entered the hamlets, military discipline and the rules of engagement totally broke down.
An old man waved his arms in the distance and was gunned down. He had no weapon. Some peasants were seen running across a field and were gunned down. They turned out to be mothers with their babies. American soldiers began shooting randomly into huts, sometimes setting them afire and then shooting or bayonetting the inhabitants as they fled. Several young women were raped and then shot on the spot. 15 or 20 peasants were praying in front of a temple when they were shot in the head, one by one.