Transcripts For CSPAN3 Smithsonian 20240703

You can also stay current with the latest episodes of washington journal and find a scheduling information for c spans tv networks and cspan radio plus a variety of compelling podcasts. Cspan now is available at the apple store and google play. Download for free today. Cspan and now her front road seat to washington, anytime anywhere. On behalf of the Smithsonian Institution and its secretary lonnie bunch, i would like to welcome you all to the Smithsonians National museum of Natural History and this very special graduation ceremony. Im richard karen, the smithsonians distinguished scholar and ambassador at large. I would first and foremost like to extend a welcome to our colleagues and friends from the u. S. Army, distinguished leaders and of course our officer graduates and their rightly proud and maybe allowed families. I would like to welcome distinguished guests from the Monuments Men and Women Foundation including members of the board and relatives of the world war ii monuments officers. This is a very special occasion. I dont usually wear this every day to work at the smithsonian. But i would also like to welcome our guests from bank of america who have supported the initiative from the beginning and my smithsonian colleagues and those from sister organizations involved in Cultural Heritage protection like the department of state, the fbi, International Council museums and others who have participated in this program as instructors, guides and enablers. The ceremony and what it stands for is especially significant. And since we as a museum study and present history all of the time, let me take the liberty to tell you how and why we got here. The recent history begins in 2010 with the earthquake in haiti that killed over 200,000 people, left of the country in a devastated state. Haitians looked toward their history and culture to give them strength, a sense of resilience at the time they needed it most to recover from that tragedy. But their artwork, artifacts, archives, museums and libraries galleries were all buried under the rubble and in danger of being lost forever. The smithsonian had close ties to many cultural figures in haiti and wanted to help but quite frankly we didnt know what to do. Enter cory wagner, curator at the Minneapolis Institute of art, a reservist who served in iraq, as a Civil Affairs officer and helped save the Baghdad Museum and the jewish archives sponsored by the work of the Monuments Men and women of world war ii. She called a meeting in washington, leaders of Cultural Institutions came and i listened to what she had to take. She knew what she was talking about. A few weeks after meeting corey , we were in haiti meeting with Southern Command general kent kane who was leading some 12,000 u. S. Troops providing humanitarians and civil support in haiti. He encouraged and aided our effort to save its Cultural Heritage. We worked and planned with haitian officials. The minister in charge of response and recovery was a guy named patrick. He had been a Research Fellow at the smithsonian, a curator years before. At the time after that earthquake, with his country in ruins, he was reading a book written by Robert Edsall called the monument. That inspired him and convinced him we should undertake this effort to try to rescue haitis Cultural Heritage in the wake of the earthquake and its destruction. The haitian president and the white house agreed and with smithsonian backing and usaid and expertise from the American Institute of conservation and cory wagners power sweep mounted a major effort. We rented a building, hired a haitian lead staff, established conservation facilities, deployed 80 experts from the smithsonian and other museums and saved 35,000 artworks and artifacts. We trained more than 1000 haitians and conservation first aid, repaired and improved galleries and museums, and with the help of ben stiller established a Conservation Center so that haitians could be trained to conserve Cultural Heritage in their own hands as rightly should be the case. I hired court at the smithsonian and we started the Cultural Rescue Initiative. Without a congressional appropriation and crucial key support from bank of america from the very beginning. We were called on to respond to crisis in mali, nepal, syria, egypt, the bahamas and working domestically with fema and others we took on projects after super storm sandy, the midwest, puerto rico, and elsewhere. Corey ran trainings and workshops for Civil Affairs officers. With cooperated with dod on no target lists for the middle east. Our colleagues were running Training Programs for iraq he archaeologists and heritage professionals and the smithsonian was training fbi agents and experts as well as those from homeland security. Corey let our efforts working with at the university of pennsylvania Cultural Heritage center, the American Association for the advancement of science and others to develop methods for analyzing cultural damage and destruction by isys and by asad via satellite monitoring. In 2016, president obama signed the protect and preserve Cultural Property act and under the leadership of the state department that has brought together dod, doj, fbi, smithsonian and other federal agencies to coordinate efforts to help save Cultural Heritage around the world. With dod, corey and the u. S. Committee of the blue shield researched and printed booklets that pinpointed cultural sites that were due protection that during the allied taking of rocker and muscle from isys. Those booklets were carried by troops in the field on the ground and written in arabic, kurdish and english and the point of them was, and the taking of those ancient cities, we not purposefully destroy what isys was trying to destroy as part of their mission. By 2019, while so many