I never specified that I was talking about international law. That said, the Rome Statute didn’t exist back then and even if it did, it could be argued that “hot persuit” doctrine allowed it as it was Vietnamese forces that were the first to violate Cambodian sovereignty. I still think the bombing was completly morally repugnant and against the interests of both justice and US war goals, but I’m not sure it would qualify as a war crime.
Mai Lai on the other hand was a war crime, full stop.
My Lai was a little worse than usual, but it was also pretty much the MO for American forces. Lt. Calley was just bloodthirsty enough to do it as an official operation, making enough of a gestalt to attract some attention, instead of just having a handful of people on patrol to do it and then come back to base and play cards after like nothing happened. And then again the next week, and then again the week after that.
I never specified that I was talking about international law. That said, the Rome Statute didn’t exist back then and even if it did, it could be argued that “hot persuit” doctrine allowed it as it was Vietnamese forces that were the first to violate Cambodian sovereignty. I still think the bombing was completly morally repugnant and against the interests of both justice and US war goals, but I’m not sure it would qualify as a war crime.
Mai Lai on the other hand was a war crime, full stop.
My Lai was a little worse than usual, but it was also pretty much the MO for American forces. Lt. Calley was just bloodthirsty enough to do it as an official operation, making enough of a gestalt to attract some attention, instead of just having a handful of people on patrol to do it and then come back to base and play cards after like nothing happened. And then again the next week, and then again the week after that.