Twenty-five years ago, four students lost their lives at Kent State University because they decided that they could not support a war they thought was wrong.

Thursday, May 04, 2000

Twenty-five years ago, four students lost their lives at Kent State University because they decided that they could not support a war they thought was wrong.

The students died in a hail of gunfire by National Guardsmen after retreating from a protest on their campus against the Vietnam War May 4, 1970.

For those who were old enough to remember that fateful day, the tragic loss of life left a mark that many still carry with them today.

Kent State was not just another news event. It was a turning point, a day when we all realized how fragile life could be and the consequences and responsibilities that accompany the freedoms we often take for granted. No one dreamed that a group of students would pay for their right to protest with their lives. But no one thought students would burn buildings and threaten National Guard members on college campuses across the country, either.

The events of May 4 made us all think a little bit more about what we want for our country and its citizens.

Today, as we remember Kent State, let’s not forget about the men and women who lived the horrors against which those students protested.

The Vietnam War period should not just be remembered for the horror in Ravenna. There are many heroes who did nothing more than serve their country who are still paying for the damage their tours in Southeast Asia did to their psyches.

They still see the firefights and their fellow soldiers dying around them. The sounds of bombs still ring in their ears.

Some families remember that a son or father never came home.

More than 20 years later, this should be a time to remember the heroes, the lessons and the innocents.

They all taught us to fight for causes that we believe in, no matter which side we are on, and to be grateful for anyone who cares enough about his or her country to give his or her life to defend it.

That realization won’t bring back the Kent State students or the thousands of soldiers who died, but it will take us one step closer to the type of country both groups dreamed about – a nation that stands for freedom.