The transcript describes a series of major massacres, atrocities, and war crimes committed by U.S. military forces or U.S.-connected actors from the 19th to the 21st century. Each section outlines what happened, who was responsible, the victims, how authorities responded, and what consequences followed (if any). Across cases, common themes include killings of civilians, efforts to cover up or misrepresent events, very limited accountability, and long-lasting trauma for survivors.
U.S. soldiers killed between 347 and 504 unarmed villagers—mostly women, children, and the elderly—in Sơn Mỹ, Vietnam. Many women and girls were raped, bodies were mutilated, and families were executed. Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson intervened and protected survivors. The Army initially reported it as a major victory and tried to hide the truth. Only Lt. William Calley was convicted, serving just 3½ years of house arrest. Most perpetrators faced no punishment.
After a roadside bomb killed a Marine, U.S. Marines killed 25 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including children as young as one. The official story falsely blamed the deaths on the bomb. Investigations, survivor testimony, and physical evidence proved civilians had been executed in their homes. Charges were gradually dropped; only one Marine was punished—and merely for negligent dereliction of duty, without jail time—deeply angering Iraqi families.
After Filipino fighters killed U.S. troops in Balangiga, General Jacob H. Smith ordered his forces to turn Samar into a “howling wilderness,” explicitly telling them to kill anyone over age 10. Homes, villages, and food supplies were destroyed; thousands of civilians likely died. Smith was convicted only of minor disciplinary misconduct and forced into retirement. Others avoided serious consequences.
Private military contractors from Blackwater opened fire in Baghdad’s Nisour Square, killing 17 Iraqi civilians and wounding 20. Evidence showed the shooting was unprovoked; even some Blackwater guards admitted it was unjustified. Four Blackwater employees were eventually convicted in U.S. courts, but in 2020 President Donald Trump pardoned them, drawing international condemnation.
At Abu Ghraib prison, U.S. personnel carried out torture, sexual abuse, humiliation, beatings, and killings of detainees—many of whom had no links to insurgency. Although officials initially called it the work of a few rogue soldiers, investigations showed it was part of broader, authorized interrogation practices (“enhanced interrogation”). A small number of low-rank soldiers were jailed, but no senior officials were held criminally responsible. In 2024, a jury found contractor CACI liable for conspiring in prisoner abuse.
A major U.S. military campaign in the Mekong Delta reported 11,000 enemy killed but recovered only 750 weapons, indicating that thousands of victims were civilians. Investigations estimated 5,000–7,000 civilians died. U.S. tactics created large “free-fire zones,” and witnesses described entire villages wiped out. Reports surfaced in 1972 showing widespread civilian deaths, but the operation never produced major accountability.