The morning of March 16,1968 was an infamous one for United States international diplomacy and wartime conduct. 

The TET Offensive was still in full swing after starting six weeks earlier. The war in Vietnam had become the real deal. The men of Charlie Company of the Americal Infantry Division had not been spared the horrors of war as they watched their friends being killed in epic numbers.

My Lai is located in one of the narrowest east-west sections of Vietnam. The ocean on the east and the mountainous areas to the west hid the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Laotian border. Thus, North Vietnam was able to resupply the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army undetected. Additionally, miles of tunnels had been created for hospitals and for housing weapons that were brought down the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The civilian population in this area was mostly Viet Cong or VC sympathizers.  Many, if not all, of the local young men were not in any of the Hamlets in this area; only the elderly and young women with their children remained.

On the morning of March 16,1968 Charlie Company, with Lt. William Calley leading, killed 504 civilians, the elderly, young women and 129 children under the age of 10. Of the129 children killed 26 were under the age of one. There is speculation that most, if not all, of the young women were raped before being killed.

Vietnam War veteran John Steele, who served in Vietnam, 1968-1970, is exhibiting his collection of photos that he took while visiting Vietnam in 2018.

The exhibit will be up Nov. 1-30 at the Jonathan Frost Gallery in Rockland.

John Steele lives in Camden with his two dogs. He moved to Maine from Utah and has three photographic projects: Vietnam (What I Could Not See); two of Utah’s Wild Horses Herds (Onaqui and Cedar Mountain Herds); and and Orangutans in Sumatra.