It is time for the monument in front of the Cherokee County Courthouse to be retired and replaced with a new monument that will give equal honor to the sacrifices of all local service members who gave their lives for our country in World War I and World War II.
Image of the monument as follows:
What you might not notice without close inspection is that the list goes all the way through alphabetical order twice. There is a small section at the end with the names of four service members. These four, who made the same Ultimate Sacrifice as the others, are listed as an afterthought. It is as if their lives were worth less than those of the veterans whose names precede them.
The horrendous thing about these four veterans being treated as less worthy is the word that precedes their name: “COLORED.”
That’s right. In 2020, we still have a monument on display that not only uses the word “COLORED” but treats these men who gave their lives for our country as afterthoughts because they were “COLORED.”
I have no doubt that the VFW members who placed this monument in 1950 meant well, and thought that this was an adequate acknowledgement for these service members. Surely, however, 70 years later, we have learned that no veteran who gave his life for our country should be treated as if his sacrifice was less because of his race.
I will close by giving a special mention of the names of these four men. I hope that their living family members will join me in calling for this monument to be retired to the Historical Museum and replaced with a new one that gives equal recognition to all the local veterans who gave their lives in these wars.
CHARLIE BERRY
JAMES COVINGTON
ROBERT L. HARRIS
TOBIE W. KELLY
Scott C. Lloyd is a Cherokee County deputy district attorney who resides in Centre, Alabama
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