Hello and welcome to conflicted, the history podcast where we talk about the struggles that

shaped us, the tough questions that they pose and why we should care about any of it.

I'm your host, Zach Cornwell.

Now, before we get into today's episode, I just wanted to make a quick announcement.

So I am very happy to say that, as of today, the show is now a member of the Evergreen Podcasts

Network. They're great folks over there with a very impressive stable of compelling shows,

and I'm thrilled to be able to continue the show with their awesome support.

And now, without further ado, this is episode 12, The Good Guys.

The Good Guys. One of the most shocking revelations in modern American history began with a chance encounter at a tiny bar in Vietnam. The year was 1968, and a 22-year-old

American soldier named Ron Reidenhauer was sipping on a cold beer at an airbase in Chulai.

Ridenhauer was not the classic portrait of a soldier. He was a thin, lanky guy with a bowl cut and mutton chops, but appearances aside, Ridenhauer

was a capable helicopter gunner and he was grateful for the refreshing pint and the brief

respite from his usual duties.

As Ridenhauer is sipping on his beer, he suddenly notices an old acquaintance across the bar,

a private named Charles Groover. Ridenhauer called him Butch. Ridenhauer and Butch had trained together

back in Hawaii before they'd been deployed to Vietnam, and the two men were surprised and happy

to see each other. So Butch brings his beer over to Ridenhauer's table and they

start chatting. After a couple minutes of small talk, Butch sets his beer down. And he says to Ridenhauer,

quote, did you hear what we did at Pinkville? Pinkville was a code name, referring to a cluster of

villages in South Vietnam called

Mi Lai.

The U.S. Army called it Pinkville because on the tactical maps, the area had such a high population density

...