Laurence: Another war hero would be Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson, who was flying his helicopter over the scene of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. After he had landed and inquired of the soldiers – including Lt. Calley – of the nature of their actions, he was told that the slaughter was to continue. Thompson then informed his helicopter gunnery sergeant to shoot any U.S. soldiers who continued to fire at the Vietnamese civilians. He then loaded some dozen or more of the intended victims onto his helicopter and flew them to safety.
Were Thompson alive today, and performed the same act of decency in Iraq, he would doubtless be prosecuted by the Bush administration as a “terrorist operative,” and his character vilified by the likes of Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity!
