May 4, 2025: Timothy Trainer, author of “The Fortunate Son,” shares insights into “Kent State: 55 Years Later — War, Protests and Lessons Learned”
Monday Morning Magic from Inkandescent® PR + Publishing Co. — The Kent State Massacre occurred on May 4, 1970 when four unarmed college students were killed and nine were wounded by the Ohio National Guard on campus. Some were at a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by United States military forces as well as protesting the National Guard presence on campus and the draft. Twenty-eight National Guard soldiers fired about 67 rounds over 13 seconds; one suffered permanent paralysis. Allison Krause, 19, Jeffrey Miller, 20, and Sandra Lee Scheuer, 20, died on the scene, while William Schroeder, 19, was pronounced dead at Robinson Memorial Hospital in nearby Ravenna shortly afterward.
The shootings triggered immediate and massive outrage on campuses around the country. It increased participation in the student strike that began on May 1. Ultimately, more than 4 million students participated in organized walkouts at hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools. The shootings and the strike affected public opinion at an already socially contentious time over the role of the United States in the Vietnam War. Learn more here.
Image: wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings
Our Inkandescent client Timothy Trainer, an intellectual property attorney, self-proclaimed Army Brat, and author of seven books including “The Fortunate Son,” shares his insights.
Tim writes: “This year, it seems appropriate to remind ourselves of a day 55 years ago on May 4, 1970. Given the onslaught of federal government cuts to university research funding, threats to foreign students, and the White House’s threats aimed at universities that fail to bend to the President’s will and way of thinking, we should remind ourselves that those who are in positions of power can press the panic button that leads to the most extreme government actions. During the first several months of 1970, April proved to be the deadliest with 730 U.S. troops killed during that month, including 70 killed on the first day of April. Learn more: Firebase Illingworth Illuminated in a Titanic Horror – VFW and amerianwarlibrary.com/vietnam/vwc24).
“Whether young adult males were in college or not, they were needed to serve and fight in Vietnam and Nixon’s speech was seen as expanding the war not an attempt to bring the war to an end,” Tim adds, noting Nixon’s announcement resulted in college student reactions around the country: historicexhibits.lib.iastate. At the time, the reaction in Ohio was similar to those on other campuses and college towns around the country.
The bottom line: The reason the Kent State shooting becomes even more important today is because of the way the federal government and Trump are targeting universities and students. Just as political leaders ignored their young constituents more than half a century ago, those in political leadership in the nation’s capital today seem intent on ignoring or, worse, punishing those whose opinions are not in line with what the White House wants to hear.
Read all about it: www.TimothyTrainer.com
Click here to read more on the website that Inkandescent built and launched last month for the author: TimothyTrainer.com. And be sure to check back regularly for Tim’s blog posts, and his new podcast/video show coming this month on Inkandescent Radio and Inkandescent.tv: “Timothy’s Travails.”
Until next Monday: Please consider Timothy’s belief that “the U.S. Government should not force a way of thinking, requiring institutions of higher education to bend to one man’s set of facts and opinions.” For more insights like these, check out this week’s issue of BeInkandescent.com for more: This is what democracy looks like. — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president, Inkandescent® Inc. Inkandescent.us
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