Word: calley
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Calley appeared very much in need of luck as Prosecutor Aubrey Daniel rested his case last week in the military courtroom at Fort Benning, Ga. He had constructed his case well; but with the appearance of Turner and two other former Calley platoon members, Charles Sledge and James J. Dursi, it became obvious that Daniel, in the best tradition of courtroom dramatics, had saved some of the most graphic testimony to wind up his presentation...
...specially poignant moment in the already emotion-charged trial of Lieut. William L. Calley Jr. For most of an afternoon and the following morning, Thomas Turner, the prosecution's 34th and next to last witness, had described in measured tones how Calley had directed and participated in the slaughter of scores of women, children and old men. Turner was a fireteam leader in Calley's platoon at My Lai. His testimony had been the most damaging thus far, methodically lacing together the events described by earlier witnesses. But as he left the stand, Turner approached Calley and placed...
Falling and Screaming. Sledge, 23, Calley's radio-telephone operator and now a salesman of ladies' luggage, was the first to testify last week. His tale was one of continuing horror. He recalled coming upon a group of 30 or 40 Vietnamese civilians gathered at an intersection and under guard by former Pfc. Paul Meadlo. (Meadlo has so far refused to testify at the trial, claiming the constitutional privilege against self-incrimination.) According to Sledge, Calley went up to Meadlo and ordered him to "waste 'em, and Meadlo started shooting into the people−about ten feet...
Sledge's testimony also accounted for the two specific deaths charged to Calley in the overall indictment. Calley is charged with killing no fewer than 30 people along the trail, no fewer than 70 people in the ditch, plus an old man and a young child. Sledge testified that he and Calley came upon a monk dressed in white robes at the end of a ditch. Calley started interrogating the monk, "then he hit him with the butt of his rifle in the mouth ... He [the monk] was sort of like pleading. He was about 40 to 50 years...
...trial so far, the vista emerging is one of vast confusion. Soldiers wandered about the hamlet setting fires, shooting at people and animals, rounding up villagers. In addition to the mass killings described by Conti, individuals and small groups were also shot down. One question that the Calley trial has not grappled with yet, and may not confront at all, is why it all happened...