May 4, 1970

It was a terrible time, I remember it vividly and I remember the reaction from those who were older than us.....they thought the kids got what they deserved...didn't care that kids were shot far from the scene just trying to get to class.......It was (an still is) a disgrace.

There were several factors which quickly got buried in the event. Students had been protesting the ROTC campus. and the Chief of the Kent police told the mayor that there had been threats to burn businesses and the ROTC building. The mayor contacted Jim Rhodes, the governor of Ohio, who sent in the national guard, with live ammunition. (Rhodes had presidential ambitions, which were never realized, but not for want of trying.) When the ROTC building was burned, the guard began to attempt to clear the streets. On Sunday night, in the process of clearing the streets, several students were bayoneted, mostly black students. The Black Student Association sent out a warning stay away from the center of the campus, and to "party" in houses, not on the streets. In addition to the four killed, nine were wounded in the shooting on Monday.

I was in training at Fort Knox at the time. We ate at the Cook School--the food was only OK, but it was always all you can eat. I was walking through a construction site to get to the Cook School mess hall, and heard someone groaning. When I went to investigate, another GI said it was probably a guardsman, and I should leave him alone. When I asked him what the hell he was talking about, he told me about the shooting. There was already a great deal of antipathy between GIs and guardsmen--it got a lot worse after May 4th.

As is my annual thing, I took some time to remember those who were murdered that day, those who were physically injured and those who were psychologically hurt. Including their friends, families and others.

It also puts me on extended pause as this time leads up to the Jackson State murders 11 days after.