DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971 | 1971-02-12 Des Moines Register Article: ""ROTC Office In Iowa City Is Ransacked"" Page 1

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University of Iowa anti-war protests, January-April 1971

1971-02-12 Des Moines Register Article: ""ROTC Office In Iowa City Is Ransacked"" Page 1

DMR
2/12/71
p. 1 (of 2)
ROTC Office In Iowa City Is Ransacked
By Larry Eckholt
(Register Staff Writer)
IOWA CITY, IA.—Antiwar demonstrators, many wearing Indian-style war paint and masks, ransacked a University of Iowa Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) office and burned an American flag outside a dormitory Thursday night.
Windows in the U of I Fieldhouse and Recreation Building and in the armed forces recruiting center in downtown Iowa City were smashed during a three-hour demonstration that grew out of an earlier protest against the Laos invasion.
Desks and file cabinets were overturned, signs were torn down and a display case of medals was emptied when the protesters entered the Army ROTC offices in the U of I Fieldhouse.
There were about 200 youths involved in the incident, but only a dozen of them actually entered the ROTC office, observers said.
Earlier Effort
The office was open but vacant when the demonstrators stormed into the Fieldhouse. Earlier, they had tried unsuccessfully to break into the university's Student Recreation Building, where the Pershing Rifles—an Army ROTC honor society—was holding a drill team practice.
The youths chanted "ROTC must go" as they marched from the Iowa Memorial Union to the Recreation Building about 6:30 p.m.
The crowd of about 200 quickly broke open windows of the Recreation Building, then unlocked the front doors and streamed into the lobby.
The demonstrators were unable to enter the main part of the building because the inside doors were locked and
ROTC—
Please turn to Page Nine
2/12/71 DMR

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DMR 2/12/71 p. 1 (of 2) ROTC Office In Iowa City Is Ransacked By Larry Eckholt (Register Staff Writer) IOWA CITY, IA.—Antiwar demonstrators, many wearing Indian-style war paint and masks, ransacked a University of Iowa Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) office and burned an American flag outside a dormitory Thursday night. Windows in the U of I Fieldhouse and Recreation Building and in the armed forces recruiting center in downtown Iowa City were smashed during a three-hour demonstration that grew out of an earlier protest against the Laos invasion. Desks and file cabinets were overturned, signs were torn down and a display case of medals was emptied when the protesters entered the Army ROTC offices in the U of I Fieldhouse. There were about 200 youths involved in the incident, but only a dozen of them actually entered the ROTC office, observers said. Earlier Effort The office was open but vacant when the demonstrators stormed into the Fieldhouse. Earlier, they had tried unsuccessfully to break into the university's Student Recreation Building, where the Pershing Rifles—an Army ROTC honor society—was holding a drill team practice. The youths chanted "ROTC must go" as they marched from the Iowa Memorial Union to the Recreation Building about 6:30 p.m. The crowd of about 200 quickly broke open windows of the Recreation Building, then unlocked the front doors and streamed into the lobby. The demonstrators were unable to enter the main part of the building because the inside doors were locked and ROTC— Please turn to Page Nine 2/12/71 DMR