US veteran sends 504 roses to commemorate victims of Son My massacre

(Dan Tri) - Mr. Billy Kelly is a veteran who was stationed in Duc Pho district ( Quang Ngai ) in 1968-1969. The Son My massacre haunted this veteran for the rest of his life.

On the morning of March 16, Quang Ngai province held a memorial service to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the day 504 innocent people were murdered by American soldiers (March 16, 1968 - March 16, 2023). The ceremony was held at the Son My relic site. Leaders of Quang Ngai province and city, along with people of Tinh Khe commune and many peace- loving friends from all over the country attended the memorial service.

Re-enactment of Son My people the morning before the massacre.

The photo, taken by Ronald L. Haeberle, who fought in Vietnam, shows Son My villagers being murdered by American soldiers, lying on a village road, March 16, 1968.

56 years ago, in just one morning, American soldiers stormed My Lai hamlet, Son My village, massacring civilians. The massacre left 504 innocent people dead, including 182 women, 173 children, and 60 elderly people.

The memorial service is also an opportunity for American veterans to come back and face the truth, to face the losses that bombs and bullets have caused to the people of Son My. In the photo, American veteran Mike Boehm wearing ao dai and turban, offering incense at the Son My monument.

Mr. Billy Kelly is a veteran who was stationed in Duc Pho district (Quang Ngai) in 1968-1969. The Son My massacre haunted this veteran for the rest of his life. After that, Mr. Billy Kelly often visited Vietnam and attended the memorial service for 504 Son My civilians. In recent years, due to health reasons, Mr. Billy Kelly could not go to Vietnam to attend the memorial service. Instead, Mr. Billy Kelly sent 504 roses to commemorate the innocent civilians who died in the massacre. In the accompanying card, Mr. Billy Kelly wrote: "Never forget" .

The Son My Memorial Site was built right at the site of the massacre. This is the site of the crime scene, displaying images, artifacts and placing a memorial statue to commemorate the 504 victims.

Mr. Nguyen Tri (84 years old) visited the Son My massacre site. Mr. Tri's family had 3 members murdered by American soldiers. That year, Mr. Tri, his wife and young children hid in a secret basement and were lucky to escape death. "People died all over the village streets, houses were burned, cattle and buffalo were killed. My wife and children hid in the basement and were lucky to survive. It was a horrifying memory," Mr. Tri shared.

The relief commemorates the women and children victims of the Son My massacre. The relief is 10m long and 1m high. The relief was built by the Vietnam Association of Plastic Artists in 1988, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Son My massacre.

The memorial site is displaying a series of photos taken by veteran Ronald L. Haeberle, who fought in Vietnam, capturing the horrific massacre. These photos were published by Mr. Ronald L. Haeberle in Life Magazine (USA) in 1969, shocking the world at that time.

Quoc Trieu - Dantri.com.vn

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