Why change history?
For more than 150 years in many towns, cities and at many National Historic Sites all across this great nation, people have looked upon the statues of men who fought for both sides in the Civil War. Taking away those monuments will not change the fact that the war was fought and people on both sides died fighting both for and against slavery.
Taking away these monuments and pretending they were not there will not fix the problem of racism in our country. Neither will the Miles Township supervisors’ idea that calling everyone who served for a certain time frame “Vietnam-era veterans,” and then refuse to honor those that did go to Vietnam “without any recognition” for their service in that war. This degree of ignorance about hiding the facts is the same whether it be removing a monument or attempting to make later generations think their ancestors were affiliated in some small way with a war they never fought in.
What is so wrong with making history 100 percent accurate and honoring those who actually did fight and let them, alone, be honored and respected for their deeds? This situation doesn’t make sense and only tarnishes our history as a nation. History is about truth, isn’t it?
Jim Hironimus, Whitehall, Md.
This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 10:05 PM with the headline "Why change history?."