Interestingly, I heard a caller on a radio show a week or two ago that stated as fact that Nixon sent troops to Kent State to shoot people during a peaceful demonstration. I really felt like calling in to set a few things straight. The radio show was in Columbia, SC, so I don’t suspect that people had a lot of knowledge about the subject at hand.
I grew up in the Cleveland area. I know one person that was on the Kent Fire Department during the incident. I knew another that was an Ohio National Guardsman and was there. Details from the guardsman were sketchy, but the fireman lent some interesting details.
I also got some details years later from a history professor at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He was an instructor at BW during that time frame. During a class on the US involvement in the Vietnam war, he talked about the war protests. He mentioned that there was a group that would travel from school to school, trying to arouse trouble. The group visited BW, trying to start trouble, but (according to him) the football team beat the snot out of them and ran them off.
Anyway, as for the Kent incident, it wasn’t a peaceful demonstration. These punks had burned down the ROTC building and when the fire department showed up to extinguish the fire, they cut the fire hoses. They were wielding rocks and sticks, threatening the guardsmen.
Second, Nixon gave no order to shoot. Ohio Governor Rhodes gave no such order for that matter. Clearly, someone spooked at least one guard and he shot. Once a shot was fired, the rest was automatic.
The unfortunate outcome was that the guards apparently didn’t shoot directly at the trouble makers, but shot over their heads instead, killing people farther back rather than the ones causing the problems in the first place. I mean, if you’re going to go through the trouble of discharging a firearm, aim at the bad guys, not over their heads.
I was in 5th grade when this happened. My older brother was in his first year of college. You can imagine the dinner-table conversations between he and my dad over this incident. Needless to say, Dad (a WW-II vet) and my brother were on opposite sides of the issue.
Hopefully, your older brother has gained the wisdom of his father through the years. ; )
The unfortunate outcome was that the guards apparently didn’t shoot directly at the trouble makers, but shot over their heads instead, killing people farther back rather than the ones causing the problems in the first place. I mean, if you’re going to go through the trouble of discharging a firearm, aim at the bad guys, not over their heads.” Agreed
I agree that something spooked the guards and that set off the shooting. It was a serious mistake to put National Guardsmen, armed with M1’s into a riot control situation for which they were not trained and ill equipped. I don't put a lot of stock in FBI reports, especially 40 years after the incident. Too often the Feds arrive at the conclusion first, then investigate until they find facts to support their predetermined theory. JFK?
It's not unusual to have hundreds of conflicting “witness” statements. Where is the ballistic evidence?
Yeah I always get a good chuckle out of that one, Peaceful demonstration? First they destroyed cars And set fire to the streets next day they burnt the ROTC building then they threw rocks and bottles at the national guard, now we find out someone did shoot at the Guard.
BTW the Mayor of the town was the one to declare a state of emergency and begged the Governor for the National Guard (Nixon had squat to do with it) BTW the mayor was a Democrat!
And the day before, they left the campus and ransacked the town of Kent smashing windows and looting stores. That is why the Guard was called out.
There was nothing 'peaceful' at all about those demonstrators. They were mindless college kids being lead by professional agitators who were absolutely intent on getting some of those mindless kids killed just for the propaganda boost.
The only people happy with those deaths were the professional commie agitators who got the entier thing started.