James L. Albin
Tipton
Dear Editor:
On June 15 I attended the Confederate memorial service at Higginsville. I think it is a shame that a Confederate flag can't be flown at the site, all because of politics.
I think it should be a requirement for a member of the legislature to know something about Missouri's confederate history, since most of them are woefully ignorant, or choose to ignore Missouri's confederate history.
I was not opposed to having a statue of Harry Truman placed in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. However they should be replacing the statue of Frank Blair. I don't understand, if he was credited with keeping Missouri in the Union; then why was Missouri the 12th state of the Confederacy?
The soldiers who fought for the confederacy are United States citizens. After the war they returned to their homes and many became leading citizens in their communities.
I do a lot of research using the newspapers, and after the conflict those who fought on opposite sides became good friends. If America is to survive as a nation there has to be unity. Any veteran who put on a uniform to fight in any conflict deserves to be recognized.