efforts flowered, more would be needed in the future. As the u. S. And its military would be called on in both conflict and humanitarian crisis to help safeguard Cultural Heritage. We needed to up the partnership. They worked closely with corey, colonel jesse knew his stuff, had a great sense of mission and envisioned what we could do together. In 2019, he and general Jeffrey Coggin from the u. S. Army Civil Affairs command and its moores came to the smithsonian and amidst meetings with lynn nichols who had written the seminal study of europa about working to control Cultural Heritage and world war ii viewed our collections at the archives of american art where we keep the monuments officers materials, photographs from their mission, notebooks from monuments officers, and we signed an agreement. Reestablishing the training of monuments officers. We then faced training in the midst of covid but worked closely together with the military, with the situation in afghanistan trying to protect artifacts and people. I remember those days, 24 seven muscat corey and i were on the phone emailing texting trying to do right by the heritage of afghanistan. With ukraine we have been getting supplies and materials into our colleagues. A smithsonian fellow during the time of the haiti project is now a leader of ukrainian Cultural Heritage protectant efforts. One of our graduates today, captain Hayden Bassett who works at the Virginia Museum of Natural History leads the Cultural Heritage monitoring love and partnership with the smithsonian. He and his team monitored some 28,000 cultural sites in ukraine and in cooperation with the state department, document potential war crimes related to cultural damage and destruction. All of this, thats capsule history, sorry for taking so long but its important to know that story, all of this is what brings us together today. Cultural heritage gives us as human beings, as people of particular nations and communities, a sense of identity. It gives us a sense of our history. It provides the touchstones for learning about the past and provides knowledge and hopefully some wisdom to live in the present and it provides a source of strength and resilience and enabling us to overcome travails and build, sometimes rebuild our future. In light of so many and so many increasing threats to Cultural Heritage, we need to increase our capabilities. You are the founding inaugural class of monuments officers. Men and women. You are the foundation of that effort. Thank you. Couldnt be here todt lonnie has been with the smithsonian and for over 40 years the fou my boss, ndinlonnie bunche, secretary of the smithsonian couldnt be here today but lonnie has been with the smithsonian for over 40 years, the founding director of that africanamerican history and culture. I think we have a video. Inaugural graduates of the officer Training Program, hello and congratulations on this special day. As a secretory of the smithsonian, im so gratified for the work you are doing. For the past several days you have undertaken rigorous training for military concepts youve learned and the Cultural Heritage Emergency Response methods smithsonian staff have taught you. They will give you the tools to make a real difference around the world. You have also volunteered and sworn an oath to serve as military officers, a selfless commitment that demonstrates a degree to which you care about this project. As the nations preeminent Cultural Institution for over 75 years, it is the smithsonians responsibility to protect architecture, artifacts , and other objects of cultural and religious heritage. The 1954 haiti convention was the first multilateral trading to urge to protect Cultural Heritage. A preamble to the convention noted that quote, damage to Cultural Property belong to any people means damage to Cultural Heritage of all mankind since each people makes his contribution to the culture of the world. To me it was clarion call to our profession to recognize that culture is essential for our shared future. The threats that loom over our irreplaceable heritage are as pronounced as ever, whether it is natural disaster, climate change, political instability or more. When an earthquake devastated haiti in 2010, it galvanized the smithsonians determination to help preserve culture no matter where it was. My dear friend dr. Richard kieran smithsonian distinguished scholar and ambassador at large let our efforts to help train colleagues in haiti. The work that began more than a decade ago continues in a permanent conservation facility in portauprince. The networks we created and the impact we made convinced us to create the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative led by cory wagner and implementing the lessons of haiti, it has had a tremendous impact thats true in places like egypt, nepal and syria, but also here in the United States in places like post Hurricane Florence south carolina. Another way we protect Cultural Heritage is through our collaboration with the u. S. State departments Cultural Heritage coordinating committee. As a charter member, the smithsonian facilitates sharing data and knowledge to better preserve and protect the cultural output of peoples everywhere. The war in ukraine is a reminder of just how important these kinds of efforts are as the war takes a terrible toll, not just on its citizens but also on its history and culture. It is vital we continue improving our ability to make a difference. The Smithsonian Cultural Resource Initiative is partnering with the Virginia Museum of Natural History on the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab using satellite imagery to monitor 28,000 Ukrainian Cultural sites to document any damage and share it with the proper authorities. The profound value of making connections was underscored when