Posted on 10/21/2019 8:39:28 PM PDT by Theoria
A new reserve group, inspired by the Monuments Men of the World War II era, will aim to protect antiquities and important cultural sites in war zones.
It’s no secret that the war-ravaged nations where American soldiers have been enmeshed in conflict for nearly two decades are home to many of civilization’s oldest and most prized antiquities and cultural treasures.
But in the heat of battle in Afghanistan or Iraq, how are troops to know whether they are taking their positions behind mounds of insignificant rubble or inside the precious remains of a 3,000-year-old temple complex?
The Pentagon’s answer, announced on Monday at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, is to take a page from one of World War II’s most storied military units, the teams of art experts known as the Monuments Men who recovered millions of European treasures looted by the Nazis.
The Army is training a new group with a similar mandate to be composed of commissioned officers of the Army Reserves who are museum directors or curators, archivists, conservators and archaeologists in addition to new recruits with those qualifications. They will be based at the Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Why does the movie Kelly’s Heroes come to my mind before Monument Men?
You’re thinking about gold? :)
Make him a deal...
I can hear it now...
ART MOS (not artillery) : “But Sgt - it looks so posh to have the M60 mounted there...don’t you think it would look so much better if we gave it a more elegant backdrop over there....”
SGT: Look here glamour-puss, we’re trying to make the “Killing Fields” in this situation not the bloody met opera version of Ms. Saigon! Now get your bony ass in gear and figure out where my coffee got to....
“how are troops to know whether they are taking their positions behind mounds of insignificant rubble or inside the precious remains of a 3,000-year-old temple complex?”
***Please*** send cameramen with them. I wanna see how it goes the first time some army art major tells a grunt hiding behind a pile of rocks to leave cover, because the rocks he’s hiding behind are more important than his life.
Grunts are downright mean sometimes. They are also quick to pick up on people who seem to care about things other than their lives. That would be some funny TV.
In Iraq we were very aware of the cultural significance of many places through which we campaigned. It was not US forces who were the problem, in fact, we were often the ones risking all to keep from destroying some landmark. Our opponents? Not so much...
Ridiculous
Well, the navy is always looking for interior decorators.
/ Snark
Maybe Their Republicans.
Should be, “Maybe They’re Republicans.”
Well, good... they may have to start by protecting our own cultural heritage from antifa, black lives matter, and vandalizing rednecks...
When I was in Basic, the drill instructors asked if there were any artists in the group. Five or six guys raised their hands. While the rest of us marched off to the rifle range, they had to paint a 1,000-ft fence (iirc) out in the sun, in temperatures over 100F. They were still at work when we returned. NEVER VOLUNTEER!
PING
Just know that the Islamists don’t care about or respect the ancient sites to false gods. The Taliban blew up ancient Buddhist statues in 2001 because they were forbidden under Islam.
China too has thrown out ancient history. Monarchs are old and Communism is the new history.
America’s own history “has to change”. So said the Obamas.
Yes, I was told to ‘never volunteer’ during basic training. But I did just once and lucked out. The drill sergeant asked for 3 volunteers when we were out on the rifle range. I got the thought “volunteer for this” so I did and the 3 of us were told to “guard the Lister bag” (canvas bag filled with drinkable water) and every one else was told to line up an arms length apart, get down on their needs and police up the brass from the rifle range. After that the drill sergeant always got volunteers for all of the miserable work details that came up. And I never volunteered again during basic.
Thanks a fool in paradise. I started "The Venus Fixers", a book that came out about the same time as the book "The Monuments Men" -- was sorry to see the stench of George Clooney on the movie based on the second one.
Hi.
What happened to kill people and break things?
5.56mm
Insert the Monty Python sketch about the recruit joining the Durham Light Infantry so he could further his interest in interior decorating...
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