Alot of you know I was a witness to the National Guard shootings at Kent State 39 years ago on May 4, 1970. A little over a year ago, I was at a fraternity reunion at Kent, and heard a story, that could give a little more insight into what happened on that day. Here is a repost of that story:
Returning to my alma mater, for a Fraternity Reunion, Kent State revived memories, but also revealed new information that could have caused for the National Guard Shootings.
The Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity House was on Main Street in Kent, and on that Sunday night before the Fateful Day- The National Guard had closed off the streets, set a curfew, and closed down the bars (and closing the bars was a BIG DEAL)- leaving hundreds of students boxed in on Main Street, It was at the TKE House that Jim Russell, (one of the Kent State Students wounded) taunted the National Guard - "Go Ahead Shoot Me" he shouted repeatedly, until a Guardsman clubbed him in the knee, and then a round of tear gas was fired onto the porch of the TKE House. Russel was wearing a tye dye shirt at the time.
Now here is where the story differs, one story suggests that Jim Russell allegedly was taunting the National Guard on the other side of the hill by Taylor Hall, and a National Guardsman with a Riot Gun fired at him, hitting him twice with pellets- setting off the other guardsman to shoot. Now mind you Russell was 150 yards away from the other shooting victims and wearing the same tye dye shirt that he was wearing the night before when he taunted the guardsmen and got clubbed. Initially no Guardsman admitted he had a riot gun with pellets, but one admitted 25 years later that he did have a riot gun that shot pellets.
The other story is that Jim Russell could not handle the sight of blood, and would pass out at that sight. When he saw the guardsmen- he passed out his head hitting his knee and two buckshots ricocheted, one into his forehead, and the other in his thigh.
Both stories are from first hand discussions Jim Russell had with Fraternity Brothers after the shootings, and sadly, Russell died this past year.
Before I decided to write this piece, I checked with my fraternity brothers, who provided this new information and asked if it was okay to write about it.- They said Yes.
So that's it- a couple more pieces of the Kent State Shootings- I was totally unaware of, and even thought I was ten feet away from the guardsman on May 4, 1970, this new info really puts the event in a different perspective for me.
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