Episode 25: 50 years later Kent State remembers ‘4 dead in Ohio’

It was a time of political unrest on a campus that held rallies to protest the Vietnam War. Paul was lucky his draft number was in the 100s, but some of their friends with lower numbers dodged by heading into Canada. Gerri lost a dear friend on May 4 and knew others who were killed in combat.

The violence at Kent State started when National Guardsmen ordered the protesters to disperse, escalated with tear gas that was retaliated with students allegedly throwing rocks (Gerri didn’t see any) and concluded with over 60 rounds of ammunition being fired at the students. In 2016 the 17-acre Commons was designated a National Historic Landmark, but Gerri has revised the site of the May 4 Massacre every year.