Dear editor,
I see the Confederate flag fly here in my city and I see a part of American history.
This country has been inundated with history revisionists who want to do away with any parts of history they don't like or don't completely understand. The flag being flown at the Lundy memorial is the Confederate battle flag; I actually wear a pin of the true Confederate flag, and no one has taken offense.
It’s a single white star in the middle of a field of blue. Who would know this except historians, Civil War buffs or someone who truly knows their American history?
Most people see the Confederate battle flag as a symbol of slavery, oppression or hate because they affiliate it with hate groups, but the opposite is true. Most people who oppose the flying of the Confederate battle flag don't even know that African Americans fought under the Confederate battle flag, and some were even honored by the Sons of the Confederacy.
I'm retired military, born and raised in the South, but that doesn't make me a redneck racist — even though, as a young airman, I was stereotyped because of my southern accent.
I was taught to respect all people, and I believe we need to learn from the Confederacy’s mistakes but not completely erase the memory of our fallen soldiers of the South by removing the Confederate battle flag because of preconceived stereotypical notions.
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Don’t erase history due to stereotypical notions