Additional Coverage:
- Hegseth announces return of Confederate memorial to Arlington National Cemetery, removed by ‘woke lemmings’ (foxnews.com)
Arlington National Cemetery to Reinstate Confederate Memorial
The Reconciliation Monument, a Confederate memorial, is returning to Arlington National Cemetery, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday. Hegseth expressed pride in returning the historic sculpture, created by Moses Ezekiel, to its original location near the artist’s burial site.
The monument’s removal in 2023 was part of a broader Pentagon initiative to remove Confederate symbols from military installations. At the time, the move sparked debate, with Republican lawmakers arguing that the monument symbolized reconciliation and national unity, not the Confederacy itself.
Hegseth criticized the monument’s removal, stating, “It never should have been taken down… Unlike the Left, we don’t believe in erasing American history—we honor it.”
Originally unveiled in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson, the monument was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Its placement followed a Congressional authorization to reinter Confederate remains at Arlington National Cemetery.
The sculptor, Moses Ezekiel, was a Jewish American who served in the Confederate army. After the war, he pursued a career as a sculptor with the encouragement of General Robert E.
Lee. Ezekiel is also buried with honors at Arlington.