The Stain of Kent State.....
Last Wednesday was a very important day to me. Now it's called Star Wars Day. May the fourth. Get it? May the fourth be with you. Very cute. But to me. and people of my generation, May the fourth has a totally different meaning. It's the anniversary of May 4, 1970. That was the day 4 unarmed students were killed, and 9 others were wounded by the Ohio National Guard on their own college campus. It was one of those days that change everything.
If you live long enough, you will go through days where everything seems to change after that event. I was a very young kid, but I remember November, 1963 when President John Kennedy was killed. I remember May 4, 1970, and I remember 9/11. Things were just distinctly different after those things happened. I'm sure I will fail at this, But let me try to explain the times surrounding the events of Kent State,
The Vietnam War was by far the dominant national issue of my formative years. It really got hot and heavy during my high school days. How it started is not really important. The United States involvement was explained by saying we had to stop the spread of Communism. Well, OK then. Communism was bad. The Russians could attack us at any time. But we weren't fighting the Russians, we were going to Vietnam.
We were also trying to fight a limited war. First we only sent advisers. Then we tried to fight only within certain lines on a map. We would never use the full force of our military. But fighting a limited war is impossible. It's like trying to be a little pregnant. Instead of using a force like "shock and awe", we used the most valuable and precious thing we had: our kids.
Back then, our Army was mostly supplied through a draft. Kids could get a military deferment by going to college. But of course that meant if your family couldn't afford college, you were headed for the Army. Then the college deferment was changed to a draft lottery based on your birthday. That, of course, got the attention of kids that thought they were safe in school.
On April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced the "Cambodian Incursion." Our fighting and bombing would be moving into Cambodia in order to disrupt the supply lines to our enemy. Militarily it may have been the right thing to do. But back home, it was just seen as an escalation of an unpopular war. Cambodia was the match.
On May 1, a war protest was held on the Kent State campus. Nothing unusual there. Back in those times. a protest on any college campus was as common as seeing a pretty coed. That night, there was vandalism in town when the bars emptied. Imagine drunken kids on a college campus. I'm shocked. On May 2, the Kent mayor requested the Ohio National Guard be sent in to control the situation. There were rumors that "revolutionaries" were headed to Kent to stir up trouble.That night though, things got worse as the ROTC building was burned by arson. There were no injuries. On Sunday May 3, students came downtown to help clean up. But reactions were mixed from area businessmen.
On Monday May 4, 1970, another protest was to be held on the campus of Kent State. But this time the Ohio National Guard was also on campus. Nobody really knows why it started, but at 12:24 pm, a total of 77 guardsmen opened fire on the crowd. Allison Krause 19, Jeffrey Miller 20, Sandra Scheuer 20, and William Knox Schroeder 19, were dead. Scheuer and Schroeder were not involved in the protest. They were walking to class. It was determined that the average distance these people were to the guard was 345 feet.
The words of a Geology professor pleading with students that day are still chilling today:
I was shocked by these events. But I was even more shocked by the reaction. When the news media interviewed people a generation older than me, there was no sympathy, no understanding. "They deserved it. They should've shot more of them", one person said. I was filled with rage watching that. What an ass! I knew right then that there was something seriously wrong. There were two Americas.
I guess you could say that the only good to come out of those times was that the war eventually wound down. Actually we just left, and the Communists took over.
This summer I will be going to my high school reunion. Frankly, my memories of those days are a little foggy. But I do remember one high school incident quite clearly. Gretchen was a beautiful girl in the class ahead of mine. I do remember she had a smile that could light up a room. One day we were talking about our future plans. She told me she would be going to Kent State. "Gretch, Noooooo!" I exclaimed. "They shoot people there!" She just smiled and replied, "Oh, it's OK now."
Many years have passed. But to this day, when I speak with a young person that tells me they are going to Kent State, I smile and say something like, "Good luck. Work hard. I hope you enjoy your time there". But inside, I'm saying, "Nooooo!"
Epilouge: PBS made a great and balanced documentary about the Kent State Shootings. Here is a link: The Day the 60's Died
If you haven't got time, here's the trailer. Just the trailer.
Last Wednesday was a very important day to me. Now it's called Star Wars Day. May the fourth. Get it? May the fourth be with you. Very cute. But to me. and people of my generation, May the fourth has a totally different meaning. It's the anniversary of May 4, 1970. That was the day 4 unarmed students were killed, and 9 others were wounded by the Ohio National Guard on their own college campus. It was one of those days that change everything.
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| May 4, 1970. Ohio National guard on the Kent State campus. |
If you live long enough, you will go through days where everything seems to change after that event. I was a very young kid, but I remember November, 1963 when President John Kennedy was killed. I remember May 4, 1970, and I remember 9/11. Things were just distinctly different after those things happened. I'm sure I will fail at this, But let me try to explain the times surrounding the events of Kent State,
The Vietnam War was by far the dominant national issue of my formative years. It really got hot and heavy during my high school days. How it started is not really important. The United States involvement was explained by saying we had to stop the spread of Communism. Well, OK then. Communism was bad. The Russians could attack us at any time. But we weren't fighting the Russians, we were going to Vietnam.
We were also trying to fight a limited war. First we only sent advisers. Then we tried to fight only within certain lines on a map. We would never use the full force of our military. But fighting a limited war is impossible. It's like trying to be a little pregnant. Instead of using a force like "shock and awe", we used the most valuable and precious thing we had: our kids.
Back then, our Army was mostly supplied through a draft. Kids could get a military deferment by going to college. But of course that meant if your family couldn't afford college, you were headed for the Army. Then the college deferment was changed to a draft lottery based on your birthday. That, of course, got the attention of kids that thought they were safe in school.
 |
| Famous photo of Mary Ann Vecchio over the body of Jeffrey Miller. |
On May 1, a war protest was held on the Kent State campus. Nothing unusual there. Back in those times. a protest on any college campus was as common as seeing a pretty coed. That night, there was vandalism in town when the bars emptied. Imagine drunken kids on a college campus. I'm shocked. On May 2, the Kent mayor requested the Ohio National Guard be sent in to control the situation. There were rumors that "revolutionaries" were headed to Kent to stir up trouble.That night though, things got worse as the ROTC building was burned by arson. There were no injuries. On Sunday May 3, students came downtown to help clean up. But reactions were mixed from area businessmen.
 |
| The spot above today. You can't park there. |
The words of a Geology professor pleading with students that day are still chilling today:
"I don't care whether you've never listened to anyone before in your lives. I am begging you right now. If you don't disperse right now, they're going to move in, and it can only be a slaughter. Would you please listen to me? Jesus Christ, I don't want to be a part of this,,,,"
I was shocked by these events. But I was even more shocked by the reaction. When the news media interviewed people a generation older than me, there was no sympathy, no understanding. "They deserved it. They should've shot more of them", one person said. I was filled with rage watching that. What an ass! I knew right then that there was something seriously wrong. There were two Americas.
I guess you could say that the only good to come out of those times was that the war eventually wound down. Actually we just left, and the Communists took over.
 |
| Only a bullet hole in a metal sculpture remain. And the echos of screams in the breeze. |
Many years have passed. But to this day, when I speak with a young person that tells me they are going to Kent State, I smile and say something like, "Good luck. Work hard. I hope you enjoy your time there". But inside, I'm saying, "Nooooo!"
Epilouge: PBS made a great and balanced documentary about the Kent State Shootings. Here is a link: The Day the 60's Died
If you haven't got time, here's the trailer. Just the trailer.
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