The great woke purge of U.S. history continues. In a never-ending series of virtue signals the left erases the past with zealous fervor.
The Biden-Harris administration portrayed young troopers wringing their hands at the vast inequity of being assigned to a military post named after someone from 150 years ago that no one knew was tied to the Confederacy. Those names were chosen to bring healing to the broken nation in the post-Civil War reconstruction. But that matters not in the purge. Are we safer now that Fort Bragg is called Fort Liberty?
The history purge became all-encompassing in the military as it swept up base names, statues, streets and buildings. But in 2023 it focused on stones. That’s right … stones.
As a former Army Ranger, I am partial to the U.S. Army Ranger Monument at Fort Moore, Ga., formerly Fort Benning. Prominently located in a grassy open area known as Ranger Field, the monument sits adjacent to the Maneuver Center of Excellence where young Infantry and Armor officers enter the profession of arms. Overseen by the National Ranger Memorial Foundation, the Ranger Monument was built with over $500,000 in private donations. Made of large marble pillars surrounding a giant bronze Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, like those carried by the 1st Ranger Battalion in WWII, the monument is one of Fort Moore’s most visited historical sites. A key element of the overall monument is the long stone walkway containing the verified names of Rangers throughout history. No rank, just the word “Ranger” with a name and unit.
Enter the days of the great modern purge. In 2023 the Ranger Memorial Foundation was informed that several engraved stones would have to be removed. Someone had anonymously complained, and again, it was believed scary to young troops who might be confused by a name, for which they would have no personal reference. The Foundation was directed by the garrison commander at Fort Moore to remove the offending stones or risk having a detail sent to do it for them. The Foundation reluctantly agreed in order to avoid having damage done to the monument.
If we are going to remove the names of dead Rangers from a historical monument that was built with private donations … well, when do we start removing headstones from graves? Arlington National Cemetery is actually built on the land of former Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Applying the logic of Ranger stones, should we dig up and relocate the 482 Confederate graves at Arlington? Before you dismiss the craziness of that suggestion, just know that late last year the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery was removed by order of Congress under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Where does this purge of history end?
But recently a shining example of good people saying “enough is enough” occurred. Retired Master Sergeant Howard Mullen is a 2013 inductee to the Ranger Hall of Fame. He served honorably in the 75th Ranger Regiment and earned combat jump wings jumping into Grenada during the Reagan era. Mullen recently petitioned the town council of Andersonville, Ga., to receive and display several of the stones removed from the Ranger Memorial.
There were four stones removed simply because these rangers fought with the Confederacy, Ranger Mullen told the council. “There’s a big push to remove these monuments ... Erase our history. So its very important that we maintain our history for our future generations.” He went on to say that the plea was not at all political and that the men whose names were on the stones were historically considered rangers. In Mullen’s words, “People are sick of this stuff.” The council agreed and the stones will be moved in the first week of October for permanent display at the Civil War Drummer Boy Museum.
But there is a nuance to this story that is equally important. Ranger Howard Mullen is a black man. A ranger with a decorated career, he is obviously not threatened by history. In fact, he is determined to preserve it and prove that is not offensive nor scary to modern warriors. That’s a decent ending to a bad story.
The effort by the left to purge history is wrong on so many levels. Stalin and Lenin were well known for purges and their rebranding of history. North Korea, China, Myanmar, Saddam’s Iraq - they’ve all gone through purges of history to ensure the narratives that don’t suit the current power base are wiped from visibility.
But here’s the rub: in an era in which the left heralds so-called “diversity,” it is becoming more and more apparent they have no desire to actually celebrate differences. The Ranger Memorial, the confederate monument at Arlington, and the names of legacy forts like Bragg, Benning, Rucker and Hood have all been swept up in a historical purge in order to eradicate any memory of that which makes the current leftist power base feel uncomfortable.
There is no acknowledgment of what it means to have history correct itself. No value is placed on the fact that these names were emblazoned by past generations to provide healing salve on past societal wounds. No future citizen will be able to truly recognize the value of where we are without being able to fully acknowledge from whence we came.
If we erase history — if we purge names, places, and statues — then we are really saying that we cannot overcome our history unless we eradicate it. By doing so, we lose sight of the past and all the lessons that go with it.
We must push back against the purge.
“Rangers Lead The Way!”
To contact Phil or request him for a speaking engagement, go to www.rightsideradio.org. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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