Name Ernest Medina | ||
Similar People William Calley, Hugh Thompson - Jr, Ronald L Haeberle, Ronald Ridenhour, Lawrence Colburn | ||
Commands held 23rd Infantry Division | ||
SYND05/12/69 CAPTAIN MEDINA HOLDS A PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE MY LAI MASSACRE
Ernest Lou Medina (born August 27, 1936) is a former captain of infantry in the United States Army. He served during the Vietnam War and was acquitted in a court-martial of war crimes charges in 1971. He was the commanding officer of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry of the 11th Brigade, Americal Division, the unit responsible for the My Lai Massacre of 16 March 1968. He was court martialed in 1971 for his role in the My Lai Massacre, but acquitted the same year.
Contents
- SYND051269 CAPTAIN MEDINA HOLDS A PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE MY LAI MASSACRE
- Remembering Stanley Falkow Capt Ernest Medina Ray Szmanda Gayle Shepherd Abi Ofarim
- Background
- Court martial
- Post military
- References
Remembering Stanley Falkow, Capt. Ernest Medina, Ray Szmanda, Gayle Shepherd, Abi Ofarim
Background
Ernest Medina was born into a Mexican-American family in Springer, New Mexico. After a variety of post-high school odd jobs, Medina joined the Army in 1956.
Court-martial
According to the 1970 investigation by General William R. Peers, Medina:
Medina was court-martialed in 1971 for willingly allowing his men to murder non-combatants. Medina denied all the charges and claimed that he never gave any orders to kill Vietnamese non-combatants.
Medina's defense team, led by F. Lee Bailey and a support staff that included Gary Myers, alleged that his men killed Vietnamese noncombatants under their own volition and not under Medina's orders. Medina also testified that he did not become aware that his troops were out of control at My Lai until it was too late.
Medina also strongly denied killing any Vietnamese non-combatant at My Lai, with the exception of a young woman whom two soldiers testified that they found hiding in a ditch. When she emerged with her hands up, Medina shot her because, he claimed, he thought she had a grenade. In fact, she was unarmed. The defense lawyers brought up many incidents during the Vietnam War of Viet Cong suspects and sympathizers faking surrender to use hidden pistols or grenades to harm or kill American military personnel.
In August 1971, Medina was ultimately found not guilty of all charges. His jury deliberations lasted approximately 60 minutes. Nevertheless, despite his acquittal, Medina's military career was finished which resulted in his resignation of his commission (and, thus, from service in the Army) shortly thereafter.
Post-military
After resigning from the Army, Medina went to work at an Enstrom Helicopter Corporation plant owned by F. Lee Bailey in Menominee, Michigan.