"M" wrote the following:
While it is certainly true and tragic that four students were killed and nine others injured, no one ever seems to consider the impact that this incident had on the lives of the Guardsmen there that day.
Someone very close to me was one of them. Here are a few relevant facts that no one seems to either be aware of or address:
1. These Guardsmen were, for the most part, young. Very young. Most of them the same age as these students.
2. They were not fully trained soldiers. This was time of war when training was for "real soldiers".
3. There was rioting in the streets of Kent happening at the time. From what I have been told by my Mother, who was there, (so was I as a baby) when she and my Grandmother were travelling through town via car, they were in fear for their lives. There was much destruction. The car was almost overturned with all three of us in it.
4. The Guard Unit that my relative was in had spent much of the previous week camped out alongside the highway in an attempt to curb violence resulting from a Teamsters strike. There were death threats that had been made against the non-union drivers. This is why these units were armed as they were.
5. The climate at the University at that time was being, at a minimun affected, if not controlled, by subversive and violent groups who had been on Campus for some time prior to May 4th. Groups that were infamous for their dissention and violence. They had created a firestorm of emotion in an otherwise peaceful community. Deliberately. As these letters so chillingly seem to point out.
6. The Guardsmen were under attack. They weren't monsters who came with the intention to cut down some "hippie protesters". They were in fear for their own lives as well. No one knew if there were firearms in the crowd of students or not. They were told to "expect anything".
In retrospect, I think that it should be considered that there were other factors certainly at play on May 4th. These Guardsmen were not some bloodthirsty killing machine turned loose to murder innocent students.
They were young, ill-equipped to handle such a volatile situation, frightened and completely ignorant of what to expect. Most of them were also natives of this area and had never seen anything like what was happening that week.
If our Government had a hand in this plot (which seems very likely) I am completely convinced that these young men were only pawns.None of them died that day, but they were adversely affected as well.
There was much emotional trauma on their end too. This was just a tragic situation all the way around. Their lives were changed forever as well. I can personally see that whenever this subject comes up in my family. My relative is a good and decent man who would never calculate and deliver violence willingly to another human being and to have been put in a situation where he had to be involved in something so alien to him with the outcome so horrible and far-reaching has impacted him forever.
I am sure that this doesn't compare with the despair of these families at the loss of a loved one. I would never be so callous to even hold the two up side by side. I only hope that someday all of this can come out in the open and that people will see that these young men were not evil. They didn't go there that day with intentions of destruction. They have been painted as something that they were not.
I can't shed any light on the thoughts and intentions of their supervisors, but I can say that these young men were ignorant of any longer-reaching, sinister undercurrent.
Respectfully,
M
M,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. You gave me a lot to think about and I would first like to say that I am so sorry for the trauma your relative has gone through.
You know, to be honest, I never thought much about the Guardsmen or what they went through. You helped me do that today and I appreciate it.
I have tried to be careful to give any opinion regarding May 4th because I wasn't there and I wasn't born until 1971; therefore, I certainly don't have an idea what the climate of the times must have been like. I do recognize that May 4th and the events leading up to it must have been shocking, frightening and something that escalated to a point that no one expected or was prepared to deal with.
I don't think the Guardsmen were evil, blood thirsty individuals who were hell bent on killing. You helped me understand that more than likely they were young men who were scared, ill prepared and probably given commands that were not appropriate.
I have no doubt their experience on May 4th is close to the surface and something that doesn't escape their thoughts often. I have compassion for them and hope that they have been able to find personal peace regarding their involvement on that day.
I am surprised at how passionate people still feel about this subject. I never expected to hear from people regarding this. Maybe I have because there is a lack of healing. Maybe everyone was and is too busy blaming and accusing rather than communicating and treating others with compassion and understanding.
Is there any difference between a student standing up for their convictions and a Guardsmen of the same age standing strong in the face of chaos out of a strong sense of conviction and duty?
My best to the families and individuals involved in the tragic events of May 4th. To the Guardsmen who are tortured about what they were asked to do and to the students who felt needlessly attacked. I think the true culprits are the people who weren't seen that day - the ones who gave orders, made decisions based upon politics and escaped consequences for their actions.
Thank you M. I wish you and your family the very best.
AKM
Visitors since May 3, 2007
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