Editor’s note: Earlier this month, we asked readers to offer opinions on this topic. A proposed future topic: How did you spend Memorial Day? Send submissions to Editor Michelle Karas at michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Submissions may be edited.

We received three responses to Brooks DeMio’s take on this topic, “We need to teach history, not erase it” (May 19 North Springs Edition).

Take 1

By Lance Kildare

Colorado Springs

I know from experience that it’s possible for a person to maintain two contradictory values. For example, my father inherited his uncle’s WWII combat trophies: Hats, patches, badges and other emblems he had stripped off dead Nazi soldiers. Thereafter my father maintained an affinity with Nazi symbolism — and with the history of the Third Reich — that would greatly alarm most liberals, and many conservatives. Yet, he was a financial supporter of Israel, and a vocal admirer of Benjamin Netanyahu in particular. Doublethink is a very real phenomenon.

I loved my father, and accepted from a young age that his affinity was harmless, at least to me. But that wouldn’t stop me from seriously questioning his motives, not to mention his judgment, if he hung a National Socialist flag in his classroom during a unit on WWII. Everyone knows what a swastika looks like. Why display a flag? Is the motive to illustrate it? Or to celebrate it?

I wouldn’t expect all 160 of his students to know him like I did, nor to accept his bizarre, paradoxical views. Since at least Roman times, flags have been created and displayed for celebration.

Did the teacher who hung the Confederate flag hang it for that reason? How about the Mexican flags that occasionally pop up in California public schools? They’re just waving them for historical illustration? I doubt it.

Regardless, the professional behavior is to avoid the whole controversy by reserving space in the public school classroom for one and only one flag: The United States flag. It represents the document that spells out our civil rights in clear, eloquent language; language that the schools are presumably teaching students to understand. Keep the other flags in textbooks and libraries, where illustrations of geography and history belong.

• • •

Take 2

By Perry Broxton MSG, U.S. Army (Retired) Colorado Springs

I’m just reading the rebuttal from Brooks DeMio regarding Halley Schramm’s take on Confederate flags hanging in the classroom.

I am a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army and come from a family filled with individuals who served our country for many years. Because of that I am filled with pride when I see our flag; not to say the flag always represents the best in our country’s history; however, I think it accurate to say we do try to improve.

I do not get the impression that Ms. Schramm’s objective is to, “…take any evidence away from the students and hide it, as if it never happened.” She’s not proposing that those pages be ripped from the history books is she? I personally would be appalled to see the Confederate flag hanging on a classroom wall anywhere near our National Colors. I spent many years living in Germany and I can assure DeMio that the Nazi flag does NOT hang in any classroom; however, the history or Naziism is well documented in their history books.

And how cavalier of DeMio to point out that the United States “only” exported 4% of the slaves. What does that 4% represent? What it represents is a reprehensible chapter in our country’s history and in no way should it be glorified by hanging in a classroom.

Finally I do believe that the black students are well aware of the dangers of being a young black man as there’s ample evidence of that.

Perhaps DeMio needs to head back to school.

Additionally, I’d like to ask DeMio, “what did you think of the idiot carrying the Confederate flag through the Capitol building on Jan. 6?”

• • •

Take 3

By Tom Johnston

Colorado Springs

I wanted to add to what Brooks DeMio spoke about last week. There is no doubt the Confederate flag can be used by hate groups, but hate groups use all kinds of things. Some even use the American flag we have right now.

American history is an amazing thing to learn about and learn from. There has never been another civilization or country that has had so many freedoms and so many world impacting innovations than America. Sure, America is not perfect now and has never been perfect, but students need to know about how America evolved and continues to evolve to be the greatest country that has ever existed. The battle flag is a part of that history. People fought in the Civil War for a variety of reasons. The Revolutionary War was over in 1783. So 50-60 years later, when the seeds of the Civil War conflict were starting to take root, things like government tariffs, citizen rights, taxes were still very fresh in the minds of everyone. Granted, the institution of slavery was a very large part of why the Confederate states wanted to secede from the Union, but students need to know the full history. We can all agree on the horrors of slavery, but once we start choosing what parts of history to omit, we lose our chance to learn from mistakes.

Our job as educators is not to teach what we think students should learn. Our job is to teach history, good and bad, so they learn how to critically think on their own and explore all parts of an issue. Should we also not display the original American flag? The horrors of slavery were more prevalent in 1776 with that flag than they were in 1861 with the Confederate battle flag.

The horrors of slavery were around long before America came into existence. Establishing a Republic is hard work and has many good chapters and unfortunately many bad chapters. We all know slavery was a bad chapter but suggesting the Confederate flag is inappropriate for helping students understand a part of history is misguided. We are not giving students enough credit to be able to digest the material and learn without being offended. Leave it up to them to discuss the issues amongst themselves. If we try and shield them from things that are a part of history, are we providing them with a well-rounded education? Do we give them so little credit that we think they will see a flag and go join a hate group?

I’m sure there will be a very small, but loud, number of people who will read this and cry out “racist” or “this person probably stormed the Capitol,” which unfortunately reflects where we are with American history, amongst other things, in our society right now. Is there no longer any room for disagreement? If something is uncomfortable to talk about, is it best to just cancel it? Students need healthy debate. Students need to know life is not always pretty. They need to know that with hard work and working together, great things can be accomplished.

It is sad the flag has been hijacked by hate groups and white supremacists. It’s also sad to suggest it should not be displayed or even talked about while discussing that part of American history. With only 36% of our 8th graders in Colorado reading at or above a proficiency level (down from 40% in 2017) perhaps the teacher can also channel her passion to put together a petition to see how we can best approach that problem.