends suggested he not pursue the issue, Oman encouraged him to act on his feelings and write a formal letter detailing what he had learned about the massacre (Hersh, 1970). After much deliberation, Ridenhour decided to send his letter to President Nixon as well as several congressional leaders and the secretary of defense. In this letter he described that “something rather dark and bloody” occurred in a village in March 1968 and conveyed his shock and disbelief that not only had “so many young American men participated in such an act of barbarism, but that their officers had ordered it” (Ridenhour, 1969, pp. 202–203). Ridenhour closed his letter stating, “I remain irrevocably persuaded that if you and I do truly believe in the principles of justice and the equality of every man, however humble, before the law, that form the backbone that this country is founded upon, we must press for a widespread and public investigation of this matter with all of our combined efforts” (p. 205).
