A remembrance ceremony was held by students Thursday to honor and remember those who have died or risked their lives in service for our country.
The ceremony was held at the Indian Mounds and was organized for Sherry Smelley’s Social Work 4070 Grief and Bereavement class.
About 40 guests, most of them students in the class, attended the ceremony.
Smelley said her class has been participating in the ceremony since they held the first one after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“The ceremony has expanded to include not just those who have died, but all who put themselves in harm’s way,” Smelley said. “Remembering people is a way of honoring them.”
Smelley said one of the purposes of the ceremony is to help explain the benefit of rituals and ceremony.
Dozens of “linking objects” lined the small brick wall between the Mounds and helped grievers connect with those they were honoring.
Among the objects were an old American Flag, a birdcage and dozens of pictures.
Bagpiper Stanley Masinter initiated the ceremony by playing “God Bless America” while the University Corp of Cadets presented colors.
Smelley and class member Sherry Zeringue then gave speeches.
After the speeches, a guitar and bass player strummed “America the Beautiful” while the guests sang along.
Class member Kelly Barbin then read “One day at a Time.”
After Barbin’s speech, the guests sang the somber song “I Will Remember You,” by Sarah McLachlan.
Class member Brittany White then read the poem “‘Tis a Fearful Thing.”
“‘Tis a human thing, love, a holy thing, to love what death has touched,” White said.
To finish the event, Masinter played “Amazing Grace” on his bagpipes while walking away, which is a traditional way to end a remembrance ceremony.