Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Robidoux Pass, post: 7327930, member: 96691"]I was in the ROTC program at the University of Nebraska during the Viet Nam era.  There had been anti-war demonstrations on campus for the last couple of years.  But when Kent State happened, there was a groundswell of protest and the students took over Pershing Hall (our ROTC Building was named after General John J. Pershing who during his tenure at NU taught the cadets. Plus he also lived many years in Lincoln.)  Pershing Hall had two stories of offices and classrooms but the middle was open to the roof and served as an area for drills, etc. during inclement weather.  As the first floor was now controlled by the protestors, we were forced to use only the classrooms on the 2nd floor, entering by stairs in the back of the building. So I’m in my ROTC uniform leaning over the 2nd-floor railing talking to one of the occupying students on the drill floor below.  My fellow ROTC students accosted me and questioned why I was talking to those “hippies” and using other more forceful descriptions.  That evening, I was talking to my roommate (we lived in a private house several miles from campus) and telling him about the repudiation I had received.  He replied that he had also received rebukes as to why he was talking to that uniformed “pig” up there, as well as other epitaphs not nearly as endearing.  Yes, my roommate was one of the students that took over the building. I was commissioned later that Spring and spent my time in the Medical Service Corps. My roommate and I obviously had numerous dissimilarities, and certainly had different viewpoints on our approaches to life.  On the other hand, we also had common interests and knew how to discuss issues reasonably and calmly with each other (well … mostly calmly).  We have remained good friends to this day.  [/QUOTE]

Create my FREE Account!

Log in or Sign up

Reply to Thread

Useful Searches