Ernest Medina
| Ernest Medina | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ernest Lou Medina |
| Born |
August 27, 1936 Springer, New Mexico |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division |
| Commands held | Company C, 1/20 Americal |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Ernest Lou Medina (born August 27, 1936) is a former captain of infantry in the United States Army. He served during the Vietnam War and was acquitted in a court-martial of war crimes charges in 1971. He was the commanding officer of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry of the 11th Brigade, Americal Division, the unit responsible for the My Lai Massacre of 16 March 1968. He was court martialed in 1971 for his role in the My Lai Massacre, but acquitted the same year.
Ernest Medina was born into a Mexican-American family in Springer, New Mexico. After a variety of post-high school odd jobs, Medina joined the Army in 1956.
According to the 1970 investigation by General William R. Peers, Medina:
Medina was court-martialed in 1971 for willingly allowing his men to murder non-combatants. Medina denied all the charges and claimed that he never gave any orders to kill Vietnamese non-combatants.
Medina's defense team, led by F. Lee Bailey and a support staff that included Gary Myers, alleged that his men killed Vietnamese noncombatants under their own volition and not under Medina's orders. Medina also testified that he did not become aware that his troops were out of control at My Lai until it was too late.
Medina also strongly denied killing any Vietnamese non-combatant at My Lai, with the exception of a young woman whom two soldiers testified that they found hiding in a ditch. When she emerged with her hands up, Medina shot her because, he claimed, he thought she had a grenade. In fact, she was unarmed. The defense lawyers brought up many incidents during the Vietnam War of Viet Cong suspects and sympathizers faking surrender to use hidden pistols or grenades to harm or kill American military personnel.
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