For black members of the military, seeing confederate names on military barracks delivers a special sting, given that they lionize men who led a treasonous war. “I have been in every one of those barracks,” said Stephane Manuel, another West Point graduate who served in the Army from 2011 to 2017. “It wasn’t anything that stayed on my mind and I think that was because I was young,” he said. “I don’t ever remember ever having a conversation about it when I was on active duty. With my veteran friends, it later came more to light that African-American veterans were upset about it and it kind of enlightened me, too.”

Source: New York Times June 11, 2020 18:43 UTC