I wasn't close to Ron Ridenhour, but I know that soon after he returned from Vietnam, he was featured in an article in the Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette (when the paper was more popular and when there were two versions of paper: Republic in the mornings and Gazette in evenings). He wrote and wanted to report that some of his platoon were the ones responsible for the Phenom P(h)en massacre of the village of families. It was a horrible event to occur, but he wanted, I think, to clear his conscience of the horrible incident and the killing of innocent lives, especially the children. I believe that he did not contribute to the killing, as he stated. The village must have had a few members, or only one member, who was loyal to the North Vietnam. Whatever happened, it was a much too long war. or "military action". We lost some of our class members at that time from 1964 - 1968.
Don't hold me to the spelling of the village. Some will know what I am talking about.
Ronnie and I were close friends. We dated a little in high school, stayed friends, and dated for awhile after college.
He should have gotten the Pulitzer Prize for his investigative journalism. He was horrified as an enlisted man to see the carnage done to civilians in what became known as the My Lai massacre. He broke that story, out of deeply held beliefs that what he saw from a helicopter as an enlisted man during the Vietnam War was morally reprehensible. That was how he felt. Sy Hersh got the Pulitzer; Ronnie should have. Later, as a "stringer" for Time Life in Asia, he was the journalist who broke the Agent Orange story.
He had a remarkable, principled career as a journalist. He made a powerful positive difference while he was alive, and his legacy endures.
It wasn't easy for him. Seeing injustice and then talking or writing about it, both of which he did, was a tough road. But he made a conscious choice to make a statement for what he believed in, always.
Ron, and his brother Dennis, was a pretty good guys. Ron was in the 23rd Infantry, the hard-luck outfit of VietNam. They were definitely in the thick of it. I'm glad he blew the lid off that MyLai mess. The vast majority of the guys conducted themselves honorably in tough situations. Rest Well Old Buddy.
Some of you may know this already, but others may not. There is now the Ron Ridenhour Prize for "truthtelling and courage" funded and awarded annually since 2003. Do a Google search and you can learn more about the annual prize in Ron's honor, and see him giving a keynote address just weeks before his death in 1998. His legacy endures.
Ron attended West High his freshman year as many Alhambra students did. Many of us knew him through football and other activities on campus. Ron's story is well known amongst West's classes of 1964 and 1965 and there are several postings and tributes about him I thought his friends and classmates at Alhambra would like to see as well.
Discharged in 1969, he returned to Phoenix, gathered more information and prepared a three-page, single-spaced letter. Copies were sent to President Richard Nixon, the Arizona congressional delegation and other high-ranking officials. He calmly expressed his Own revulsion: "They were slaughtering the villagers like sheep. Cally's men were dragging people out of bunkers and hooches. As soon as he felt that the group was big enough, Cally ordered an M-60 (machine gun) set up and the people killed. "Exactly what did occur in the village, I do not know for certain, but I am convinced it was something very black indeed." Though he misspelled Lt. William Calley's name, he didn't get much else wrong. His letter contained too many names, too much precise description to be dismissed. Not that some didn't try. The U.S. military command in Saigon was asked to investigate. Its report said: "An examination of all available documents concerning the alleged incident reveals that Ridenhour has grossly exaggerated the military action in question. No evidence could be uncovered which would substantiate the allegations."
The whitewash was short-lived. Stateside GIs named by Ridenhour corroborated his letter. Charges eventually were filed against 13 officers and enlisted men. Calley was the only one convicted, however. The crimes of many were pinned on him alone. But the Army's cover-up and the horrific truth about My Lai were exposed, and the revelations turned many people against the war.
One of Ridenhour's admirers is David Halberstam, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who covered the early days of the Vietnam War. Halberstam called him "an American original, an absolutely authentic man in an age that is increasingly inauthentic." "His story encompassed the worst and finally the best of America," Halberstam said. "Because he was so wonderfully artless, his telling of it was uniquely powerful it was like hearing the purest voice of the American conscience."
When he met Ridenhour for the first time a few years ago at a conference on My Lai, he recited a quote from Emerson: "If one good man plants himself upon his convictions, the whole world will come round." Halberstam then said to Ridenhour, "You are that one good man."
For the past two decades, Ridenhour lived in New Orleans and worked as a freelance journalist, winning several awards for investigative reporting. Two weeks ago, playing handball in Metairie, La., he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 52. America has many military heroes. Ron Ridenhour stands tall among them.
I have fond memories of Ron as he was the fullback and I was a halfback at his side on the football team. I also remember one day, as I saw him jump in to confront a school bully and defend another student. I went to Vietnam several years after him, but knew of his role in exposing the Mai Lai incident. On one day when I was commanding an air cavalry unit returning from a mission, one of my aircraft wanted to kill a man and a woman plowing their field because it was in a "free fire" zone and I ordered them to stop. I think Ron's moral stand was an influence that reminded me of our humanity, even in a war where emotions can override our common sense and decency. Today, like many veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan I am saddened by this situation and pray for the Americans and our allies trapped behind enemy lines and the brave men and women of our armed services trying to save them. Though Ron is not here today, but I know he would feel the same. He was a true American hero.
Karen Daley (Meaders) Go By My Maiden Name
I wasn't close to Ron Ridenhour, but I know that soon after he returned from Vietnam, he was featured in an article in the Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette (when the paper was more popular and when there were two versions of paper: Republic in the mornings and Gazette in evenings). He wrote and wanted to report that some of his platoon were the ones responsible for the Phenom P(h)en massacre of the village of families. It was a horrible event to occur, but he wanted, I think, to clear his conscience of the horrible incident and the killing of innocent lives, especially the children. I believe that he did not contribute to the killing, as he stated. The village must have had a few members, or only one member, who was loyal to the North Vietnam. Whatever happened, it was a much too long war. or "military action". We lost some of our class members at that time from 1964 - 1968.
