DAILY DOZEN: KENT STATE AT 40

I was very young when tragedy struck Kent State University in Akron, Ohio, forty years ago today. I'm not even sure if I remember my brother being upset at the time(he was 18) or whether I assumed he was based on later conversations. I do know that from all I have read and heard about the incident, it may have been the single worst act that citizens of the United States were subjected to by their government - EVER!

Mary Ann Vechio, who was present at the tragic event, sums it up: "It's something that happened that you have to respect. It was never going to go away. You can't shove it under the rug."

I am reminded of the incident whenever I hear Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young perform the Neil Young song, "Ohio". Here are the lyrics, followed by some video and links:

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.



A Moment Kent State Won’t Forget. (New York Times)
Kent State Shooting Divided Campus And Country (Story & Audio). (NPR)
Truth remains elusive for survivors, families of Kent State victims. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Why we remember Kent State shootings. (Erie Times-News)



New trail markers for anniversary of May 4 Kent State shootings (Story & Video). (WKYC)
Remembering Kent State - how can you run when you know? (The Oklahoma Daily - University of Oklahoma)
Does Kent State shooting resonate with students today? (Story & Photos) (Canton Repository)
Kent State Gunshots Reverberate 40 Years Later. (AOL News)



Local man was at Kent during shootings. (Marion Star)
What I lost at Kent State. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Editorial: More to Kent State than tragic shooting. (The News-Herald)
May 4 shootings still follow former Kent State football players. (USA Today)