Subject: Urgent From Afghanistan - Museum of the Confederacy
Gentlemen,
I am writing from Afghanistan. I don’t have the time to do so, but this issue is so important to me that it requires that I place a portion of my time away from fighting our enemies to address one of my worst fears – the dissolution of the Museum of the Confederacy and its assets distributed across several other museums. I am a warrior and the descendent of many Confederate soldiers. The memory of their sacrifice is just as important as those my brothers, sisters, and I have made for our nation. The Museum of the Confederacy has been a depository of all things Confederate since its inception and THE place where their memory will remain for all times. Many Confederate soldiers and their families gave freely to the museum so that their sacrifices would be husbanded for the future. I, too, have considered what to do with all the uniforms, gear, letters, memorabilia, and items I have collected throughout my career and the 5 combat deployments I have made in defense of my nation. To give my personal treasure to a museum dedicated to the perpetual care and remembrance of my sacrifice is a sacred trust. Just as I will give my historical artifacts used in the defense of my nation to a museum, thousands of veterans and their families have also given their treasure to the Museum of the Confederacy for perpetual care and remembrance. To merge with other organizations, remove the name, and distribute the collective memories the Museum of the Confederacy is a mockery to their gifts and the purpose for which they gave them.
You have a duty to perform to the good of the institution you represent and I humbly ask for you to perform that duty for which you were chosen. You have a sacred duty to serve this institution for a term before giving it to my generation. The dissolution of it is not part of that duty. Just as I expect any institution to honor my gifts and honorably perpetuate the memory of my sacrifice, I humbly request that the Museum of the Confederacy continue in its current form for the sole purpose for which it was created. To do otherwise is to dishonor those whom the museum represents.
I ask as a warrior son who knows only so well that death is the least of our concerns. Just like my ancestors, I am more than willing to sacrifice my life and all my future memories and pleasures for my country – as long as that my life is not wasted and that my sacrifice is honored. The Museum of the Confederacy exists for the sole purpose of honoring these men and it needs to live in perpetuity for that purpose. If not, then it is the responsibility of the museum to return those artifacts to the families from which they came rather than send them to other institutions for which the original purpose was not designed.
I am more than willing to take any position on the museum staff to include the president of the museum. We must not let this memorial die.
Thank you for your time,
Semper Fidelis,
Mike Landree
LtCol, USMC
Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan
Colonel Landree received a very encouraging response from Mr. Carlton Moffatt Jr who has served on the MOC board for the past ten years including four years as the board chairman. Mr. Moffatt is also a military veteran who served in the Army during World War II in Italy as a member of the 1st Armored Division.