Episode
S5 Ep41: My Lai and the Cost of Following Orders
- Podcast
- Crimes of the Centuries
- Published
- Jan 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3099
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://audioboom.com/posts/8828338
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Summary
The massacre at My Lai was one of the most lethal attacks on civilians carried out by American troops in Vietnam. For more than a year, the Army’s official line held firm: it was an encounter with the enemy. Only when a soldier wrote dozens of letters, and a reporter refused to let the story die, did the truth reach the public. This episode explores the events of that day and the long road to accountability.