@edgitre
Father of 2 amazing boys, husband, historian, educator, school board member, digital scholar, director of https://americansoldierww2.org. Working on a book on the battle over Jim Crow in the US Army in WWII. Opinions my own.
Indeed a lesson hardly if ever learned. Certain WWII British officials urged the carpet bombing of German population centers because, they opined, it would break civilian morale. They asserted this after the German blitz had failed to break the morale of ... you got it... the British populace.
Another flagged WWII project: "War Heroes: Chinese American Experiences." Why? "This collaboration aims to uplift and recognize the contributions and experiences of Chinese American veterans, which is in line with the principles of DEI." A third project focuses on female service members in the WASP.
One of the NEH grants I know well, a Library of Virginia WWII digitization project. Why was it flagged DEI? "Digitizing and making discoverable the WWII separation notices can provide accessibility to historical records, promoting inclusivity and diverse perspectives in humanities research." 😠
Isn't it more probable that the administration is trying to calm markets? When DOD & State are on the same page, I'll find this more believable.
With this war, POTUS is breaking decisively with the anti-interventionist America First tradition. Certain movement leaders were convinced at the outset of WWII that wealthy Jewish internationalists were behind the drive to get the US into the war. Hard to imagine how MAGA reconciles this cleavage.
Unconditional surrender = defeat & occupation. No diplomacy. Only military action. This was the Allied plan & objective for WWII Germany & Japan. We are going to need so many body bags.
On Presidents’ Day 2026, a 77-year-old federal judge in Philadelphia issued a ruling that blocks the Trump administration’s efforts to take down or otherwise excise information from Independence National Historical Park relating to George Washington’s ownership of slaves.
Law Dork:
So true. Carnegie Foundation funding of Gunnar Myrdal's study of race in the US wasn't a problem until the Supreme Court used it in support of Brown vs Board of Education.
Recommend looking into the fascinating history of the "Better Baby" movement with books like Annette K. Vance Dorey's Better Baby Contests.
The most commented on characteristic of the first draft selectees in 1940 was the diversity of ethnicities. The ignorance of US history is remarkable.
McCarthy-era congressmen accused foundations of being captured by Communists. coxcommitteereport.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/.... They tore into Carnegie for funding Gunnar Myrdal's *An American Dilemma* after the landmark study of race in the US was cited in Brown vs Board.
Mellon is in good company.
I am speechless.
"The National Park Service has removed visitor brochures from the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Among the anticipated changes? No longer calling his murderer a 'racist.'" 🗃️ mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/m...
I was looking forward to reading Shake's book. I find the history of civilian-military relations to be far more lively, overflowing with drama, conflict, politics, passion, and negotiation.
This is a bit rich, isn't it? Moyn and his crew chastised anyone who dared make a historical comparison of precisely this sort, simply with a different political figure.
"Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency. And the rule of law be damned."
Someone else might need to see this as much as I did.
I open my course on World War II in Postwar American Culture with this classic war film. It's in my canon. You probably know that Walker's death scene is based on one of Pyle's columns. It's quite moving.
Homan "in theatre." ... Can't say we weren't warned.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
“Freedom is not free. We have to work at it. Nurture it. Protect it. Even sacrifice for it.”
Agreed. I've argued that the "crisis" of the humanities is not about its "irrelevance." Historical memory & scholarship is a threat precisely because of their social & cultural power. That is why history must be suppressed, erased & replaced with politically useful myths: it's too dangerous.
She is wasting no time, as UVA BOV's leadership found out the hard way.
Spanberger inauguration
From the stands yesterday. A new day with a new governor.
History rhymes in other ways. The author of the pamphlet was forced out of the War Department for having written it. "Fascism" was, by May 1945 already, too divisive. The War Department needed to steer clear of "ideology." And the author couldn't be trusted, as a Russian-born Jew.
What a dark day
Great essay. Sparked a spirited, thoughtful debate in a research seminar I taught last year.
"[T]he Margraten cemetery 'is not the appropriate venue for interpreting or debating broader societal issues, however real and significant those issues were and are.'"
What is a more appropriate venue?
I am looking forward to reading Kori's book. I would be interested in her reflections on a key middle position between state and soldier, the "citizen-soldier," expanding the definition of citizenship at a turning point in 1940 w/ the passage of the 1st peacetime draft in US history.
So true
Another beautiful Shchedryk performance amidst ruins.
It was set in what used to be a DTEK thermal power plant — now destroyed by russia.
The contrast between russia’s destructive nature and the Ukrainian will to create beauty even in the darkest times is palpable.
