Brian VanDeMark

Yes, and I would add to that, in my judgment, the strength of America lies in the unity of its people.

Well, I think one of the frustrations that were felt, particularly by the student victims, both the family members who lost loved ones and those who were injured, one of whom spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, is that there seemed to be no judicial accountability.

There was a criminal trial in which the National Guard defendants were acquitted.

And then the families of the victims sued in civil court, and that too led ultimately to acquittal.

But there was eventually further litigation that concluded in a settlement where there were financial damages of rather modest scope that were provided to many of the shooting victims.

But I think that created a certain frustration, cynicism, and resentment on the part of a

You can't get justice under the current system, and it's frustrating and regrettable, but there it is.

Well, he doesn't sign the Statement of Regret, but the guardsmen who settled the civil suit against them eventually will issue a Statement of Regret.

And Rhodes, who lived into his early 90s, I think, for decades refused to discuss this issue at all.

And toward the very end of his life...

He basically, in a very laconically defensive way, said it was a tragedy.

It was the worst day of my life, but I did what I thought I needed to do.

If you will allow me to editorialize for just a moment.

Sure.

When I look back in terms of responsibility, I prefer to use that word over blame.

I think that the fundamental responsibility for this debacle lay in the hands of the political and military leadership of the state of Ohio.

And the utterly appalling lack of training of those National Guardsmen to send the National Guard onto a college campus, which was already emotionally heated in their opposition to the war, and sending soldiers with rifles to that was patently unwise.

Canterbury lacked good judgment, a commanding officer on the scene, and the utter absence of control of his men in terms of fire control discipline is completely inexcusable.

What's even worse is that he later claimed that he wasn't in command that day.

There was the subordinate officers underneath him that day who were in command, which is a