On a side note, at the time of the massacre, Herrod was awaiting a Silver Star Medal, on the recommendation of his previous platoon commander, First Lieutenant Oliver L. North.
In the 1980s, North became infamous for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal. He conspired with President Ronald Reagan to illegally sell weapons to Iran and then give the profits to the Contras, a right-wing rebel group in Nicaragua.
The Contras had previously gotten funding directly from the U.S. government, but the Congress halted the aid after the media exposed stories about them committing atrocities.
I'm too lazy to explain the whole Contra deal, so here's this video from American Dad which explains everything in about 90 seconds.
In addition, future Secretary of State Colin Powell, then a U.S. Army Major, played a major in covering up the My Lai massacre.
"MAJ Colin Powell, a recently assigned Deputy G3, investigated the allegations described in the [Glen] letter. He proved unable to uncover either wide-spread unnecessary killings, war crimes, or any facts related to My Lai."
Powell wrote: "In direct refutation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent."
As Secretary of State, Powell would infamously falsely claim to the United Nations that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify its invasion. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed or displaced during the invasion.
Oliver North is still alive. He is 78 years old, and occasionally talks on Fox News (he once had a show there).
Powell died of COVID-19 on October 18, 2021. He was 84 years old. Following his death, Powell received widespread praise. President Biden said Colin Powell "embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat." Four of the five living presidents also praised Powell.
The sole exception was former President Trump, who made a bizarre and rambling, but somewhat coherent, statement referring to Colin Powell's lies about Iraq, with him ending with the words "He made plenty of mistakes, but may he rest in peace."