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Thu Dec 29 22:33:30 PST 2022


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West Point Begins Removal, Alteration Of Confederate Memorials On Campus

https://www.theepochtimes.com/west-point-begins-removal-alteration-of-confederate-memorials-on-campus_4948249.html

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has commenced the removal and
modification of 13 Confederate memorials and symbols on its campus at
the direction of the Department of Defense.
Cadets walk across 'The Plain' before the Oath of Allegiance ceremony
during Reception Day at the United States Military Academy at West
Point, New York on June 27, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The modifications—recommended by the congressionally mandated Naming
Commission and subsequently approved by the Defense Department in
October—were to begin over the school’s holiday break, which started
on Dec. 18.

“Academy leaders and key stakeholders developed a comprehensive plan
to ensure that historical artifacts will be professionally and
respectfully handled during the execution phase,” the school said in a
Dec. 19 statement. “Memorabilia removed during this process will be
relocated to appropriate sites, including museums or other suitable
venues.”

According to a letter (pdf) signed by Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland,
superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, items to be placed in
storage includes a portrait of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that
hung in the academy’s library, Jefferson Hall; a stone bust of Lee
from Reconciliation Plaza; and a bronze triptych from the main
entrance of Bartlett Hall.

Meanwhile, the portrait and the stone bust of Union Gen. Ulysses Grant
that have traditionally accompanied those of Lee will be moved to
Grant Hall.

By Spring 2023, the school also intends to replace a quote from Lee
displayed at Honor Plaza and begin refacing select stone markers at
Reconciliation Plaza with modified language and images.

Several streets, buildings, and areas around the West Point campus are
also slated to be renamed, including Lee Road, Beauregard Place,
Hardee Place, Lee Barracks, Lee Housing Area, and Lee Child
Development Center.

“We will conduct these actions with dignity and respect,” Gilland
wrote in the letter. “In the case of those items that were class gifts
(specifically, Honor Plaza and Reconciliation Plaza), we will continue
to work closely with those classes throughout this process. Any costs
associated with the Commission’s recommendations will be resourced
within the Department of Defense.”
The History

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, was founded in 1802
under President Thomas Jefferson.

The school churned out hundreds of graduates who fought for both the
Union and Confederate armies, including Grant, in the class of 1843
and Lee in 1829.

Lee, who became commander of the Confederate Army toward the end of
the Civil War, graduated second in his class at West Point and later
served as the school’s superintendent from 1852 to 1855.
Calls for Revisions

Established under the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal
Year 2021, the Naming Commission was created to assign, modify, or
remove names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia within
the Department of Defense that commemorate the Confederacy or those
who voluntarily fought for the Confederate Army.

On Aug. 29, the eight-member commission submitted Part II of its final
report to Congress (pdf), which addressed assets of the U.S. Military
Academy and U.S. Naval Academy.

“Throughout the [West Point] grounds, plaques adorn almost every
building and entrance, honoring the names and lives of West Point
graduates who demonstrated exceptional devotion to the defense of the
United States and the advancement of its ideals,” the commissioners
wrote in their report. “Commemorating the Confederacy alongside those
graduates honors men who fought against the United States of America,
and whose cause sought to destroy the nation as we know it.”

In defending their recommendations relating to assets named after Lee,
the commissioners noted that the general turned down the opportunity
to serve as the top field commander for the Union Army, opting instead
to join the Confederates.

“The consequences of his decisions were wide-ranging and destructive,”
they added. “Lee’s armies were responsible for the deaths of more
United States Soldiers than practically any other enemy in our
nation’s history.”

As for the triptych, the commissioners called for the removal of the
names of several Confederate soldiers. Additionally, acknowledging
that the triptych’s depiction of a hooded Ku Klux Klansman did not
fall under their purview, the commissioners also encouraged the
secretary of defense to “address DoD assets that highlight the KKK in
Defense Memorialization processes and create a standard disposition
requirement for such assets.”

“The Commissioners do not make these recommendations with any
intention of erasing history,” the commissioners noted. “The facts of
the past remain and the Commissioners are confident the history of the
Civil War will continue to be taught at all service academies with all
the quality and complex detail our national past deserves. Rather,
they make these recommendations to affirm West Point’s long tradition
of educating future generations of America’s military leaders to
represent the best of our national ideals.”
Reactions

West Point’s announcement has been met with mixed reactions from those
who have served in the nation’s armed forces, with some supporting the
changes and others decrying them.

Read more here...


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