Ronald Ridenhour

Ronald Ridenhour ( born 1946; † 10 May 1998 in New Orleans) was a journalist who played a crucial role in the elucidation of the during the Vietnam war crimes committed by the armed forces of the United States My Lai massacre, in which 503 Vietnamese civilians were murdered.

Ridenhour, even GI, December 1967 went to Vietnam, but was not involved in the incident. Three months earlier he had in Hawaii as a member of the Reconnaissance Unit ' Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol ', a unit of the 11th Infantry Brigade, trained. Portions of this unit were the Charlie Company, a unit under the command of Lt. in Vietnam. William Calley angliedert. Months after the massacre, Ridenhour first learned from a friend who served in Charlie Company of the incident, four more eyewitness reports should follow. Shocked by the reports, he began a year-long investigation on its own initiative, in which he found that the accusations of many other soldiers were confirmed. In March 1969, at that time 22 years old, Ronald Ridenhour decided to inform the U.S. authorities. He wrote a letter to his congressman Morris Udall, and sent copies to 30 other well-known public officials, including Richard Nixon. The end of April gave General Westmoreland, former 'Army Chief of Staff ' the case to the ' Inspector General for Investigation '. The investigation led to several convictions against the massacre operators, notably William Calley, who was but a little later pardoned Nixon again.

Ridenhour died in 1998 at the age of 52 of a heart attack.

Since the year 2004, named after him, The Ridenhour Prizes will be awarded.