The My Lai Massacre occurred on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War. U.S. Army soldiers from the Charlie Company killed between 347 and 504 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, in the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe. The event was part of a search-and-destroy mission aimed at eliminating suspected Viet Cong fighters. The massacre was initially covered up, but details emerged in 1969, leading to widespread outrage and protests against the war in the United States. In 1971, Lieutenant William Calley, the officer in charge, was court-martialed and found guilty of murder, receiving a reduced sentence.