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April 25, 2006

The U of W Student Senate

...has a change of heart.

After a sometimes-heated debate and an unusual roll call vote, the University of Washington student government Tuesday night backed the creation of a campus memorial to honor former students who have received the Medal of Honor.

The vote followed an earlier attempt by a UW student to create a memorial in recognition of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, a pilot with the Flying Tigers and later the Marines in World War II.

The UW student government rejected the proposal for a Boyington memorial by one vote at a February meeting. News of the decision -- and comments some students made that questioned if the university should honor a Marine who killed people, or a rich white man -- became public, and hundreds of people wrote the university and undergraduates, many expressing outrage at the students.

Several students brought up that public scrutiny during their nearly hourlong debate and vote, which was recorded by a national television news crew.

UW junior Deidre Lockman said the meaning of the memorial had been "hijacked" by people for political purposes, noting the "horrible" treatment some students received from the public after they voted against the Boyington memorial. She feared that some students might be intimidated by the public reaction.

"The true intention of this resolution will not be achieved," she said.**

...The UW's Medal of Honor memorial would honor five former UW students: Boyington, Deming Bronson, Robert Galer, Robert Leisy and William Nakamura.


FIVE Medal of Honor winners. Wow.

**ths notes: "HUH?" I wish I could've gotten someone to pay for a college education, so I could be completely incoherent in my pretentiousness.

Posted by tree hugging sister at April 25, 2006 01:25 PM

Comments

You know the PC crowd only relented becuase the memorial now includes a memeber of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Screw 'em. Nakamura was more of an American than they will ever be, and he'd be horrified at being claimed by their ilk.

Posted by: John at April 25, 2006 01:47 PM

THS, the level of incoherency displayed by Lockman can't be reached by schooling. That takes lifelong coaching in idiocy.

Posted by: The_Real_JeffS at April 25, 2006 04:14 PM

Jeff, drugs can shorten the process. I learned that at Santa Cruz.

Posted by: Ken Summers at April 25, 2006 05:54 PM

Shorten or accellerate - or BeNd like a moebius strip ~~ depending on the drugs! ;-)

Posted by: -keith in silicon valley at April 25, 2006 07:54 PM

True, true. Starting with alcohol, as I recall. But clearly Lockman has gone past the point of no return, and is permanently incoherent.

Angels wept. Not.

Posted by: The_Real_JeffS at April 25, 2006 07:54 PM