Latest news with #TheReconciliationMonument
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Restoring Confederate memorial to cost $10M: Army official
The refurbishment of a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery will cost around $10 million over roughly a two-year period, according to an Army official. The monument, which was taken down two years ago, will have a new base and panels that would share historical context, an Army official, speaking on condition of anonymity amid an ongoing project, told The Hill on Thursday. 'The U.S. Army has entered an agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia under which Virginia will loan one of Moses Ezekiel's historic sculptures for display at Ezekiel's burial site in Arlington National Cemetery,' Arlington National Cemetery said in a statement on Wednesday. 'The Army expects to display the sculpture in 2027 after it has undergone complete refurbishment.' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that he was 'proud' to announce that 'Moses Ezekiel's beautiful and historic sculpture — often referred to as 'The Reconciliation Monument' — will be rightfully be returned to Arlington National Cemetery near his burial site.' 'It never should have been taken down by woke lemmings. Unlike the Left, we don't believe in erasing American history—we honor it,' the Pentagon chief wrote on social media platform X. The statue, which was created by sculptor and Confederate veteran Moses Ezekiel, was put up in 2014. The monument features a classical female figure, representing the South. It was taken down in 2022 after an independent commission's recommendation, with the panel's vice chair, retired Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, saying the group thought it was 'problematic from top to bottom.' The monument featured toned-down depictions of slavery. Hegseth has ordered the names of several Army bases to be changed back to their Confederate monikers since being confirmed as the top DOD official, including changing the name back from Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg, albeit with less controversial figures as the namesakes. And the Pentagon has come under fire for deleting information about women and Black trailblazers in the military, while also reinstating a ban on transgender service members. President Trump has fought on various fronts against what he sees as 'woke' policies and practices across the federal government. He signed an executive order in March, accusing Smithsonian museums of fostering 'divisive, race-centered ideology.' 'This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive,' the White House said in the late-March directive.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Confederate statues in DC area to be restored and replaced in line with Trump's executive order
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Washington, D.C.-area statues commemorating the Confederacy will be restored and replaced, in line with President Donald Trump's pushback on recent efforts to reframe America's historical narrative. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that a statue commemorating the Confederacy would be returned to Arlington National Cemetery. The statue, which Hegseth referred to as 'The Reconciliation Monument,' was removed in 2023.
