How could a few decide for so many?

On Armistice Day in 1926, now known as Veterans Day, a World War I monument was erected at the Wilson County Courthouse that was built in 1924. The speaker was the Hon. H.G. Connor, and the monument was accepted by Dr. E.G. Moore. It was a gift to the county-city of Wilson.

“To the Valor of Wilson Co. Soldiers”

It was erected to ALL veterans past and present. The two main organizations that celebrated these veterans of that time were the Daughters of the American Revoution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

From the Confederate celebrations, the nation eventually adopted Memorial Day, which was known in the South as Decoration Day. Women would lay flowers at the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers. To this day, the DAR and UDC serve veteran organizations and are both active. Many of these families had multiple generations that served their states and countries.

My great-great grandfather served in the CSA, then his son served in WWI. This was common in many families. For those of us who are multigenerational Wilsonians, we have a lot of veterans from past wars dating back to the Revolutionary War and forward. In N.C. records, we find that North Carolina offered more than 130,000 soldiers in the War Between the States, over 86,000 for WWI, over 360,0000 for WWII, over 177,000 for the Korean War, over 216,000 to Vietnam and over 75,000 to Desert Storm. We are a proud, self-sacrificing and patriotic state. We must learn from history, not rewrite history. Not revise history, but learn not to repeat it.

Why was state law broken (N.C. General Statute 100-2.1.)?

How much was the cost to the Wilson County taxpayers to remove and store the monument?

How could only a few decide for so many?

Rachel Justice Somberg

Willard

The writer is president of the UDC’s John W. Dunham chapter.

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