On May 4 , 1970 , Guard units infamously opened fire onto a crowd of both Vietnam War protestors and simple bystanders on the campus of Kent State University , killing four and wounding nine others , an event known as the Kent State shootings . The President 's Commission on Campus Unrest concluded that the Guard 's actions were " unnecessary , unwarranted , and inexcusable . " The Ohio National Guard can be traced back to the initial settlement at Marietta , Ohio , in July 1788 . Rooted in the English and early colonial tradition of citizen-soldiers providing local protection and law enforcement , these Revolutionary War veterans and their families quickly organized into local militia units . The federal government passed the Militia Act of 1792 which required all able bodied men ages 18 to 45 to serve in their local militia units and provide their own weapons and equipment . It further authorized the Governor of each state to appoint an Adjutant General to enact the orders of the Governor and to supervise unit training and organization . Reflecting the Founding Fathers ' distrust of a large standing army , it strictly limited the ability of the militia to serve outside of their state borders and placed effective control with the Governor rather than the federal government
Kent State shootings
Kent State shootings
Ohio Army National Guard