William Calley Jr, convicted for My Lai massacre in Vietnam, dies aged 80

US army lieutenant was only person convicted for role in 1968 massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians.

William Calley Jr, the only United States soldier convicted for his role in the Vietnam War’s My Lai massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians, has died, according to US media reports. He was 80.

Calley died on April 28 at a hospice centre in Gainesville, Florida, The Washington Post first reported, citing his death certificate. More details of his death were not immediately available.

The details of the My Lai massacre became emblematic of US abuses during its involvement in the Vietnam War, which peaked at more than half a million soldiers stationed in the country in 1969 to fight the southern-based Vietcong guerrilla army.

Calley’s conviction – his was the only conviction of 25 men originally charged in the massacre – also became emblematic of the rarity of the US holding its own citizens responsible for abuses committed during foreign military operations.

In March 1968, Calley, a US army lieutenant, was leading soldiers of the Charlie Company on a mission to confront Vietcong fighters.

But the soldiers instead massacred 504 civilians – the majority women, children and elderly men – who had not put up any resistance.

The killings took place in My Lai and a neighbouring community, and the soldiers involved later told a US army investigating commission that the atrocities included gang rape, throwing grenades into bomb shelters filled with civilians and bayonetting.

Calley was convicted in 1971 for the murders of 22 people.

He was sentenced to life in prison but served only three days after former President Richard Nixon ordered his sentence reduced. He served three years under house arrest.

The My Lai massacre took a year to come to light in the US, only gaining national attention due to the publication of photographs of murdered civilians taken by war photographer Ron Haeberle as well as the work of army whistleblowers.

A clearer picture of the extent of US abuses in Vietnam took decades to emerge.

In 2006, citing declassified military documents, the Los Angeles Times reported that at least 320 incidents of atrocities had been committed by US forces in Vietnam. Those included at least seven other massacres from 1967 to 1971 that killed at least 137 civilians.

Ultimately, only 57 US soldiers were court-martialed with just 23 convicted, the newspaper reported, citing the records. All of those convicted ended up serving light sentences.

After his conviction, Calley lived in Columbus, Georgia, and worked at a jewellery store owned by his father-in-law. He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he largely avoided public attention.

In 2009, he broke his silence on the massacre, saying he felt “remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families”.

He maintained he was just following orders, the defence he had used throughout his trial. He called it a mistake.