How does the My Lai Massacre represent the American efforts in Vietnam?

The My Lai
Massacre occurred on March 16, 1968. The tragic event, which resulted in the deaths of about 500
civilians, represented the utter failure of America's efforts in the Vietnam War. It was a
microcosm of the futility, senselessness, and lawlessness of the entire conflict.

The slaughter of civilians stemmed in part from Charlie Company's frustration with the
enemy's hit-and-run tactics. American troops had spent weeks patrolling the area around My Lai
and had suffered dozens of casualties to enemy booby traps. In spite of this, they had not yet
engaged the enemy. Finally, Captain Ernest Medina informed his men that they would be going into
battle. In fact, the enemy troops were dozens of miles away, and the village, My Lai, was full
of civilians. The American troops encountered no resistance, but they raped and executed
helpless civilians.

Communist Vietnamese forces usually avoided pitched
battles with Americans and their overwhelming firepower. Because of this, the Vietnam War was
unlike America's previous conflicts. American generals were vexed by their enemy's
strategy.

America was supposed to help the Vietnamese stave off the evils of
Communism. Killing civilians was counterproductive because it buttressed support for Communists
throughout the Vietnamese countryside. For this reason, rural areas not under the direct control
of American or South Vietnamese forces were usually pro-Communist.

After
World War II, the United States played a key role in putting Nazis on trial for war crimes.
Nazis who claimed to be carrying out orders were not pardoned. Many hoped that the Nuremberg
Trials would set a precedent for future war crimes. But only one American officer, William
Calley, served any time for the My Lai Massacre: he was a scapegoat.