Thirty-eight years ago, on May 4 1970, National Guardsmen on the campus of Kent State University open-fired at un-armed students who were protesting the Vietnam War and the U.S. bombing of Cambodia. Sixty-seven shots were fired, killing four Kent students and wounding nine.

On this edition of Sprouts we reflect on the events of that day and the legacy of the Kent State Massacre. Host Lawrence Reichard speaks with Alan Canfora, who was shot in the wrist that day and lost his friend Jeffrey Miller. Canfora takes us back to scene and the political climate of the era, "The day before Governor Rhodes ... said we [Kent students] were worst than the Communists, the brownshirts, the night riders, and the vigilantes, and he said we're going to eradicate the problem -- well, that's a green light to commit murder."

We also hear from Thomas Michaels, who lived in Kent, Ohio at the time. Michaels reflects on the aftermath of the Kent State shootings, "The Vietnam anti-war movement ended across America, with that and what happened at Jackson State. We saw the end of demonstrations. ... We saw the quashing of young people's moralistic, idealistic dedication to principle. "

Also weighing in is guest Ngo Vinh Long, a native of Vietnam and Professor of History and Asian Studies at University of Maine. "What Kent State signified ... was the bankruptcy of the people in power. They carried out repression in a very blatant way in this country."

This edition of Sprouts was produced by Lawrence Reichard of WERU in East Orland, Maine, and Nico Simino of WKSU at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.