The shootings have come to symbolize a great American tragedy which occurred
at the height of the Vietnam War era, a period in which the nation found
itself deeply divided both politically and culturally. The poignant picture
of Mary Vecchio kneeling in agony over Jeffrey Miller's body, for example,
will remain forever as a reminder of the day when the Vietnam War came
home to America.

Misinformation and misunderstanding continue to surround the events of May 4. This one incident has come to symbolize the great division of sentiment caused by the Vietnam war. A college-level history book by Mary Beth Norton et al. (1994), which was also used in high school advanced placement courses, contains a picture of the shootings of May 4 and the following summary of events:

"In May 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, National Guardsmen confronted student antiwar protesters with a tear gas barrage. Soon afterward, with no provocation, soldiers opened fire into a group of fleeing students. Four young people were killed, shot in the back, including two women who had been walking to class."

This very short description contains four errors:

(1) There was some degree of provocation ;

(2) the students were not fleeing when the Guard initially opened fire;

(3) only one of the four students who died, William Schroeder, was shot in the back; and

(4) only one female student, Sandy Schreuer, had been walking to class, but Allison Krause, the other female, had been involved in the demonstration.