KENT, Ohio -- A silent 12-hour candlelight vigil to remember the Kent State tragedy is being held Wednesday, NewsChannel5 reported.

Thirty-five years ago, four students were shot and killed by the National Guard in the Prentice Hall parking lot on the KSU campus. They were protesting the Vietnam War.

The shootings followed days of protests in which the Army ROTC Building was burned. The National Guard was sent in to subdue the disturbances.

The memorial started at midnight to honor the four students killed and nine others injured May 4, 1970. It will continue until 12:24 p.m., the moment shots rang out.

To mark the event, the university placed markers designating where each of the four dead victims was shot. They were installed in 1999.

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.

Also, a new film about the tragedy debuted on campus earlier in the week to commemorate the shootings.