This day 52 years ago…

jmcarter · 05-04-2022, 04:38 PM

“Four dead in Ohio…” a singular watershed day in an era that changed the function of government in serving the people forever. An era that numbed us to the sanctity of human life and the government’s role in protecting it.

Mike Jones · 05-04-2022, 06:36 PM

The protesters of the last couple of years, should be grateful that the Cops/ National Guard allow their BS, for the most part. They wouldn`t have stood for it back then. It was/ is a tragedy when young people lose their lives, before It even starts.
MJ

SStockDart · 05-04-2022, 08:56 PM

Things were sure different then. I remember the Kent State event. I got back home in 1968. Kent State happened in 1970. I'll give you a different perspective.
Over 2 million young men were drafted during Viet Nam. I was one of them. Over 58,000 of my brothers did not make it out alive. Another 150,000 were wounded and 1,600 still missing.
When I heard that the National Guard opened fire on protesters, I think I probably laughed. Back then the National Guard and Reserves were made up of "privileged" young men to get out of duty in VN. The protesters (IMO) were draft dodging, card burning, druggie, hippies. They were also avoiding the war. The media referred to Kent State as a "massacre". FOUR people were killed....FOUR. That is not a massacre. That would have been a quiet evening outing in the Central Highlands.

jmcarter · 05-07-2022, 09:08 AM

Gary, I wanted to acknowledge your post and certainly your sacrifice. I was an AF medic who served with the 432nd Support Squadron in northern Thailand where we supported a very large Air America contingent. A few sapper attacks and hairy trips into some villages were the limit of my exposure but I treated a large number of Casualties including many of our own. When I rotated home in 1972 I first flew into SFO in uniform so you can well imagine the “reception” I got at the airport. In any case, in spite of the unpatriotic and cowardly vile of many of the protesters I have come to realize there was a kernel of truth in their protests even if they didn’t fully realize it. I can more easily forgive them than I can the political hacks who knew early on the folly of Vietnam and yet continued to send so many of us to certain ill fated futures. It’s astounding the percentage of those 58,000+ who were younger than 21 years old.

My thought in posting about Kent State was that the whole era seemed to numb us to mayhem and how sacred life is. I’m no Neil Young fan but “four dead in Ohio”, “Tin soldiers and Nixon coming”, and “we’re finally on our own”are on continual loops in my head sometime. The “pending” Roe v Wade decision swirls into those lines, like one part of government can ban abortion and meanwhile some states permit full term abortions. So often it seems we’ve lost our way and government seems determined to keep us that way.

Greg Reimer 7376 · 05-22-2022, 09:52 AM

Four dead is a quiet night in South Central. What does the political class say? "Harrumph!Harrumph! We've got to keep out phony baloney jobs!!".

05-04-2022, 04:38 PM	#1
jmcarter VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Richmond Hill GA (and Port Ludlow WA) Posts: 4,316 Likes: 2,447 Liked 3,249 Times in 988 Posts	This day 52 years ago… “Four dead in Ohio…” a singular watershed day in an era that changed the function of government in serving the people forever. An era that numbed us to the sanctity of human life and the government’s role in protecting it. __________________ Jim Carter 2340 Super Stock 2340 SST/2340 Stock Set another place at the table

05-04-2022, 06:36 PM	#2
Mike Jones VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,125 Likes: 1,179 Liked 684 Times in 289 Posts	Re: This day 52 years ago… The protesters of the last couple of years, should be grateful that the Cops/ National Guard allow their BS, for the most part. They wouldn`t have stood for it back then. It was/ is a tragedy when young people lose their lives, before It even starts. MJ Last edited by Mike Jones; 05-04-2022 at 06:42 PM.

05-04-2022, 08:56 PM	#3
SStockDart VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Arizona, Texan forever Posts: 1,179 Likes: 881 Liked 606 Times in 213 Posts	Re: This day 52 years ago… Things were sure different then. I remember the Kent State event. I got back home in 1968. Kent State happened in 1970. I'll give you a different perspective. Over 2 million young men were drafted during Viet Nam. I was one of them. Over 58,000 of my brothers did not make it out alive. Another 150,000 were wounded and 1,600 still missing. When I heard that the National Guard opened fire on protesters, I think I probably laughed. Back then the National Guard and Reserves were made up of "privileged" young men to get out of duty in VN. The protesters (IMO) were draft dodging, card burning, druggie, hippies. They were also avoiding the war. The media referred to Kent State as a "massacre". FOUR people were killed....FOUR. That is not a massacre. That would have been a quiet evening outing in the Central Highlands. __________________ Gary Hansen - SS/FA 4911, B/SA 4911

05-07-2022, 09:08 AM	#4
jmcarter VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Richmond Hill GA (and Port Ludlow WA) Posts: 4,316 Likes: 2,447 Liked 3,249 Times in 988 Posts	Re: This day 52 years ago… Gary, I wanted to acknowledge your post and certainly your sacrifice. I was an AF medic who served with the 432nd Support Squadron in northern Thailand where we supported a very large Air America contingent. A few sapper attacks and hairy trips into some villages were the limit of my exposure but I treated a large number of Casualties including many of our own. When I rotated home in 1972 I first flew into SFO in uniform so you can well imagine the “reception” I got at the airport. In any case, in spite of the unpatriotic and cowardly vile of many of the protesters I have come to realize there was a kernel of truth in their protests even if they didn’t fully realize it. I can more easily forgive them than I can the political hacks who knew early on the folly of Vietnam and yet continued to send so many of us to certain ill fated futures. It’s astounding the percentage of those 58,000+ who were younger than 21 years old. My thought in posting about Kent State was that the whole era seemed to numb us to mayhem and how sacred life is. I’m no Neil Young fan but “four dead in Ohio”, “Tin soldiers and Nixon coming”, and “we’re finally on our own”are on continual loops in my head sometime. The “pending” Roe v Wade decision swirls into those lines, like one part of government can ban abortion and meanwhile some states permit full term abortions. So often it seems we’ve lost our way and government seems determined to keep us that way. __________________ Jim Carter 2340 Super Stock 2340 SST/2340 Stock Set another place at the table

05-22-2022, 09:52 AM	#5
Greg Reimer 7376 VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Glendora,Calif. Posts: 1,139 Likes: 172 Liked 721 Times in 221 Posts	Re: This day 52 years ago… Four dead is a quiet night in South Central. What does the political class say? "Harrumph!Harrumph! We've got to keep out phony baloney jobs!!".