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1970. Chic Canfora and her brother, Alan Canfora, were at the far end of the Kent State practice football field with other students who had gathered to protest the war, when the Ohio National Guard began to move away from them. |
| As soon as Troop G reached the Pagoda at the top of the hill, they turned in unison and without warning, leveled their guns and started firing. I saw smoke and heard the shots before I thought to turn and run. It wasn't until Jimmie Riggs pulled me behind a parked car that it hit me that they were firing live ammunition. The car that shielded us was riddled with bullets. And bullets were ricocheting off of it. Glass from the windows was shattering over us. You could hear the bullets ripping at the grass beside us. Then there was this hideous silence of shock and disbelief that they had done this. When I came from behind the car, I saw Bill Schroeder lying on his back, three feet from me. He had crystal blue eyes. His eyes were open and he was looking up at a very blue sky. I knew he was dead. I looked over and saw a girl lying prone on the lawn of Prentice Hall. I leaned over, and it was Sandy Scheuer, whom I knew very well. And I saw Sandy was dead. Then I remembered where Alan had been standing, much closer than Sandy or Bill. It was at that moment that my friend came up and said, "Alan and Tom got hit." |
