the stuff you aren't taught in school, about the brave people that do extraordinary things that aren't typical heroic actions... have you ever heard of the chopper crew that stopped the the Mỹ Lai massacre? Courage of conscience is rare

During the 1968 massacre, Thompson and his chopper crew, Andreotta and Colburn, stopped many killings by landing his helicopter between soldiers and civilians, threatening and blocking Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division.

Thompson and his crew saved a number of Vietnamese civilians by personally escorting them away from advancing United States Army ground units and assuring their evacuation by air. 

Thompson reported the atrocities by radio several times, although these reports reached HQ, nothing was done to stop the massacre.

In 1970, Thompson testified against those responsible for the Mỹ Lai massacre. Twenty-six officers and enlisted soldiers, including William Calley and Ernest Medina, were charged with criminal offenses; many were either acquitted or pardoned, notably excepting Calley, who was convicted and served a commuted sentence of three-and-a-half years under house arrest.

Thompson was condemned and ostracized by many individuals in the United States military and government, as well as the public, for his role in the investigations and trials concerning the Mỹ Lai massacre.

In 1998, 30 years after the massacre, Thompson, Andreotta, and Colburn, were awarded the Soldier's Medal, the Army's highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.

https://x.com/historyinmemes/status/1998001361640636707