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Charles Hutto
Former U.S. Army Sergeant, My Lai Defendant
My Lai Massacre Participant, "Following Orders" Defendant
Overview
Sergeant Charles Hutto was a member of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade (Americal Division) who participated in the My Lai massacre on March 16, 1968. Hutto was one of the enlisted soldiers charged with murder and assault with intent to murder in connection with the killing of unarmed Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. He was tried by court-martial and acquitted of all charges. Hutto became one of the most publicly known My Lai participants when he appeared on CBS News 60 Minutes and stated bluntly that he was "just following orders," echoing the defense famously rejected at the Nuremberg Trials. His frank admissions in media interviews, where he acknowledged shooting civilians including women and children while maintaining he was ordered to do so, provided some of the most disturbing firsthand accounts of how ordinary soldiers participated in mass atrocity. Hutto described how the soldiers of Charlie Company had been told that My Lai was a Viet Cong stronghold and that everyone there was either the enemy or an enemy sympathizer, creating conditions where the distinction between combatants and civilians was deliberately erased by command. His acquittal, like those of most other enlisted men charged, highlighted the military justice system's failure to hold anyone below or above Lieutenant Calley accountable for the massacre of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
MY LAI MASSACRE: Participated in the mass killing of unarmed Vietnamese civilians at My Lai on March 16, 1968, one of the worst war crimes committed by U.S. forces
FOLLOWING ORDERS DEFENSE: Publicly stated on CBS 60 Minutes that he was "just following orders" when he killed civilians, a defense rejected at Nuremberg
ACQUITTAL DESPITE ADMISSIONS: Acquitted by court-martial despite publicly acknowledging his participation in the killing of civilians in media interviews
CIVILIAN KILLINGS: Acknowledged shooting unarmed Vietnamese civilians including women and children during the operation at My Lai
COMMAND FAILURE: His case illustrated how enlisted soldiers were given orders to destroy the village and "kill everything that moves" without proper rules of engagement
MEDIA TESTIMONY: Provided candid and disturbing firsthand accounts of the massacre in television interviews, describing the systematic nature of the killings
ACCOUNTABILITY FAILURE: His acquittal was part of the broader pattern where only Lt. Calley was convicted despite 26 soldiers being charged
Related Investigations (1)
Criminal Charges & Violations
2 documented violations
UCMJ Article 118Murder; Killing of unarmed Vietnamese civilians at My Lai(Military)
UCMJ Article 134Assault with Intent to Murder; Shooting at unarmed civilians(Military)
Known Associates & Connections
William Calley
Platoon leader, only person convicted of My Lai murders
Ernest Medina
Charlie Company commander who gave orders for the operation
Paul Meadlo
Fellow Charlie Company soldier who testified about the massacre
Sources & Documentation
5 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Birthplace
- Louisiana, USA
Education
Key Timeline
1967
Deployed to Vietnam with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment
Early 1968
Charlie Company suffers casualties from mines and booby traps in Quang Ngai Province
March 15, 1968
Briefed that My Lai area is a Viet Cong stronghold; told all civilians would have left for market
March 16, 1968
Participates in assault on My Lai; kills unarmed Vietnamese civilians during the operation
1969
Massacre exposed by Ronald Ridenhour's letters and Seymour Hersh's reporting
1970
Charged with murder and assault with intent to murder by U.S. Army
1971
Tried by court-martial; acquitted of all charges
Post-trial
Appears on CBS 60 Minutes, states he was "just following orders"