Vietnam War (1954 - 1975) - one of the longest and most expensive wars in American history.
When the war beginning, many peace-loving progressive Americans recognized the illogical nature of the war and accompanied the Vietnamese people's aspiration for peace. From single groups of people taking to the streets to protest for Vietnam, following the escalation of the US government's war, a large wave of struggles gradually formed. All over the United States, people took to the streets to protest, displaying many banners against the war, bringing the anti-war movement right in the US from a single action to a large wave.
At American universities, students became the first force to "arouse" a wave of anti-war struggles. In late March 1965, the first student demonstrations demanded an end to the war in the US government. Vietnam boomed at the University of Michigan. The anti-war activities of students quickly "engaged" activists at more than a hundred colleges and universities to participate in the anti-war through boycotting classes, organizing a series of "doctrinal" activities to discuss the Vietnam War… A part of the students expressed their fierceness, directly expressing their disagreement with the Vietnam war policy of the Johnson administration by “escaping” from the lecture. university, take to the streets to participate in the large anti-war demonstrations of the American peace-loving people.
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Four students from Kent University, Ohio State (USA) were shot and killed by National Guard soldiers during a protest against the US war in Vietnam, (May 4, 1970). Source: Vietnam News Agency
The Embassy of the Republic of Vietnam in Washington noted that in the middle of April 1965 in the US, there were many activities of students and social groups with the participation of tens of thousands of people.
On January 2, 1965, more than 50 American students - Stanford University, California signed up to donate blood to support the Vietnamese people.
On December 13, 1965, despite the snowstorm, 12 American students went on a hunger strike for 48 hours in front of Boulders University - Colorado to protest the US war of aggression in Vietnam.
The anti-war movement, which broke out from the universities of Ann Arbor, Berkeley, Columbia, Stanford... quickly spread, attracting all classes of American people to participate, especially the American youth of the age group. military service and their families.
After the 1968 Tet Offensive, when the US government escalated the Vietnam War, the protests of the American people in general and American students in particular increased with increasing scale.
May 4, 1970 became a bloody day for American students when National Guard soldiers stormed into a crowd of student protesters and shot and killed four students on the campus of Kent University, Ohio (USA). All four of them: Allison Krause, Jefferey Miller, William Schoeder and Sandy Scheuer were all in their twenties and middle-class children at the time.
Allison Krause, a first-year student, 19 years old, beautiful, good at literature, art and painting. At the University of Kent, she was known for being vehemently opposed to American involvement in the Vietnam War. That summer, Allison planned to volunteer at Saint Elizabeth Hospital to help children with developmental delays. But do not keep up anymore. The Vietnam War has cemented her name, at least in the history of the University of Kent, as a "messenger for human love".
William Schoeder was also 19 years old when he fell on the schoolyard because of the anti-war movement. At the age of thirteen, William was already known as an exemplary Scout. He plays well, plays basketball well and is the best student in his class. He is a wonderful young man, just hoping for peace to come to Vietnam soon. He loved peace and he died for peace.
And Sandy Scheuer was only 20 years old when she was shot dead that year. She is always cheerful, humorous and full of dreams. To her this was a pointless war so there was no reason to send young Americans to Vietnam.
The last of the four students shot dead was Jeffrey Miller, 20. He is very good at psychology, sensitive and likes sports. He once shared with friends that he would rather be exiled than fight in Vietnam. And he fought for peace - peace for Vietnam, for America, for the world and for his soul.
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Duke University President Terry Sanford speaks to students and faculty about the pro-Vietnam protests, (May 6, 1970). Source: Vietnam News Agency.
The University of Kent is now a name no less than Berkeley or Columbia in the history of American student struggle.
Immediately, after four students at the University of Kent were shot and killed, on May 7, 1970, American students across the country started school strikes and demonstrations against American intervention in Vietnam and Indochina. At the University of Maryland, 2,000 students took to the streets to riot. At Syracuse University, 3,000 students smashed an American officer training center. In Wisconsin, students burned a supermarket. Earlier, in New York, students attacked a motorized officers' school and University of Washington students set fire to an air force training building inside the university campus.
The Vietnam War has been raging right in the heart of the United States and the gunfire at students is just a signal of a foresight defeat.
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Report (confidential) No. 6031/BNG/MC dated September 7, 1970 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Saigon government on anti-war activities of the National Student Association.