After recommendations by the Congressional Naming Commission, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point began taking down monuments on its campus that commemorate the Confederacy.
The move, which began when the academy went on holiday break Dec. 18, is part of a broader effort to rename military installations that bore the names of Confederate officers, Axios reported.
The academy said it plans to remove a number of installations during the break, including: a portrait of Robert E. Lee in Confederate uniform from the USMA Library to put in storage at the West Point Museum; a stone bust of Lee at Reconciliation Plaza to put in storage on post; and a bronze triptych at Bartlett Hall's main entrance and to place in storage on post until a more suitable location is found.
The academy plans to eventually remove all 13 identified references and installations honoring the Confederacy on campus, according to CNN.
In addition, Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland, the academy's superintendent, announced that a West Point committee "will select an appropriate quote about honor to replace the quote from Robert E. Lee at Honor Plaza," adding that "we expect to change the quote by early Spring 2023."
Stone markers at Reconciliation Plaza will also be modified "with appropriate language and images that comply with the Commission's recommendations, while still conveying the Plaza's central message of reconciliation," Gilland said.
The changes at West Point were approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in October and are part of the larger set of recommendations proposed by the Naming Commission, according to CNN.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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