How did the 3rd Platoon of Charlie Company participate in the destruction of My Lai?

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A group of frightened Vietnamese women and children stand close together outdoors during the My Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War. — My Lai Massacre Vietnamese citizens photographed during the My Lai Massacre, March 16, 1968.

During the My Lai Massacre on March 16, 1968, the 3rd Platoon of Charlie Company followed the 1st and 2nd Platoons into the hamlet. As part of the operation, the 3rd Platoon was responsible for destroying the remaining buildings in the area and shooting any survivors they encountered.1

This participation occurred within the broader context of a search-and-destroy mission where, under the orders of Capt. Ernest Medina, soldiers were directed to treat anyone found in the area as an enemy combatant or sympathizer and to destroy property and crops. The actions taken by the company resulted in the deaths of as many as 500 Vietnamese civilians, an atrocity that later became a focal point of investigations into war crimes and military cover-ups during the Vietnam War.213