The overwhelming but ignored evidence against Ahmad included a physical characteristic that made him eminently identifiable to the Marines who tracked him down after the killings.

"The guy had the biggest ears of an Iraqi we'd ever seen," said Marine Cpl. Joe Fasanella, who served as an intelligence liaison.

My Lai Massacre

The My Lai Massacre (Vietnamese: thảm sát Mỹ Lai [tʰɐ̃ːm ʂɐ̌ːt mǐˀ lɐːj]; English pronunciation: /ˌmiːˈlaɪ/ ( listen), also /ˌmiːˈleɪ, ˌmaɪˈlaɪ/,[1] Vietnamese: [mǐˀlɐːj]) was the mass murder of 347–504 unarmed citizens in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, conducted by "Charlie" company, 1st battalion, 20th infantry, 11th infantry brigade, of the Americal Division, United States Army.

The massacre took place in the hamlets of Mỹ Lai and My Khe of Sơn Mỹ village during the Vietnam War.[3][4] While 26 US soldiers were initially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at Mỹ Lai, only 2nd Lt. William Calley, a platoon leader in charlie company, was convicted of killing 22 villagers. Originally given a life sentence, he served three and a half years under house arrest.

All of the victims were civilians and most were women, children (including babies), and elderly people. Many of the victims were raped, beaten, tortured, and some of the bodies were found mutilated.