Widdecke oversaw Operation Imperial Lake during September of that year with the task of destroying North Vietnamese troops in Que Son . During that operation the Son Thang massacre occurred , which has been referred to as the " Marine Corps My Lai . " Controversy arose when Widdecke reduced the sentences of the two convicted Marines from five years and life imprisonment respectively to one year of prison . He later led Operation Catawba Falls against communist forces in the same region . Following the operations in Quảng Nam Province in the fall-winter period of 1970 , Widdecke began preparing 1st Marine Division for redeployment to the United States
Son Thang massacre
Son Thang massacre
Charles F. Widdecke