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Richard Garrison

US History Comprehensive

Dr. Jonathan Bryant

03 December 201

! R"mor o# $ar

%hi&ip Cap"to served as a &ie"tenant in the United States 'arin Corps d"rin(

one most (r"esome) destr"ctive *ars o# the 20thcent"ry. !s tryin( as Cap"to+s

ordea& *as his story *as more common than *hat sho"&d have been end"red. His

story is one o# disi&&"sionment) an(er) con#"sion) and in the end a sense o#

acceptance. $hi&e his trib"&ations ran(e over severa& years the t"rnin( point *o"&d

occ"r *hen he is p&aced on tria& by the mi&itary d"e to the cond"ct o# his men d"rin(

a search mission.

,he sit"ation that &ed "p to the tria& invo&ves the search o# a -no*n C /iet

Con( vi&&a(e. ,hree yo"n( mi&itary a(ed men *ere #o"nd in the vi&&a(e carryin(

#a&se identication *ith #or(ed a(es. !#ter bein( interro(ated) the vi&&a(ers *ere &et

(o d"e to a &ac- o# evidence o# Comm"nist activity. ater the yo"n(est o# the three

men *o"&d ret"rn and in#orm Cro*e that the other t*o *ere in #act C. Hence) a

mission *as carried o"t to capt"re the s"spects. Cap"to and the other components

o# his o"tt *ere "nder press"re #rom their commanders to become more

a((ressive and b"i&d a body co"nt. ,he stress o# an insensitive chain o# command

and a (ro*in( hate created an environment #or sense&ess -i&&in(. !#ter enterin( the

vi&&e) the t*o yo"n( men made a r"n #or it and *ere prompt&y shot *hi&e 4eein(.

%erhaps it *as d"e to the #o( o# *ar) b"t Cap"to co"&dn+t he&p b"t notice the yo"n(

a(e o# the s"spects.

,he 'arine Corps *ere 5"ic- to brin( "p char(es #or (ross ne(&i(ence and

m"rder a(ainst Cap"to and his s5"ad &eaders. Ho*ever) Cap"to *o"&d not be

convicted o# m"rder as perhaps the 6"ry "nderstood the #o( o# *ar. ,hey "nderstood

that the orders (iven to Cap"to contradicted *hat they *ere bein( char(ed #or. ,he

6"ry seemed to "nderstand the hypocrisy o# the *ho&e ordea&.

7t is easi&y "nderstood that the tria& *as "n#air to Cap"to. ,he Uni#orm Code

o# 'i&itary J"stice *as "sed as a mechanism #or dis(r"nt&ed o8cers to cover their

trac-s and Cap"to *as a&most an "n#ort"nate scape(oat.

,hro"(ho"t the boo- Cap"to ana&y9es the treatment o# the ietnamese

peop&e. :ne can "nderstand ho* con#"sed and #ri(ht#"& the So"th ietnamese #e&t

to*ards !merican mi&itary operations. S"pposed&y the United States *ere to stem

the tide o# a((ressive Comm"nist ins"rrection and s"stain democratic instit"tions)

b"t instead #o"nd themse&ves victims o# br"ta& cross e;amination) napa&m bombs)

crossre) reta&iation) and other vario"s *ar crimes. Some instances &ead to a&&

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ietnamese peop&e bein( vie*ed as hosti&e< there#ore Cap"to artic"&ates that the

ietnamese be(in to seem &ess h"man and more e;pendab&e.