Remembering...

The Vietnamese have never forgotten about the My Lai Massacre. 

http://nissarhee.com/tag/my-lai-massacre/ 

http://skimmens.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

A 5.9 acre Son My Memorial has been created in Tịnh Khê, Son Tinh District, Quang Ngai Province of Vietnam. It is a dedication to the victims of the massacre. There are gravestones in the memorial and the locations of the killings are marked. 

A diorama in the museum of the My Lai massacre memorial site, near Quang Ngai, Vietnam, depicts the up-close nature of the massacre. June 2009.

In Ho Chi Minh City, there is also an exhibit on My Lai in the War Remnants Museum. 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g651661-d2095404-Reviews-My_Lai_Massacre_Museum-Quang_Ngai_Quang_Ngai_Province.html

While looking for how Americans memorialize this terrible event, I found out that some have gone back to pay their respects, most notably Hugh Thompson, Jr. and Larry Coburn (both from the Helicopter rescue crew). A peace park has been opened about a mile from the site on the 30th anniversary of the massacre. 

My two thoughts are:
1. I can't believe that the United States hasn't created some sort of memorial for the victims. I know that guerrilla war is asymmetrical and the population can be seen as a threat, but what these troops did was not to protect themselves or the country. It was completely void of all ethics and nothing should excuse any of them for this. All of the killing was horrible, but then raping the detainees and killing innocent children just goes to a level far beyond.

2. I haven't seen a memory site as graphic as the the one near Quang Ngai. We have looked at more traditional memory sites like a cenotaph. Other sites like the AIDS quilt are more symbolic and personal. The Vietnam Memorial in the US is like a gigantic black scar. This memorial is the most direct and graphic. It sends a clear message without any question. I admire the power of this memorial but it also gives me a hole in my stomach, just like the photographs of the incident or listening to the soldiers talk in the interviews. They show a lack of humanity.