Judge who oversaw court-martial in My Lai Massacre dies

[unhappycamper]

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/04/06/2453952/judge-who-oversaw-court-martial.html



edger-Enquirer File Photo Mrs. Reid Kennedy pins the colonel insignia onto Col. Reid W. Kennedy during a February 1970 promotion ceremony at Fort Benning.

Judge who oversaw court-martial in My Lai Massacre dies
By BEN WRIGHT
April 6, 20013

Retired Army Col. Reid W. Kennedy, the military judge who presided over the court-martial of Lt. William L. Calley Jr. at Fort Benning for the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, died of natural causes Thursday at his home in Marietta, Ga. He was 92.

~snip~

The Calley trial was the highlight of Kennedy's career that included more than 30 years of service during World War II, Korea and the Vietnam conflict.

"He was a wonderful father, a very good man, dedicated officer and a friend to anyone," his son said. "He treated rich and poor alike. He was just from a great generation, the World War II generation. He was just a wonderful person."

In March 1968, U.S. soldiers gunned down more than 500 hundred people, including women and children, in the Vietnamese hamlet. Calley was convicted of 22 counts of murder after a four and half month trial ended in 1971 at Fort Benning.

[Victor_c3]

1. Calley still resided in Columbus, Ga when I was last at Fort Benning in 2002-2003

I believe that he owned and operated a jewelry store there.

I don't know how much the military has internalized the lessons from the massacre, but we sure as hell were instructed about it in our ethics classes both when I was in ROTC in college and when I was in my Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning. The ugly side of wars are the things we should never forget.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

2. My Lai? Isn't that where Colin Powell initially found that nothing wrongful occurred?

Of course, that was long before he was ultimately promoted to being a 4-star general and given other assignments.

[unhappycamper]

3. Yup, Powell was a major in the Americal Division. n/t