Sơn Thắng massacre
| Sơn Thắng massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sơn Thắng, Quế Sơn District, Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam |
| Date | 19 February 1970 |
| Target | Sơn Thắng hamlet |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 16 women and children |
| Perpetrators | Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines |
The Sơn Thắng massacre (/sənˈtæŋ/ sən-TANG, Vietnamese: [ʂəːŋ˧˧ tʰaŋ˦˧˥]) was a massacre conducted by the United States Marine Corps on 19 February 1970, in which seven women and nine children were killed. The Marines reported the civilians killed as being Vietcong (VC) killed in a firefight. These incidents were reported by civilians and charges were brought against the Marines. Four Marines were court-martialed and one was sentenced to five years in prison and the other to life, but Major General Charles F. Widdecke reduced each sentence to less than a year.