by Susan Zehnder, Education Director
In the spring of 1970, students from colleges and universities
across the nation were protesting the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
On Monday, May 4, just after noon, reports of a deadly shooting suddenly hit
the national news. In 13 seconds, the Ohio National Guard had fired 67 rounds
of ammunition into a crowd of protesters at Kent State University. When it was
over, four students were dead, nine others were seriously wounded, and hundreds
of people had witnessed the event. In response, the university immediately shut
down its campus, and for the next six weeks students had to meet off campus with
faculty members to complete their semester.
Historians look at events like Kent State, through primary
sources to build understanding and help provide context. In the case of Kent
State, in addition to eyewitness accounts, numerous documentary films,
dramatizations, writings, songs, music, and prize-winning photographs memorialize
what happened fifty-five years ago.
Today it is accepted that what took place that Monday in
north-eastern Ohio contributed to changing the trajectory of public opinion
about American military involvement in the Vietnam War.
At the time, at least four students from Chemung County were attending
the university: Mike Tacka, Jay Williams, William Leggiero, and Steve Saracene.
These young men, all in their late teens and early twenties, were the same age as
many of those being drafted and sent off to fight. They were also about the
same age as many of the National Guardsmen who fired upon the protesters.
The Star-Gazette, May 6, 1970
College life in the 1970s looked very different than it does
today. Students gathered information from radio broadcasts instead of social
media. There were no cell phones with cameras or instantaneous access to the
world stage. Newspapers were common, but campus newspapers were often not
published on a regular basis.
Earlier that spring, there had been a call for college students
to protest the country’s involvement in the war by organizing strikes to get
attention. Many national papers covered this brewing unrest, including those
printed on May 4. However, by that evening things had changed. Kent State had closed,
and the Chemung County students had already returned home. Two days later they
were interviewed by the Star-Gazette.
The young men shared their eyewitness and personal accounts.
Imagine how brave they had to be to do this, since no one knew what kind of
impact this incident would have, or if there would be backlash for or against
anyone.
Mike Tacka declared, “it was just like a war zone.” Bill
Leggiero said, “There was just a big pool of blood in the middle of the road.”
And about the guardsmen, Jay Williams said that “some of them fired into the
air. Others fired directly into the crowd.”
A fourth student, Steve Saracene, didn’t witness the
shootings, but heard the gunfire. He noted that “the shootings alienated many
students who previously had been middle-of-the-road and had taken no part in
demonstrations.”
For anyone who experiences or witnesses events like Kent
State, memories will persist. Making sense of what happened takes time. While
in the middle of events, it is nearly impossible to see how things connect or
contribute to the arc of history. For those brave enough to document their
experiences to share with others, we are thankful.
