IÂ’m not one for re-writing history. There is, however, a question of how to appropriately present history in the context of a display about an event or time period. Decisions must be made about what to include. Sometimes, that means excluding things that may offend unless they can be further explained or contextualized. Such is the case here.

A VA hospital director who upset veterans by removing a framed newspaper with the headline "Japs Surrender" said last week that he had permanently replaced it with the next dayÂ’s edition bearing the headline "Peace!"

The The Indianapolis TimesÂ’ Aug. 14, 1945, front page has been replaced with the next day's edition featuring the "Peace!" headline because it better reflects what soldiers who served in World War II were fighting for, said Tom Mattice, director of Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

He said the new display was also not offensive to any particular group of veterans.

"What we really want to do is honor all of the veterans who come through our medical center to make sure that they feel respected and to make sure that their service is just as honored as everybody else who has served this country," Mattice said.

He said he consulted the VA's National Center for Ethics for advice and he said they supported his decision to permanently remove the initial newspaper display.

Mattice removed the "Japs Surrender" headline earlier this year after receiving a complaint from an employee offended by the term "Japs," a common slur during World War II.

If this were a larger display on WWII, I’d disagree with the decision to remove the newspaper. After all, terms like “Jap” and “Kraut” were a part of the ethos that pervaded the US as we fought in that war. The demonization of our enemies should and ought to be dealt with in such a display. But here it appears to be a display of newspapers, plucked free of that greater context. As such, the choice of the “Peace!” headline over the one with an ethnic slur is preferable.

At the same time, I don’t condemn the vets who wanted the other headline to remain. They want to make sure that our nation’s history is not whitewashed. That isn’t an evil motive – it is an expression of a legitimate desire to remember that earlier era and the sacrifices that began at Pearl Harbor and continued throughout the War in the Pacific. But in this situation, they are fighting a battle that they ought to lose, because a newspaper hung in a hallway does not a museum exhibit make. And ultimately, the peace that comes with victory was exactly what the heroes who fought in that war – and in every war – sought with every ounce of their strength.

Posted by: Greg at 04:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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