Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that "The Reconciliation Monument" will be reinstalled at the Arlington National Cemetery.
"I’m proud to announce that Moses Ezekiel’s beautiful and historic sculpture — often referred to as "The Reconciliation Monument" — will be rightfully returned to Arlington National Cemetery near his burial site," said Hegseth in a post on X.
The sculpture was crafted by Moses Jacob Ezekiel, the first Jewish-American sculptor to gain international acclaim. Ezekiel's piece was removed from Arlington in 2023 by Lloyd Austin, who was Secretary of Defense at the time. It was then stored in a Department of Defense facility in Virginia.
The statue's restoration will be coordinated between the Center of Military History and Virgina Governor Glenn Youngkin.
“At the request of Moses Ezekiel’s family and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Moses Ezekiel's sculpture will be returned to Arlington National Cemetery, where he is buried and where his legacy as a renowned American artist and decorated veteran can be honored," said Youngkin, according to a Beltway Brief report.
Before becoming a renowned artist, Ezekiel served in the Confederate Army and fought alongside other cadets from the Virginia Military Institute in the Battle of New Market. After the war, Ezekiel moved to Rome and maintained a lifelong friendship with Robert E. Lee. His sculpture for Arlington Cemetery was commissioned by President William McKinley, a Northern Republican, but his work was dedicated later by President Woodrow Wilson, a Southern Democrat.
"McKinley conceived the Reconciliation Monument as a way of celebrating the success of a reunified Nation," wrote Townhall commentator Scott Powell in 2023, warning that the monument was at risk of being taken down. "This theme of respect and reconciliation between the northern and southern states was also supported by the next three presidents—Teddy Roosevelt, Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, who unveiled the monument in 1914."
The Reconciliation Monument marks Ezekiel's grave in Arlington National Cemetery. The monument's base also holds the remains of six of Ezekiel's fellow cadets who died during the Battle of New Market. Reassembling the 32-foot statue, along the construction of accompanying panels, is estimated to take two years, with a display date of 2027.
"It never should have been taken down by woke lemmings," said Hegseth. "Unlike the Left, we don’t believe in erasing American history—we honor it."
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