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Obama Sends Wreath to Confederate Memorial at Arlington Cemetery

by Jordan Yerman | May 25, 2009 at 06:47 am

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President Barack Obama is sending a wreath to the Confederates Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery today, despite a petition requesting that he break the tradition. Those in support of the petition assert that continuing to honor the Confederate memorial glorifies the Confederacy's links to slavery, while those in support of the tradition say that reducing the Civil War to pro-and anti-slavery is to oversimplify what was a much more complex political and social situation.

Arlington National Cemetery officials confirmed Saturday that the Obama administration will send a wreath to the Confederate Memorial on Monday, among other monuments at the national burial ground, a tradition set by President Wilson and continued by presidents since.

Arlington National Cemetery is a focal point for Memorial Day observances.

Criteria for burial at Arlington:

Active duty in the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines)
Veteran of active duty
Veteran of the Reserves who is over 60 and has seen active duty
former armed service personnel who was discharged honorably
Former service personnel who has received a medal of honor
Current or former President of the US

For more, see the link below.

More than 300,000 are buried in the 624 acres at Arlington National Cemetary. Located here is the Tomb of the Unknowns, a memorial containing the remains of four servicemen (one from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War) who have not been identified. An honor guard watches over the tomb 24/7/365.

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A. Tran

at 08:20 on May 25th, 2009

President Obama also honored the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington D.C.

The President also sent wreaths to several other war memorials, including the Confederate War Memorial at Arlington Cemetery. Obama also sent a wreath to the African American Civil War Memorial across the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. He is the first president to pay such a tribute to the estimated 200,000 African Americans who died in the conflict that ended slavery.

billt431 (not verified)

at 18:59 on May 25th, 2009

It would have been very easy for the president to forego sending a wreath to the Confederate Memorial and most people, including me, would have understood his reluctance. However, he chose to do the right thing. I want to salute President Obama for having the courage to continue with a tradition established by past presidents and for establishing what I hope will become a new tradition for future presidents by laying a wreath at the African American Civil War Memorial. Thank you, Mr. President.

Bill

http://www.theconservativenation.com