HOW MEMORIES OF MY LAI INFLUENCED MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM

There is one thing for the event to occur; but the manner in which it was handled was more institutionally damning. In a follow-up to his article published in WAR ROOM in June, Richard Lacquement sits down with WAR ROOM Editor-in-Chief Andrew A. Hill to go over the aftermath of My Lai as it continues to influence Army professionalism today. The atrocities highlighted significant institutional problems across the Army. For example, a damning 1970 U.S. Army War College study exposed numerous morale and careerism problems that contributed to an environment whereby more My Lai events were possible. How did the institution respond, shaping the meaning of the Army as a profession today? Richard Lacquement is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army and Professor and Director, National Security Policy Program in the Department of National Security and Strategy (DNSS) at the U.S. Army War College. He was the first Dean of the School of Strategic Landpower at the U.S. Army War College. Andrew A. Hill is the WAR ROOM Editor-in-Chief. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense. Photo: Unidentified Vietnamese bodies on a road. Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Ronald Haeberle