Direct examination by Aubrey Daniels:

Q: What did you do in the village?

A: We just gathered up the people and led them to a designated area.

Q: How many people did you gather up?

A: Between thirty and fifty. Men, women, and children.

Q: What kind of children?

A: They were just children.

Q: Where did you get these people?

A: Some of the was in hooches and some was in rice paddies when we gathered them up.

Q: Why did you gather them up?

A: We suspected them of being Viet Cong. And as far as I'm concerned, they're still Viet Cong....

Q: What did you do when you got there?

A: Just guarded them.

Q: Did you see Lieutenant Calley?

A: Yes

Q: What did he do?

A: He came up to mean and he said, "You know what to do with them, Meadlo," and I assumed he wanted me to guard them. That's what I did.

Q: What were the people doing?

A: They were just standing there....

A: [Calley] said, "How come they're not dead?" I said, I didn't know we were supposed to kill them." He said, I want them dead." He backed off twenty or thirty feet and started shooting into the people -- the Viet Cong -- shooting automatic. He was beside me. He burned four or five magazines. I burned off a few, about there. I helped shoot ?em.

Q: What were the people doing after you shot them?

A: They were lying down.

Q: Why were they lying down?

A: They was mortally wounded.

Q: How were you feeling at that time?

A: I was mortally upset, scared, because of the briefing we had the day before.

Q: Were you crying?

A: I imagine I was....

Q: Were there any Vietnamese there?

A: Yes, there was Viet Cong there. About seventy-five to a hundred, standing outside the ravine....

A: Then Lieutenant Calley said to me, "We've got another job to do, Meadlo".

Q: What happened then?

A: He started shoving them off and shooting them in the ravine.

Q: How many times did he shoot?

A: I can't remember.

Q: Did you shoot?

A: Yes. I shot the Viet Cong. he ordered me to help kill people. I started shoving them off and shooting.

Q: How long did you fire?

A: I don't know.

Q: Did you change magazines?

A: Yes. Q: Did Lieutenant Calley change magazines?

A: Yes.

Q: How many times did he change magazines?

A: Ten to fifteen times.

Q: How many bullets in a magazine?

A: Twenty, normally.

Q: How was Lieutenant Calley armed?

A: He had a M-16.

Q: What were the people doing after you and Lieutenant Calley shot them?

A: The people were just lying there, with blood all over them.

Q: What was the condition of the people?

A: I can't say what their condition was. I didn't get down in the ditch and check them out.

Q: Were they wounded?

A: They had wounds in the head, in the body, in the chest, in the stomach.

Q: Where were you when you shot at those people?

A: We was standing on top of the ravine and shooting down.

Q: Did you miss?

A: On automatic? Yes.

Q: Did Lieutenant Calley miss?

A: On automatic? Yes.

Q: Was anyone still alive when you stopped firing?

A: I couldn't tell whether they was mortally wounded. I didn't check them out.
 

Cross examination by George Latimer:

Q: You did start firing into that group, didn't you?

A: Yes.

Q: You killed men, women, and children?

A: Yes.

Q: You were ordered to do so?

A: Yes.

Q: Why did you carry out that order?

A: I was ordered to. And I was emotionally upset . . . And we were ordered to get satisfaction from this village for all the men we'd lost. They was all VC and VC sympathizers and I still believe they was all Viet Cong and Viet Cong sympathizers.

Q: Did you see Captain Medina?

A: Yes. And he didn't say anything and did not even try to put a stop to it. So I figured we was doing the right thing.

Q: What was your impression of Lieutenant Calley at this place where he gave you these orders?

A: I thought the man was doing his duty and doing his job....

Q: Was Lieutenant Calley violent and in a sense raving around?

A: No.
 

Re-direct examination by Aubrey Daniel:

Q: Why didn't you fire when you got on line?

A: I don't know. There was a lot of firing going on and I couldn't tell whether it was incoming or outgoing.

Q: Weren't you ordered to fire into that village?

A: I don't remember whether the orders was to fire when we hit the ground.

Q: Wasn't everyone else firing?

A: I don't know.

Q: When did you first see a Vietnamese?

A: Right after we landed. In an open field.

Q: Did you fire?

A: No.

Q: Why not?

A: I didn't have orders to fire.

Q: Was he a resident of the village?

A: He was a Viet Cong, yes.

Q: Then why didn't you fire?

A: I didn't have my orders to fire.

Q: Didn't you get orders to kill him from Medina?

A: No. And besides, he was being guarded.

Q: When did you see the next Vietnamese?

A: In the village. He was thirty to fifty years old.

Q: Did you shoot him?

A: Yes.

Q: Why?

A: I was ordered to by Sergeant Mitchell, I believe. And besides, why take chances?

Q: Then you gathered up people. Why?

A: That was my orders. It ain't my reason to say why.

Q: When Lieutenant Calley came up and said, "Take care of these people," why did you continue to guard them?

A: I figured he just wanted me to guard them.

Q: Why didn't you shoot them?

A: I figured maybe he wanted to hold them for interrogation.

Q: What did you do?

A: I held my M-16 on them.

Q: Why?

A: Because they might attack.

Q: They were children and babies?

A: Yes.

Q: And they might attack

A: They might have a had a fully loaded grenade on them. The mothers might have throwed them at us.

Q: Babies?

A: Yes.

Q: Then why didn't you shoot them?

A: I didn't have no orders to kill them right then.

Q: Why didn't you fire first when Lieutenant Calley said, "I want them dead?"

A: Because Lieutenant Calley started firing first. I don't know why I didn't fire first.

Q: What were the people doing when Lieutenant Calley arrived?

A: They were sitting down.

Q: The women, the children and babies were sitting down?

A: Yes. Q: Did they attack you?

A: I assumed at every minute that they would counterbalance. I thought they had some sort of chain or a little string they had to give a little pull and they blow us up, things like that.

Q: What did you do?

A: I just watched them. I was scared all the time.

Q: How many people did you take to the ditch?

A: Seven or eight people.

Q: Why didn't you shoot these people rather than take them with you?

A: I assumed we was going to hold them for interrogation.

Q: Why didn't you kill them?

A: I didn't have my orders to kill them. It ain't my reason to figure what they was going to do with them. It was just natural procedure to hold them for questioning.

Q: Captain Medina's orders did not change that standard operating procedure for these seven or eight people, to hold them for interrogation?

A: No.

Q: What changed the order?

A: Lieutenant Calley said, "We've got another job to do, Meadlo."

Q: You said you were under emotional strain. Can you describe the strain?

A: Just I was scared and frightened.

Q: At what?

A: At carrying out the orders.

Q: Why?

A: Because nobody really wants to take a human being's life

Q: But they were Viet Cong, weren't they?

A: Yes, they were Viet Cong.

Q: And it was your job?

A: It was my job, yes.

Q: What were the children in the ditch doing?

A: I don't know.

Q: Were the babies in their mother's arms?

A: I guess so.

Q: And the babies moved to attack?

A: I expected at any moment they were about to make a counterbalance

Q: Had they made any move to attack?

A: No.

Q: When you left the ditch, were any of the people standing?

A: Not that I remember.

Q: Did you see anyone who was not shot?

A: I can't say. I didn't get down and check them out.

Q: Did you see anyone who wasn't shot?

A: There might have been a few. I didn't check ?em out.

Q: Now, Mr. Meadlo, one last question: Did Lieutenant Calley or did Captain Medina order you to kill?

A: I took orders from Lieutenant Calley. But--

Daniel: That's all.