A memorial was held last night and today at Kent State University to honor the four students killed and nine injured at Kent State University in Ohio on May 4, 1970:

Thirty-four years ago, four students were shot and killed by the National Guard at the KSU campus. They were protesting the Vietnam war. The memorial started Monday night to honor the four students killed and nine others injured May 4, 1970. The May 4th Task Force, students who are putting the memorial together, said this year's theme is the Patriot Act.

The kick off to this year's remembrance began last night. At 11 p.m., students marched with candles to the site where the students were shot. At noon, students will detail what led up to the shooting along with ringing the victory bell at 12:24 p.m. 15 times in honor of those who lost their lives in Kent State and Jackson State that year. WEWS reported many students believe this year's memorial is extra special because of the war on terror and the loss of troops in Iraq.

Here's a first hand account of the day at Kent State, from a former student, and the roomate of the student who took the Pulitzer prize-winning picture above.

I remember where I was that day....I had just returned home from college in Ann Arbor to begin my summer job at the local record store. The news spread like wildfire, even without internet, email and cable tv. We all wore black armbands at work the entire next week and the music we played in the store reflected our anger. Four years later (30 years ago today) May 4, 1974, I was sworn in as a lawyer to the Colorado bar and began my career as a defender of constitutional rights and the accused. Without a doubt, the draft lottery, the Vietnam war, LBJ, Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon were factors in my choice, and I'm proud to say I've never once looked back to question it.

In 1970, Neil Young wrote "Four Dead in Ohio."

Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drummin'.
Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it.
Soldiers are gunning us down.
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground?
How can you run when you know?

Here's an excellent reminder of why we shouldn't forget Kent State, written on May 4, 2000, 30 years later--with a prescient message: