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Question: What was the effect on the civilians during the My Lai Massacre!?
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Death for most of them!. The survivors had to rebuild or move away!. I don't know which they decided to do!. Long term, increased distrust of American forces by other civilians!. If your so called allies are going to kill you anyways, it tends to make you more sympathetic towards the people they are fighting!. Except here the Viet Cong used terrorist tactics anyways, meaning the civilians had no one to turn to!. In the US it gave added fuel to the anti-war forces, alienated some more of those who did support the war and the troops, and demoralized the military!. the fact that the only person recieving any penalty was a lowly lieutenant gave it the appearance of a whitewash, with Calley being the scapegoat!.
I'll not go into the whole "they were really vietcong" and "our troops right or wrong"!. I'll simply say, there are codes of conduct, and that it's almost impossible for people not in combat conditions to understand the tension of such situations!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

How do you know that there was civilians in the area!? and not just undercover v!.c!.
I praise our fighting forces who served in vietnam!.all of them
Do you think for a minute that if that, or any war had been fought in the USA that the invading armies would not kill civilians!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Massacre!. This means they all were murdered by the soldiers!. It kind of left them cold!.Www@QuestionHome@Com