Don't hold me to the spelling of the village. Some will know what I am talking about.
Ray Lovins
Yes war is horrible I knew ron and his brother Dennis does anyone know if Dennis is still with us?? sincerely Ray Lovins
Cheryl Charles
Ronnie and I were close friends. We dated a little in high school, stayed friends, and dated for awhile after college.
He should have gotten the Pulitzer Prize for his investigative journalism. He was horrified as an enlisted man to see the carnage done to civilians in what became known as the My Lai massacre. He broke that story, out of deeply held beliefs that what he saw from a helicopter as an enlisted man during the Vietnam War was morally reprehensible. That was how he felt. Sy Hersh got the Pulitzer; Ronnie should have. Later, as a "stringer" for Time Life in Asia, he was the journalist who broke the Agent Orange story.
He had a remarkable, principled career as a journalist. He made a powerful positive difference while he was alive, and his legacy endures.
It wasn't easy for him. Seeing injustice and then talking or writing about it, both of which he did, was a tough road. But he made a conscious choice to make a statement for what he believed in, always.
Yes, he is missed.
Gil Ybanez Ibanez
Ron, and his brother Dennis, was a pretty good guys. Ron was in the 23rd Infantry, the hard-luck outfit of VietNam. They were definitely in the thick of it. I'm glad he blew the lid off that MyLai mess. The vast majority of the guys conducted themselves honorably in tough situations. Rest Well Old Buddy.
Michael Danford
I'll never forgot the first time I heard of My Lai - I was in the airport in Lisbon and read about it in a German newsmagazine.
Ron wrote the President, every single senator and representative - he single-handedly blew the whole thing wide open. A great job, indeed -
Cheryl Charles
Some of you may know this already, but others may not. There is now the Ron Ridenhour Prize for "truthtelling and courage" funded and awarded annually since 2003. Do a Google search and you can learn more about the annual prize in Ron's honor, and see him giving a keynote address just weeks before his death in 1998. His legacy endures.
Laura Chaffin (Holmesley)
Here is a link to the Ron Ridenhour Foundation.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCoQFjACahUKEwitvc_Pt8zHAhVEiw0KHZNnBsE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ridenhour.org%2F&ei=GKzgVa3RCsSWNpPPmYgM&usg=AFQjCNGNUirSJzMaDhlTLUWokHGJFSqUQg
Also there is a lot of information at www.ridenhour.com
Dave Hiddessen
Ron attended West High his freshman year as many Alhambra students did. Many of us knew him through football and other activities on campus. Ron's story is well known amongst West's classes of 1964 and 1965 and there are several postings and tributes about him I thought his friends and classmates at Alhambra would like to see as well.
Ron Ridenhour’s Last Talk 1998: My Lai and Why it Matters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG0ULk6yxvA
Steve Wilson March 1998
Discharged in 1969, he returned to Phoenix, gathered more information and prepared a three-page, single-spaced letter. Copies were sent to President Richard Nixon, the Arizona congressional delegation and other high-ranking officials. He calmly expressed his Own revulsion: "They were slaughtering the villagers like sheep. Cally's men were dragging people out of bunkers and hooches. As soon as he felt that the group was big enough, Cally ordered an M-60 (machine gun) set up and the people killed. "Exactly what did occur in the village, I do not know for certain, but I am convinced it was something very black indeed." Though he misspelled Lt. William Calley's name, he didn't get much else wrong. His letter contained too many names, too much precise description to be dismissed. Not that some didn't try. The U.S. military command in Saigon was asked to investigate. Its report said: "An examination of all available documents concerning the alleged incident reveals that Ridenhour has grossly exaggerated the military action in question. No evidence could be uncovered which would substantiate the allegations."
The whitewash was short-lived. Stateside GIs named by Ridenhour corroborated his letter. Charges eventually were filed against 13 officers and enlisted men. Calley was the only one convicted, however. The crimes of many were pinned on him alone. But the Army's cover-up and the horrific truth about My Lai were exposed, and the revelations turned many people against the war.
One of Ridenhour's admirers is David Halberstam, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who covered the early days of the Vietnam War. Halberstam called him "an American original, an absolutely authentic man in an age that is increasingly inauthentic." "His story encompassed the worst and finally the best of America," Halberstam said. "Because he was so wonderfully artless, his telling of it was uniquely powerful it was like hearing the purest voice of the American conscience."
When he met Ridenhour for the first time a few years ago at a conference on My Lai, he recited a quote from Emerson: "If one good man plants himself upon his convictions, the whole world will come round." Halberstam then said to Ridenhour, "You are that one good man."
For the past two decades, Ridenhour lived in New Orleans and worked as a freelance journalist, winning several awards for investigative reporting. Two weeks ago, playing handball in Metairie, La., he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 52. America has many military heroes. Ron Ridenhour stands tall among them.
Dave Hiddessen, West HS Class of '65 Site Admin
Danny Layton
I have fond memories of Ron as he was the fullback and I was a halfback at his side on the football team. I also remember one day, as I saw him jump in to confront a school bully and defend another student. I went to Vietnam several years after him, but knew of his role in exposing the Mai Lai incident. On one day when I was commanding an air cavalry unit returning from a mission, one of my aircraft wanted to kill a man and a woman plowing their field because it was in a "free fire" zone and I ordered them to stop. I think Ron's moral stand was an influence that reminded me of our humanity, even in a war where emotions can override our common sense and decency. Today, like many veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan I am saddened by this situation and pray for the Americans and our allies trapped behind enemy lines and the brave men and women of our armed services trying to save them. Though Ron is not here today, but I know he would feel the same. He was a true American hero.