Ohio Kent State Protests May 4, 1970
- Thread starter Shadowman
- Start date
My apologies to whoever it was on this forum who said "we all died in that war". The quote has stayed with me and I cannot recall who said it.
Those words have stayed with me. They are so true. None of us, no matter which side you were on, none of us came through that war the same way we went in.
Those words have stayed with me. They are so true. None of us, no matter which side you were on, none of us came through that war the same way we went in.
RadishRose
SF VIP
- Location
- Connecticut, USA
One of the most famous pics ever, @RadishRose . That one and the little naked Vietnamese girl running in fear and horror. You know the one..........
TheOtherRick
Member
- Location
- Savannah Missouri
I knew 4 May was demanding my attention and my addled old mind couldn't recall why. Was it a long-forgotten birthday, no, something else then I read my paper. Kent State 1970 damn how could I forget that.
Me too. A burning on my brain that I didn't quickly recall
Some one asked me, 'when were you there?,' and I responded last night. The total blank expression of the questioner is what saddened me.
Brookswood
Senior Member
Those National Guradsmen were youngsters also. The crowds were behaving in a hostile manner towards them. The Guard had never been trained to handle such a situation. They felt threatened and believed they were in a very unsafe situation. They panicked. Blame the politicians who put them in an untenable situation.
If you actually read what I said I didn't blame the National Guardsmen. I blamed our country (government/politicians) for calling them out against our own people.
Of course, I've never thought "I felt threatened" was a good enough reason for an armed person to shoot an unarmed person and if they were so young and stupid they panicked over girls putting flowers in their rifles and a few thrown rocks, why in the world were they in the military?
According to their own site: "The National Guard is the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force, seamlessly providing enduring, rotational, surge and follow-on forces to the Joint Force to fight and win the nation's wars and defend the homeland."
We were not at war, and our country was not in danger, they had no business being there. Police maybe, military no.
Brookswood
Senior Member
We agree that the responsibility was with the officials that made the choice to use the wrong tool for the job.
I do find the iffy description of young men in the NG to be a straw man argument. Lack of training and misuse of Human Resources does not mean the people involved are young and stupid. To suggest that is insulting. Non peaceful demonstrators, were throwing rocks at the Guard. They were armed with rocks and showed their intentions to harm others. Apparently there weren't enough young girls with flowers, and to many hostile mob members.
what happed there was a tragedy. I don’t think it was the fault of the young men in the NG. It was the fault of hot heads in the demonstrating mob, and the people who decided NG troops untrained in domestic crowd control were right for the job.
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Brookswood
Senior Member
Are you suggesting there is no difference between Kent State and what is happening on some campuses today? If, not what are you suggesting? This post has left me wondering.
I have been posting the commemoration of the May 4, 1970 Kent State event for many years on Facebook, various forums, etc. It may take years or decades to see what if any comparisons there are.
It's a lot easier to find the similarity than the difference if anyone is inclined to look.
Brookswood
Senior Member
That’s a very vague answer. Do you care to shed some light on what you mean?
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Brookswood
Senior Member
one comparison is clear. There are no National Guard troups i nvolved so far. At least as far as I Know. And local law enforcement seems to have more and better ways to deal with protestors who misbehave in assorted ways.
No I don't want to engage in these topical matters. You clearly have an axe to grind,and I don't see things your way.
Brookswood
Senior Member
Wow!
hearlady
Im now "heartheoldlady"
- Location
- N Carolina
Those times seem like the beginning of the end.
VintageBetter
Senior Member
War is always that way. It is trauma for so many who participate in it and their loved ones who get a broken person back afterwards and do what they can to help him or her.
I think the stat now is we're still losing about 20 Vets a day to suicide. It used to be 25 a day. Some cities have managed to get all homeless Vets into housing, but many more are still failing to reach that goal.
It's not like the U.S. doesn't have the MONEY for homeless Vets - it's that they hand it out under "local control" by states and county agencies and guess what? Some of those local controllers suck at their jobs.
Although less remembered:
The Jackson State killings occurred on Friday, May 15, 1970, at Jackson State College (now Jackson State University) in Jackson, Mississippi. On May 14, 1970, city and state police confronted a group of students outside a campus dormitory. Shortly after midnight, the police opened fire, killing two students and injuring twelve.[1] The event happened 11 days after the Kent State shootings, in which National Guardsmen killed four students at Kent State University in Ohio during a protest against the Vietnam War.
Jackson State killings - Wikipedia
The Jackson State killings occurred on Friday, May 15, 1970, at Jackson State College (now Jackson State University) in Jackson, Mississippi. On May 14, 1970, city and state police confronted a group of students outside a campus dormitory. Shortly after midnight, the police opened fire, killing two students and injuring twelve.[1] The event happened 11 days after the Kent State shootings, in which National Guardsmen killed four students at Kent State University in Ohio during a protest against the Vietnam War.
Jackson State killings - Wikipedia