May 4 (Kent State - my story)

[ChallengeMe]

You know how people ask if you remember where you where when a major news story breaks? This is a day I have been wanting to let slide and forget about it. Almost worked. But Tuesday is when my son, who works for his college newspaper, always posts his weekly story and I always go to read it. He goes to Kent State, and writes for http://kentwired.com/.

Our local paper wanted people to tell their story so they could print them today. My wife wanted me to tell mine, she thought mine would be better then the rest. She was right. But I wanted to forget it and not acknowledge the date. Something about it really bothers me. When I went to the Kent site to read my sons article (not published yet) I saw all the stories and pictures and I broke down.

I was at Kent that day. The sights are still vivid and I remember all the details. I was not around the shooting, but remember hearing one shot, wait 5 seconds and then hearing a volley of shots. But we thought is was firecrackers at the time.

A good friend of mine through high school (different school) was wounded. He was the one who has spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair. Now for some irony. In the '90's when I was managing a trucking operation, one of the drivers I hired came to me and handed me a newspaper article. He thought I should know about him. He was one of the "Chicago 7", the guardsmen on trial for shooting students. He had endured a lot of hate, including family for what he did, and became a long distant truck driver to get away from everything, and would understand if I decided to let him go. (of course I kept him). But there is no way I wanted to ask him which student he shot.

My son sent me some pictures of that day: http://picasaweb.google.com/hruffner/KentStateUniversityMay141970# . Pictures 188-189-190 might have me in there somewhere; but I can't tell, I was skinny and had a full head of hair then.

Few people know my story. I feel my wife was right and I needed to tell someone my story today.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Thank you for your story and it's a great example you have set not only for those who were around in those terrible polarized times, who remember Kent State, and the time our country seemed to be losing itself. 

[buddha]

Correct me if I'm wrong here but I thought "The Chicago 7" was Rennie Davis and Jerry Rubin and the rest of those guys. I don't remember the guardsmen being referred to by that name, partly because Kent State is in Ohio. At least I think it is.

[ChallengeMe]

Correct me if I'm wrong here but I thought "The Chicago 7" was Rennie Davis and Jerry Rubin and the rest of those guys. I don't remember the guardsmen being referred to by that name, partly because Kent State is in Ohio. At least I think it is.

You would be correct. I was talking to someone recently and they mentioned the guardsmen being the Chicago 7, and I just assumed that was correct. The newspaper article my driver gave me (which I have kept) stated 7 guardsmen on trial.

A couple of quotes from the article:
"The World War 2 weapons were powerful enough to propel bullets more than two miles, deadly enough to bite through steel." Why were weapons like this brought onto a US college campus?

"On that sunny, breezy afternoon, Guardsmen unloaded more than 60 rounds of steel-encased ammunition. Most fired into the ground, some into the air, bullets piercing foot thick trunks of trees and a steel sculpture. But some fired straight into about 2,000 students, a tragic amalgam of protesters and passersby en route to class. Even now "he" can't explain it." Note: of the 4 dead, two were protesters, two were in route to classes, one of whom was a member of the ROTC.

"Their average ate was 23. Their pay: $12.80 a day."

[TGB1]

A good thing to share. Thanks.

It was amazing that more people weren't hurt that day. I would guess that your truck driver probably didn't know if he had actually shot anyone in particular or at all. Crowd or riot control has evolved much since then.

[tomgallagher]

Still don't know to this day why they had to fire into a crowd of students or why they had to fire their weapons at all.

[ChallengeMe]

A good thing to share. Thanks.

I would guess that your truck driver probably didn't know if he had actually shot anyone in particular or at all.

Also in the article he gave me: "He remembers feeling his shotgun against his navel as he fired what he thought was a warning volley. And he remembers seeing the student fall hard, wounded in the right temple. He recalls turning left, looking up Blanket Hill, seeing rifles coming down to fire, one right after another. 'The most painful thing for me, was seeing smoke coming out of those M-1 rifles'"

Still don't know to this day why they had to fire into a crowd of students or why they had to fire their weapons at all.

Some questions will never be answered.

[Mikekoz13]

Thanks for sharing, CM. Peace thru Prayer my Friend.............

[ozzie]

Thank you for sharing your story with us, CM.

[Paul]

I can only imagine how difficult it is to have been so involved in one of the most infamous incidents in American history.  I was a college freshman in May of 1970 and remember our campus going up in chaos, students taking over the ROTC building, demonstrations, all in sympathy with those at Kent State.   But to have been there, to have a friend wounded.......to all who were in college during the VIetnam era....there are so many memories that still affect how we act today.   My prayers for your friends continued well being and courage to face this anniversary each year.