George W. wants Colin Powell for a runnng mate so bad, he’d nail his pecker to a tree if that would get it. Iam curious , though I recognize the danger inherent in asking unsavory questions about such Public Heroes: what did Colin Powell do in Viet Nam? As regards the My Lai massacre and coverup, what did he know and when did he know it. Anhyone got any facts?
Colin Powell served two tours of duty in Vietnam. The second one coincided with the My Lai massacre, although he was apparently out of the country when it happened (and I have not seen whether he was attached to the Americal Division at that time. Powell’s connection to the massacre occurred eight months later. He was on the HQ staff of the Americal Division when the commander was asked whether any massacre had occurred. He wrote a letter to the Adjutant General in which he said that no massacre had occurred. His letter was subsequently included in the evidence that there had been a whitewash.
Whether he covered up an incident that was “general knowledge” or whether he truthfully reported (from his perspective) that there was not “common knowledge” of a massacre or whether he deliberately chose to not find any evidence of the massacre is one of those interesting bits of history that people will wrangle over forever unless an actual document surfaces that can prove that he did or did not know of the massacre when he wrote the letter eight months after the event.
Do a web search on “My Lai Colin Powell” and you should get lots of hits.