colleagues from ukraine, who participated in previous Cultural Heritage courses alerted us to the plight of several ukrainian fulbright scholars. Thanks to the office of advancement, the office of International Relations and the office of academic appointments , the smithsonian is hosting four of the scholars whose academic programs ended in may. Had they not had this opportunity, they would have to return to uncertain situations in their wartorn hormone. The Army Monuments Training Program is recognition that culture transcends geography, race, or religion. Preserving the artistic and cultural projects of human creativity is a noble endeavor. I thank you all for recognizing Intrinsic Value of protecting the tangible and intangible expressions of our shared humanity. Congratulations again and thank you for all that you do. That gives me pleasure to introduce larry, from bank of america. Larry . Front of general carter, marched down the aisle. I was in the navy for 15 years. But i thanks very much, richard. Just to show the army has a sense of humor, they put me in front of jimmy carter. I hope i didnt embarrass you too bad. Im larry im the president for bank of america for greater washington, d. C. Pickets of religion and im here on behalf of 2000 teammates including 3000 in this area to thank you for what you are doing to express our great pride and privilege that we have to be the principal corporate funder of the smithsonians Cultural Rescue Initiative and of this program. Its we truly value history and legacy in our company. We dont measure in thousands of years like you do with of the work you are doing but our companys oldest element goes back to 1784, the massachusetts bank. We have ledgers with john hancock and paul revere as clients. Here in washington it goes back to the bank of metropolis. We funded 20 of the rebuilding of washington after the british i see if you brits in the audience destroyed our capital. We are over that now. But we are really proud. Our time with this culture rescue initiative goes back a little less, 2018, we were the original corporate funder. We were very proud to do that. Its aligning with all the work we do, our company has our Conservation Company we find. With funded the restoration of 6000 pieces of art around the world and more than 40 countries. Art that needed to be restored, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, et cetera. Its something that we believe is a very important aspect of culture and of society. We also have longstanding relationship with the military. , military officer myself but we have probably about 20,000 plus or minus four military spouses, family members in our company. This year alone, 20 of all of our hires in the company have been military. Former military. We have a great limitary with the United States military of which we are very proud. Finally, a long relationship with the smithsonian. Lonnie, terrific, great american. We have been the founding members of the board of the National Museum of African American history and culture. Our co remains on the board and we are very proud. This program ties together Three Streams of activities, conservation, support of the military and supported the smithsonian. Thats very important to our company. It is terrific to work with richard and corey and the others, colonel the jesse, and team to be able to support you and what you do. I had the privilege and in a prior life to be the head of Public Affairs and the department of defense. Had a great opportunity to work with Civil Affairs officers, psychological operations officers and related professions and the other services. I had a chance to spend time during the phase four operations in iraq after iraq he freedom in baghdad with the team that was over there immediately after the hostile operations went to the Baghdad Museum, saw the terrible devastation, corey was there the time. I dont that we were there the same time but the rescue that was taking place at that time and then coming full circle with the restoration and pieces of art over the last 20 years, its incredible what you are doing. Its a privilege for bank of america to be part of it and a privilege for me to be here with you today to help you celebrate your incredible achievements. Thank you very much and congratulations. Thank you, larry. And thanks to Brian Moynahan as well who has been with us every step of the way. Now, i would like to introduce brigadier general, Andrea Carter from fort bragg who is with us today and i guess who will tell us about our partnership and our future together. General carter. I want to start out by saying thank you to the organizations and individuals who have supported and continue to cultivate the partnership between the smithsonian and the United States army Civil Affairs and psychological Operations Command. Thats the whole thing. Having a partner like in the smithsonian offers a platform for our top Army Professionals who train with respected experts and top level institutions and build a network of Cultural Heritage specialists. It is an honor for me to congratulate the first cohort of Army Monuments officers. Each Cultural Heritage for personal and expert in their respective fields. We have archaeologists, archivists, curators, educators, data scientists, museum directors, historians, artists, researchers, legal advisers, environmental managers, and Cultural Program managers. And they will selflessly serve in the United States army reserve and impart their specialized skills to protect Cultural Property and conflict zones. Cultural Property Protection is a military necessity. During world war ii, general eisenhowers guidance to allied commanders on Historical Monuments was very clear. I quote, today we are fighting in a country which has contributed a great deal to our cultural inheritance. A country