Posted on 12/27/2020 10:35:26 PM PST by nickcarraway
That is kind of where my post would end up going. I am not for or against the symbol itself, I am more against the cleansing of history by changing, hiding, and destroying things.
Our history is what has made us what we are. Some parts are good, some parts are bad. I find it disgusting that people want to hide the bad parts because the social mores or values of today are different than what they were back in 1944...or 1844...or 1744.
“Oh, we are so much more sophisticated now!”
(spit)
>>Why would these have been allowed in 1943, when the U.S. was at war with Nazi Germany?<<
It should be allowed. Would it not mark those involved in the greatest tyranny known to mankind? People should be able to see who was involved.
Removing history is NEVER good...never!
I think the new headstones say “Black Lives Matter”.
/s
That last was one of the paths to citizenship someone earlier was asking about.
That is funny! Lol here!
You may have given him a whole new perspective on the experience in an instant.
Correct, display of the Swastika is illegal in Germany.
Yes it was. The guy was already had become a citizen. He volunteered to be drafted so he could go to college under the GI bill. Didn’t care much for wheat farming in Kansas, i guess.
If one was an unreformed and unrepentant nazi rocket scientist or intelligence agent after the war you could get lucrative careers in the U.S.helping create NASA and the CIA respectively, and in the latter, fascism could survive and become part of the organization's culture and mission.
I think the Iron Cross motif on head stones was common for German soldiers graves in Germany. Some officials here followed that practice when they buried German POWs in this country. Others did not. At the military cometary in Hampton, VA. the head stones of 55 German and Italian POWs buried there are identical to the ones used for American service personnel buried there. The only difference is the word “German” or “Italian” carved into the head stone.
The same is true if you went to the Soviet Union.
I live in Augusta GA. Fort Gordon, right out side of town had a POW camp. Framers etc could “rent” POWs for farm work etc. There is a POW cemetery at one of the gate entrances. The Augusta Nationals hired engineers from Rommel’s army to build a bridge on the Augusta Nationals.
Redesigned Iron Cross for WWII veterans:
It seems immoral to replace tombstones because they are politically incorrect today.
= = =
I might compare this to the Taliban blowing up the ancient statues.
Both the act and the actors.
You mean like Robert E. Lee?
August 9, 1960
Dear Dr. Scott:
Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War between the States the issue of secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted.
General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was a poised and inspiring leader, true to the high trust reposed in him by millions of his fellow citizens; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his faith in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.
From deep conviction, I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s calibre would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the Nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.
Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall.
Sincerely,
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Lee’s dedication to his native State of Virginia charted his course for the bitter Civil War years, causing him to reluctantly resign from a distinguished career in the United States Army and to serve as General of the Army of Northern Virginia. He, thus, forfeited his rights to U.S. citizenship.
Once the war was over, he firmly felt the wounds of the North and South must be bound up. He sought to show by example that the citizens of the South must dedicate their efforts to rebuilding that region of the country as a strong and vital part of the American Union.
In 1865, Robert E. Lee wrote to a former Confederate soldier concerning his signing the Oath of Allegiance, and I quote: “This war, being at an end, the Southern States having laid down their arms, and the questions at issue between them and the Northern States having been decided, I believe it to be the duty of everyone to unite in the restoration of the country and the reestablishment of peace and harmony....
As a soldier, General Lee left his mark on military strategy. As a man, he stood as the symbol of valor and of duty. As an educator, he appealed to reason and learning to achieve understanding and to build a stronger nation. The course he chose after the war became a symbol to all those who had marched with him in the bitter years towards Appomattox.
General Lee’s character has been an example to succeeding generations, making the restoration of his citizenship an event in which every American can take pride.
— Pres. Gerald R. Ford
“General Lee left his mark on military strategy.”
I would disagree on the issue of “strategy”. Both of his campaigns to seize the strategic initiative in Maryland and Pennsylvania ended in failure. The stratigic objectives unmet.
Having said that I believe Lee’s tactical ability is exemplary. His defense of Richmond, the Second Manassas, & Chancellorsville battles and the Peninsula Campaign battles are masterpieces of the tactical handling of an army in battle. None of his oponents could match his tactical skills.
I doubt most people here remembers that Arlington head stones were decked with Crosses or Star of David all lined up laterally and cross laterally. Hard to find a picture depicting them anymore but I remember them.
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