Nguyen Van Troi (1947 - October 15, 1964) was a Viet Cong (National Liberation Front) fighter. He became known after being captured by the South Vietnamese when trying to assassinate United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and future ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. who were visiting South Vietnam in May 1963. He was executed by firing squad aged 17 years. His execution was filmed, and he remained defiant to the end. His last words before his execution in Saigon to correspondents were 'It is the Americans who have committed aggression on our country, it is they who have been killing our people with planes and bombs.. I have never acted against the will of my people. It is against the Americans that I have taken action.' When a priest offered him absolution, he refused, saying: 'I have committed no sin. It is the Americans who have sinned.' He refused to have his eyes covered before volleys hit him saying 'Let me look at our beloved land' and as the first shots were fired, h