rich in monuments which by their Creation Health and now in their old age illustrate the growth of the civilization which is ours. We are bound to respect those monuments, so far as war allows. General eisenhower then orders all commanders to recover Historical Monuments whether they were ahead of their frontlines or and areas occupied by allied forces, together the Monuments Men made that happen and tracked down millions of stolen artifacts. Why . Why would general eisenhower make it a military necessity . What is the operational value of Cultural Property protection . Its quite simple, it is because we value our partners cultures and we are committed to protecting it. Monuments are rich sources of history and culture. They are central in how societies interpret and remember their own past. Heritage is a human right. Protecting Cultural Property is a military necessity. As such, you are charged to advise military commanders and civil authorities on how Cultural Heritage offers the means and ways to identify catalysts of instability and conflict to develop an operational approach and how it serves as a foundational basis for reconciliation. Thats what you are charged to do. Considering the recent conflicts in iraq, afghanistan, and now ukraine, this graduation is timely. The value of our partnership and the partnerships that you have built here in this training class is not only in the training that you have had in the past 10 days , but also represented in the u. S. Armys legacy of protecting heritage in our partners legacy of protect heritage. From the men and women of world war ii through the conflicts of the korean and vietnam wars and the global war on terrorism, we have answered the call to service. And to you, todays new monument men and women, it is an honor and privilege to serve alongside you, my brothers and sisters in arms. Thank you for your service and to the family members of those who served and those serving now , thank you and congratulations. Thank you very much general carter. Now i would like to introduce Robert Edsall. Robert is a very successful athlete, successful businessman, noted and distinguished philanthropist, and gave the world a gift and gave us a gift in the remembrance of the story of world war ii and the Monuments Men and women who helped give attention to Cultural Heritage and help save the spirit of humankind. Robert whose book tuned into a movie, really exposed tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of people in so many places around the world about this mission. As i noted, and i told robert ahead of time that he did not know the story about haiti, he was the minister in haiti charged with rebuilding the country after 200,000 people had died and his country lay in ruins, and he was inspired by Robert Edsalls book. Robert . Thank you very much for those comments, richard. You are exceedingly kind and im deeply touched by your story of what took lace with the minister in haiti. I want to thank general carter of course, the teams at the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and army Civil Affairs and psychological Operations Command airborne, in particular corey wagner and colonel scott to jesse for their work in creating this Training Program and of course making this event possible. Trustees and Advisory Board members of the foundation are here today and i want to thank you. We have special guests among us. Family members of the world war ii Monuments Men and women. Please stand when i called the name of your hero and our commander george stout, major robert posey, captain james warmer, captain walker hancock, tech five charles burn holes, and captain walter hutch house and, one of two monuments officers killed in action during the final weeks of the war. Thank you. Your presence adds meaning to the ceremony words alone cannot express. To the proud families and friends of the graduates, your loved ones have run though race well. Your constant support and encouragement makes this days yours as much as there is. Congratulations. To the graduates, the Monuments Men and women of the 21st century, this is not a normal graduation ceremony. Each of you has already built and accomplished career. You have answered many of lifes challenging questions but you wanted more. Something that involved an even greater personal sacrifice for an even higher cause. Now you embark on this new and noble journey as monuments officers. You follow in the footsteps of a group of scholars, archivists, artists, librarians who 80 years ago were tossed into the chaos of a world war with pitifully few resources and a mission that they largely designed and implemented onthefly. Along the way they learned more than a few things about overcoming obstacles. In the course of the past 20 years researching the Monuments Men and women, so did i. In our time together i would like to share a few stories about their journey and mine because today those two roads converge with yours. My interest in these heroes began in 1996 standing on the bridge in florence when i wondered how millions of priceless works of art and cultural objects survived the most destructive war in history and who were the people who saved them . In the years, my curiosity about the subject led me to produce the Emmy Award Nominated documentary the of europa based on an astounding work linda nicholas. Is a project wound down i realized it and so many other works concentrated on the bad guys. The story i wanted to know involved the good guys. Who were these middleaged men and women who walked away from established careers and families to volunteer for military service and go into harms way to save museum treasures, libraries, and churches . While my small team tried to find every living Monuments Men and woman, i began traveling around the country to meet and interview