“I think the constitution invests its commander-in-chief, with the law of war, in time of war.” —Abraham Lincoln, August 26, 1863
“Few questions have generated as much debate and conflict in American society as when to go to war and what methods are acceptable to wage it.” –Sahr Conway-Lanz in At War, p. 11
Terms concerning Laws of War
From Maria Villotti’s website:
Lt. William Calley during his court-martial at Fort Benning // Joe Holloway Jr. AP Photo
As a result of his trial, Lieutenant William Calley was found guilty on March 29, 1971, of murdering at least 22 Vietnamese civilians (down from the original charge of 109) two years earlier at My Lai. Two days later he was sentenced “to be confined at hard labor for the length of [his] life; to be dismissed from the service; to forfeit all pay and allowances.” Calley appealed his conviction several times, and the conviction was upheld, but he was paroled in 1974. Calley, once released, married and worked in his father-in-law’s jewelry store in Columbus, Georgia, never really speaking about the massacre, and never apologizing.
That is, until August 21, 2009.
On that day, Calley stood before the Columbus Kiwanis Club and said, for the first time in over 40 years:
“There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai….I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.”
Calley still holds, as he did throughout the investigation and trial process, that he was just following orders.
American Military History as Imperial History
“In the twenty-first century, nothing is more indicative of U.S. empire than the global reach of the U.S. military. Much of this power comes from its approximately 800 military bases located in around eighty countries, accounting for about 95 percent of the world’s foreign military bases.” –Stefan Aune in At War, p. 41
Discussion Question
- What are the differences between continental expansion, an overseas colony, and a foreign military base? How can each be understood as an element of empire? [From At War]