Hillsdale College students will celebrate Decoration Day for the first time in 100 years at a ceremony organized by Hillsdale College Marines and College Republicans, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Civil War statue between Lane and Kendall halls. 

In 1895, students began a memorial ceremony on Decoration Day to remember the students, around 500, who gave their lives in the Civil War and to encourage future students to live for a greater purpose. The tradition stopped when that generation of students died out, according to senior and Hillsdale Marines President Jihye Kim. 

“We’re really trying to just revive that and unite the campus around that,” Kim said. “We want to remind Hillsdale students of what it means to be a Hillsdale student, and that there’s something greater than ourselves. God has been so gracious to us.”

Hillsdale Marines treasurer and sophomore Ashley Burdo said the event will blend the historical Decoration Day ceremonies with modern Memorial Day celebrations. To emulate the tradition of Hillsdale’s historical Decoration Day, they will begin with hymns, poems, a prayer, and Scripture readings and a sermon given by Associate Professor of Leadership Studies Peter Jennings.

“We do want to make this a long standing tradition to carry on, hopefully indefinitely, so we’re saying this is the first annual revival of Decoration Day,” Burdo said. 

Jennings will then dedicate a flag used specifically in this ceremony, embroidered with the words “Defend It,” according to Burdo. A full rifle squad from the Hillsdale and Jonesville Honor Guard posts will give a 21-gun salute. Senior Joel Esler will play taps on a trumpet, which are specific for military funerals. 

Burdo said Jennings introduced her to Hillsdale’s historical Decoration Day memorial during Hillsdale’s Gettysburg summer class, encouraging students to revive the tradition. In the class, they learned about the Battle of Gettysburg, traveled to Gettysburg to walk the battlefield, and discussed the aftermath of the war. 

“Decoration Day was a nationwide event which was converted to Memorial Day in the ’50s and ’60s,” Burdo said. “It held dearly to the civil war vets who would decorate the graves of men that they knew. Once that generation was gone, the specific tradition of these hymns and poems were lost. That is the essence of what we are trying to revive.”

Burdo and Kim encourage the Hillsdale students and community to attend the event.

“I think a lot of students have forgotten what it means to be a Hillsdale College student,” Kim said. “They think that they’re just individuals who can come and go. They go to this college and then they get this job, and that’s it for them. And they just bounce to and fro. But that’s not what it’s about. When you come to Hillsdale College, you’re joining this long line, this legacy of people who’ve come before, people who fought and died for freedom and to serve God. And that’s a beautiful thing.”