William Calley is a former US Army officer who was held responsible for the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War. Calley’s early life was rather unremarkable. A college dropout he applied for a job in the US Army but was rejected initially. He was later recruited when the need for more soldiers got acute during the Vietnam War. After his training, he was deployed in South Vietnam. His unit was given the charge of engaging with a battalion of Viet Cong. During an assignment, Calley led his men to the hamlet of My Lai where in 4 hours he and his men killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese villagers of Son My. The massacre was initially covered up until a soldier sent letters to the higher authorities in the government and the army. In the ensuing trial, Calley was found guilty. However, due to public sympathy, his sentence was mitigated after 3 years. Calley became a private citizen and specialised in gemstones. He stays away from the public eye and refuses to give interviews to the media.