He Was Innocent. But the Army Demanded His Execution

In 1971, the U.S. Army in Vietnam was in a state of collapse, with over 900 "fragging" incidents of soldiers attacking their own officers. When two lieutenants were killed in a grenade attack, the Army needed a scapegoat. They chose Private Billy Dean Smith, an outspoken Black draftee who openly criticized the war and the military's racism. While convicted war criminal William Calley lived in comfort under presidential protection, the Army held Billy Smith in solitary confinement for nearly two years and demanded his execution. This is the story of the military's attempt to railroad an innocent man and the sensational trial that exposed the truth. #UnseenFrontlines #BillyDeanSmith #VietnamWar #Fragging #HiddenHistory #MilitaryJustice #WilliamCalley