South Carolina Veterans Sue Over Segregated War Memorial - Is this a "real" issue?

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Thu, 21 May 2015 10:04:27 -0400

The memorial includes two plaques listing almost 200 names of Greenwood County service members killed in the First and Second World Wars. The names are identified only as "white" or "colored"— not even distinguished by age, rank or military branch. (Names added later for those killed in the Korean and Vietnam wars aren't segregated by race.)

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/south-carolina-veterans-sue-over-segregated-war-memorials-n361621

South Carolina Veterans Sue Over Segregated War Memorial

Five South Carolina veterans have sued the state over a war memorial in the town of Greenwood that segregates many of their honored dead by race.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made May 21 at 2015 10:02 AM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Thu, 21 May 2015 10:02:52 -0400

No, this is not a "real" issue. It seems like it is just a matter of getting an outdated South Carolina law changed. Not sure why it takes a lawsuit to get that done.

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made May 21 at 2015 10:59 AM

1LT Nick Kidwell — Thu, 21 May 2015 10:59:17 -0400

This plaque is a historical record of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation. It is unfortunate that it reflects the prejudices of the times, but that too is a historical record.

I would argue that suing over this plaque is perpetuating the racism of yesteryear, only in a subtler, more indignant fashion.

A society free of racism would be able to look at this plaque, see past the historic racism, and simply treat it as what it is: a memorial to those who died serving their country.

Response by SGT Jimmy Carpenter made May 21 at 2015 12:08 PM

SGT Jimmy Carpenter — Thu, 21 May 2015 12:08:51 -0400

Some people are just too damn sensitive.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made May 21 at 2015 12:16 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 21 May 2015 12:16:44 -0400

We shouldn't try to re-write history into a gentler, easier to digest form.

History is nasty, and not easy to swallow. The farther we go back in time, the more barbaric we were. The more we progress into the future, hopefully the more enlightened and civilized we become, because we have these reminders showing us how barbaric we were.

Though this is not comparable, I use it to highlight the issue.

Warner Brothers when they released their collection of Looney Toons, they included the "Censored 11" which included the disclaimer:

"The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in the U.S society. These depictions were wrong then and they are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros. view of today's society, these cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming that these prejudices never existed."

As compared to Disney which has "Vaulted" several shorts and films (Song of the South).

I use the above to show my view, because they say it better than I ever could.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made May 21 at 2015 12:29 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Thu, 21 May 2015 12:29:18 -0400

Hey dummies, the history is history. You idiots really want to be upset, take a look the Civil War Memorials...they were really 'segregated'...especially in South Carolina.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made May 21 at 2015 12:39 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Thu, 21 May 2015 12:39:19 -0400

If this is something that will generate questions from young elementary students, it's beneficial to leave it as is.

Response by PO1 John Miller made May 21 at 2015 11:39 PM

PO1 John Miller — Thu, 21 May 2015 23:39:32 -0400

Segregation is part of our history, no matter how you try to slice it. Trying to erase traces of it only invites ignorance and not being able to learn from our past. I attribute this to some people refusing to acknowledge the Holocaust. Yes it's tragic but it happened. Teach our children about it and learn from our example, whether that example be good or bad!

Leave it as is.