Calley always claimed that he was following orders. Captain Ernest Medina, his commanding officer, ordered him to burn the village down and pollute its wells, but there is no clear evidence that the order included killing non-combatants – and of course if such an order were issued, it should not have been obeyed.
卡雷总是坚持说他只是在执行命令。他的上级恩内斯特·梅迪纳上尉命令他焚毁整条村子并污染水井，但没有明确证据证明这条命令还包括屠杀非武装人员——而就算有这么一条，卡雷也应该不予执行。（梅迪纳被判谋杀罪名不成立）