o kill any military age male running from them or shooting at them (Olson, G. Olsen, CID, p.64). Another soldier testified that Medina ordered them to kill everything in the village because it was completely enemy controlled (Olson, Stanley, CID, p.65). During training the soldiers were taught from the very first day to obey orders and not ask questions (Olson, Peers Report, p.11). It is clear that the soldiers were told that civilians were cleared of the village as many of the soldiers stated that in their testimony. Some soldiers got the impression to kill everything and others got the impression to not kill women and children (Olson, Maples, CID, p.70). In conclusion the lack of engagement with the enemy, difficulty identifying the enemy, rage and frustration among American soldiers and the misinterpretation of the mission all led to the My Lai massacre. The mission was based upon lack of intelligence information about the occupancy of the enemy within the area of My Lai. I feel that the incident is excusable due to the circumstances. The soldiers followed orders given on what was said to be the enemy. Due to the many factors that lead to the My Lai massacre, no action should have been made on the select few. ...
