Iconic Image 6

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This month's Iconic Image is...

The Kent State shooting

Intro

This image depicts a teenage girl kneeling over the body of a teenage boy while screaming in terror. Behind her foot, is a long blood trail that is staining the street. Other students are standing by in shock and disbelief over what has just happened. This photograph would become a haunting image of one of America's greatest tragedies.

Part I

The day of May 4, 1970, was a day that began like any other for the students and teachers of Kent State University. Things took a different turn at noon when thousands students and activists gathered on the university's Commons just out side the Taylor Hall building. They were anti-war activists protesting the American involvement in the Vietnam War. President Nixon had recently announced that he had ordered an Incursion into the country of Cambodia (which bordered Vietnam). This announcement caused nation-wide protests against the widening of a war that had already become very unpopular.

The college of Kent State was no exception. The number of protesters gathering at the college alarmed Ohio Governor Jim Rhoades, who ordered the deployment of the Ohio National Guard to Kent State. Fearing that a riot was about to take place, university officials attempted to ban the gathering. Despite their best efforts, more than 2,000 people gathered at the Commons to demonstrate. The protest officially began with students ringing the college's Victory Bell. The National guardsmen arrived just minutes later and ordered the protesters to disperse. When they refused, the guardsmen fixed bayonets and began advancing. When the protesters threw rocks at them, they returned fire with tear gas. For the next 20 minutes the guardsmen tried to disperse the protesters. Although some of the latter left, most stood their ground.

At 12:24 PM, a group of guardsmen suddenly wheeled around on a hill overlooking the crowd and fired. For the next 13 seconds, they fired a total of 67 live rounds of ammunition into the protesters. Due to their elevation on the hill, many of the bullets passed over the heads of the protesters and hit those in the back of the crowd. When the shooting was over, three students lay dead on the ground. A fourth would die in the hospital. Another nine were severely wounded (one would be paralyzed for the rest of his life). Only after the shooting, did the protesters finally disperse while some stayed behind to tend to the wounded.

Part II

Among the protesters was a senior majoring in photography named, John Filo. Filo had been working for Kent State University's newspaper and decided to photograph the incident. After taking numerous images of the protest, Filo was forced to dive for cover when the shooting began. When it had stopped, Filo looked up and saw a young girl kneeling over another student. The girl was screaming for someone to help the young man. Since Filo only had enough film left for one more picture, he snapped a quick image of the spectacle before quickly leaving the scene (he feared his camera would be confiscated by the police). 

The girl in the picture was identified as Mary Ann Vecchio. She was a 14 year old runaway from Florida who had hitchhiked her way to Kent, Ohio. She had arrived at the college campus to take part in the anti-war protest. Before the shooting started, Mary had met a student named, Jeffrey Glenn Miller. Jeff was a recent transfer student from Michigan. 

He was friends with two other students on the campus (Allison Krause and Sandra Scheuer). Mary and Jeff were having a conversation when the National Guard suddenly opened fire on them. Jeff was shot through his mouth and died instantly. His two friends, Allison and Sandra were also killed. The fourth victim was a psychology student named, William Knox Schroeder. Tragically of the four victims, two of them (Sandra and William) were not taking part in the protest. They were simply walking to class when they were caught in the crossfire.

Epilogue

John Filo's image of the massacre ultimately became the most famous of the day. His photograph won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1971. He continues to work as a successful photographer to this day. The shooting at Kent State sent waves of anger across the United States and turned many more Americans against the war. Despite the carnage that had been caused, no member of the Ohio National Guard was ever charged for the shooting. Why the guardsmen opened fire has never been determined.

Although the photograph had made Mary Ann Vecchio very famous, she very much resented all the attention that was given to her. In fact, it ended up getting her arrested and sent to juvenile detention since she was a runaway. After a couple run-ins with the law, she eventually married and worked at a casino. Despite all the trouble it had caused her, Mary Ann harbored no resentment towards John Filo. The met in 1995 and remain good friends to this day. She is now retired and lives in Florida. 

This photograph remains a symbol of a great tragedy in American history. It tells a story of a loss of innocence and of life. But it also shows the power that the voices of students can have when they wish to be heard. The anti-war protesters only grew larger and stronger after the shootings at Kent State. Ultimately, they succeeded in convincing President Nixon to withdraw American servicemen from Vietnam.

https://www.kent.edu/may-4-historical-accuracy

https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/kent-state-shooting

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/04/19/girl-kent-state-photo-lifelong-burden-being-national-symbol/