During the Vietnam War, there was an American unit called the Tiger Force, whose history became one of the darkest pages of the Vietnam War. The department was established in 1965 as part of the US 101st Airborne Division. About 45 volunteers specialized in reconnaissance, ambushes and jungle operations. Their mission was to fight the Vietcong guerrillas. But in 1967, the unit became famous for something entirely different. In May, Tiger Force operated in central Vietnam, in the Song Wa River Valley. The fighting was hard, the Americans suffered losses and were constantly attacked by partisans. Gradually, suspicion of collaboration with the Vietcong became a death sentence for local residents. The victims were peasants, old men, women and children. Unarmed people were shot in villages and rice fields. Grenades were thrown into underground shelters where entire families were hiding. The atrocities were not limited to murders: according to the testimony of former military personnel, some soldiers cut off the ears of the dead and collected scalps and gold teeth. The investigation also revealed evidence of torture of prisoners and desecration of the bodies of the dead. In September 1967, the unit participated in Operation Wheeler in Quang Tin province. Despite the territory's status as a free-fire zone, the killing of civilians continued. Journalists estimate that hundreds of Vietnamese civilians may have died from May to November 1967. The exact number of victims is unknown. In 1971, the US military began an investigation. The investigators found evidence of 20 war crimes involving 18 military personnel. However, none of them were convicted. In 2003, journalists from the Hav Toledo newspaper picked up the story again, studied thousands of documents and found witnesses. They won a Pulitzer Prize for their investigative work in 2004.

During the Vietnam War, there was an American unit called the Tiger Force, whose history became one of the darkest pages of the Vietnam War. The department was established in 1965 as part of the US 101st Airborne Division. About 45 volunteers specialized in reconnaissance, ambushes and jungle operations. Their mission was to fight the Vietcong guerrillas. But in 1967, the unit became famous for something entirely different. In May, Tiger Force operated in central Vietnam, in the Song Wa River Valley. The fighting was hard, the Americans suffered losses and were constantly attacked by partisans. Gradually, suspicion of collaboration with the Vietcong became a death sentence for local residents. The victims were peasants, old men, women and children. Unarmed people were shot in villages and rice fields. Grenades were thrown into underground shelters where entire families were hiding. The atrocities were not limited to murders: according to the testimony of former military personnel, some soldiers cut off the ears of the dead and collected scalps and gold teeth. The investigation also revealed evidence of torture of prisoners and desecration of the bodies of the dead. In September 1967, the unit participated in Operation Wheeler in Quang Tin province. Despite the territory's status as a free-fire zone, the killing of civilians continued. Journalists estimate that hundreds of Vietnamese civilians may have died from May to November 1967. The exact number of victims is unknown. In 1971, the US military began an investigation. The investigators found evidence of 20 war crimes involving 18 military personnel. However, none of them were convicted. In 2003, journalists from the Hav Toledo newspaper picked up the story again, studied thousands of documents and found witnesses. They won a Pulitzer Prize for their investigative work in 2004.