DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Students reject memorial to Marine hero "because he killed people"

**UTHZzJ6f** · 02-15-2006, 05:47 PM

The University of Washington's student senate rejected a memorial for alumnus Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of "Black Sheep Squadron" fame amid concerns a military hero who shot down enemy planes was not the right kind of person to represent the school.

Student senator Jill Edwards, according to minutes of the student government's meeting last week, said she "didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce."

Emphasis mine.

Note that she is not saying that they should not build a monument-- say, to save money-- or that there is a better person to honor, or even that there are better places to honor our war heroes. She is not even rejecting him on the basis of his decidedly unheroic personal problems.

She is saying that an officer of the Marine Corps-- any officer-- is not someone that the University should be proud of, and not the sort of career that University alumni should pursue.

She may be only one voice-- but she is an elected voice, and she had enough support for her decision to be passed. And hers is not the only voice I have heard with these same broken ideals.

To think that I had applied there when I graduated high school.

02-15-2006, 05:47 PM	#2
UTHZzJ6f Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 420 Senior Member	The University of Washington's student senate rejected a memorial for alumnus Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of "Black Sheep Squadron" fame amid concerns a military hero who shot down enemy planes was not the right kind of person to represent the school. Student senator Jill Edwards, according to minutes of the student government's meeting last week, said she "didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce." Emphasis mine. Note that she is not saying that they should not build a monument-- say, to save money-- or that there is a better person to honor, or even that there are better places to honor our war heroes. She is not even rejecting him on the basis of his decidedly unheroic personal problems. She is saying that an officer of the Marine Corps-- any officer-- is not someone that the University should be proud of, and not the sort of career that University alumni should pursue. She may be only one voice-- but she is an elected voice, and she had enough support for her decision to be passed. And hers is not the only voice I have heard with these same broken ideals. To think that I had applied there when I graduated high school.
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