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Why did U.S. troops treat people found in My Lai as possible Viet Cong fighters or sympathizers?

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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.

U.S. troops treated the people found in My Lai as Viet Cong fighters or sympathizers based on a flawed briefing provided by their commander, Capt. Ernest Medina, on March 15, 1968.1

Medina informed his men that the 48th Battalion—a unit that had successfully eluded Charlie Company for over a month—had taken refuge in the My Lai area. Although this intelligence was incorrect, as the unit was actually located more than 40 miles away, Medina operated under the belief that civilians had already evacuated the area for Quang Ngai city. Consequently, he issued rules of engagement directing that anyone remaining in the village should be treated as an enemy combatant or sympathizer, effectively granting soldiers permission to fire at anyone or anything they encountered.1