Below is a timeline of the events that occurred leading up to and what happened in the My Lai massacre which was committed on the 16th of March 1968. This information was taken from the accounts of 'C' Company soldiers.
0530 'C' Company is ordered to prepare for the day.
0720 'C' Company leaves in their helicopters
0740 Lieutenant Calley moves 'C' Company into a defensive position along the edge of the village, securing a landing zone for the next group of soldiers
While Calley is moving his men into position, several villagers attempt to flee from their the village and are shot.
0750 The second group of helicopters arrive at the landing zone outside the village.
'C' Company starts to move through the village. Lieutenant Calley and a squad of about 24 GI’s, shot many Vietnamese and stabbed others. They threw hand grenades into houses and bunkers and destroyed crops.
0750 'C' Company began rounding up Vietnamese (mostly women, children and elderly,) pushing them to a dirt road south of the village. Another group of villagers are moved to the east of the village.
Soldiers begin killing without provocation. Men are stabbed with bayonets and executed with a shot to the head. One soldier pushed a man down a well and threw a grenade in as well.
0815 The group of Vietnamese that had been rounded towards the south of the village are all executed by the soldiers guarding them. These soldiers then round up more Vietnamese from the village and move them towards a ditch. A squad is left guarding the people by the ditch.
'C' Company fans out across the village. As they move through the village, they shot fleeing villagers. During this pass through the village, many villagers are murdered, and two rapes occur.
0845 'C' Company goes into My Lai and begin to burn down homes.
Warrant Officer Thompson sees a group of wounded Vietnamese citizens south of My Lai. He marks where they are, and asks soldiers to help them.
0900 Lt. Calley reaches the drainage ditch into which the villagers had been herded into and orders 'C' Company to start killing them. Within 10 minutes, all are shot by soldiers of 'C' Company. None of the Villagers were armed.
Warrant Officer Thompson sees that the villagers who he noticed previously as being injured have now been shot dead.
0915 Thompson moves his helicopter to the eastern side of the village, where he can see bodies in a ditch, some are visibly alive and moving around. In an unsanctioned maneuver, Thompson lands his helicopter and confronts Capt. Medina, the officer states "the only way he could help the people was to put them out of their misery".
0720 'C' Company leaves in their helicopters
0740 Lieutenant Calley moves 'C' Company into a defensive position along the edge of the village, securing a landing zone for the next group of soldiers
While Calley is moving his men into position, several villagers attempt to flee from their the village and are shot.
0750 The second group of helicopters arrive at the landing zone outside the village.
'C' Company starts to move through the village. Lieutenant Calley and a squad of about 24 GI’s, shot many Vietnamese and stabbed others. They threw hand grenades into houses and bunkers and destroyed crops.
0750 'C' Company began rounding up Vietnamese (mostly women, children and elderly,) pushing them to a dirt road south of the village. Another group of villagers are moved to the east of the village.
Soldiers begin killing without provocation. Men are stabbed with bayonets and executed with a shot to the head. One soldier pushed a man down a well and threw a grenade in as well.
0815 The group of Vietnamese that had been rounded towards the south of the village are all executed by the soldiers guarding them. These soldiers then round up more Vietnamese from the village and move them towards a ditch. A squad is left guarding the people by the ditch.
'C' Company fans out across the village. As they move through the village, they shot fleeing villagers. During this pass through the village, many villagers are murdered, and two rapes occur.
0845 'C' Company goes into My Lai and begin to burn down homes.
Warrant Officer Thompson sees a group of wounded Vietnamese citizens south of My Lai. He marks where they are, and asks soldiers to help them.
0900 Lt. Calley reaches the drainage ditch into which the villagers had been herded into and orders 'C' Company to start killing them. Within 10 minutes, all are shot by soldiers of 'C' Company. None of the Villagers were armed.
Warrant Officer Thompson sees that the villagers who he noticed previously as being injured have now been shot dead.
0915 Thompson moves his helicopter to the eastern side of the village, where he can see bodies in a ditch, some are visibly alive and moving around. In an unsanctioned maneuver, Thompson lands his helicopter and confronts Capt. Medina, the officer states "the only way he could help the people was to put them out of their misery".