those we identified. My eighth trip took me to Williams College in massachusetts to meet a man named ling phase in the third. Lanes involvement interrogated the bad guys to unravel hitlers plans in his own town of austria. He appeared to be in good health for a 98yearold man. One of his sons warned me in advance that he seldom stayed awake for more than 30 minutes and admonished me, dont be disappointed if pop doesnt stay awake long and you dont learn much from your conversation. What a conversation it was that lasted more than three hours. As lena flipped through pictures i had of the Monuments Men and women, stopping periodically to stare at images that transported him back in time. As his memory was jobs, the twinkle in his eye appeared and his arms moved enthusiastically with the telling of each story until we were both exhausted and needed to stop. As i rose to say goodbye, i approached his recliner and extended my hand in thanks. He reached out, firmly gripping it with both of his hands, pulled me close to him and said , i have been waiting to meet you all my life. That statement left me bewildered. Four days i asked myself, what did he mean . Deep down inside i knew what he meant. I knew what he wanted me to do. It was the thought of how i was going to do it that left me feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. Then 10 days later one of my colleagues called to inform me laine had died, awake shy of his 99th birthday, it was veterans day. I flew back to Williams College three weeks later to attend his Memorial Service where his four sons warmly greeted me. What happened i asked . Your dad seemed in Perfect Health when i left. He was, they told me, but the day after you left, he called each of us and told us to say our goodbyes. He was ready to go. He then slipped into a coma and died peacefully the following week. Meeting lane phase in changed the course of my life. A project that begun out of curiosity was from that point on a mission. My role was that of messenger, my jewish friends referred to that moment as the shirt, destiny. At the outset of my mission, ignorance was an asset. I couldnt foresee any reason why the Monuments Men and women story could be used to engage the public and change the world. The array of opportunities seemed endless. From honoring the men and women for their military service to reconstituting the monuments officer program to a narrative telling of their story to a film , even building a Permanent Museum exhibit honoring and preserving their legacy for all time. Though i had no formal education in art and architecture, no training on how to write or sell a book, no experience and how to produce a film or run a nonfor profit, i had a little bit of money a lot of curiosity, and boundless passion for these heroes stories. As the time passed, i learned the hard way that ignorance is also a pain and sometimes painful. In 2005, brimming with confidence, i met with publishers about my idea for a photographic telling of the Monuments Men the story. They told me, no one is interested in world war ii stories anymore. Everyone knows the Monuments Men story and i said, save me from myself and tell me the name of the book and i wont do it. But they couldnt because there was no such book. With no alternative except quitting, i decided i would self publish the book, rescuing da vinci. Instead of writing the book i had to also learn about the publishing distribution business works. That book ended up being a Great Success but its lasting importance was in laying the foundation for the work that followed. More obstacles awaited me. In 2006 i met with congressional aides about recognizing the Monuments Men and women with the congressional gold medal which is here at the smithsonian. How hard could that be . They discouraged me from even trying. It is a long and difficult process, they said. You do realize you have to pass a bill in both houses of the congress and get the president to sign into law, dont you . They were correct in parts. It was a long and difficult process. We had to overcome many challenges but in 2015 after nine years of meeting with members of congress and their aides, we watched with joy as majority and minority leaders john weiner, harry reid, nancy pelosi and Mitch Mcconnell welcomed three Monuments Men and one woman on stage and presented them on behalf of the 348 individuals from 14 nations who served as Monuments Men and women the congressional gold medal. In 2012, concerned about my Mental Wellbeing some of my friends begged me to abandon my dream of sharing these heroes stories with a global audience. You have been out to hollywood to purge the film a dozen times. It is never going to happen they said, declare victory and go home, you have done enough. I heard the word never a lot in those days. I also heard the voice of lane whispering in my ear, hang in there a while longer. The phone call informing me that George Clooney wanted to make the film changed all that. Today the terms Monuments Men is ubiquitous and as familiar to volunteers trying to preserve manuscripts as it is to our graduates. There was a moment when it could have turned out very differently. One my idealism had to overcome my ego. After several weeks of negotiations, a lawyer conveyed a take it or leave it offer to me and told me i had one hour to decide or there would be no deal and no phone. I stormed out to my car and drove around the block for about 20 minutes thinking about all the work i had done researching and writing the book. It was at that selfish mindset that my better angel appeared to remind me that my role was that of messenger, being an author was just a mode of transmission. The store didnt belong to me. It belonged to the world. Getting the film made was all that mattered. Thats what lane would have wanted. I have been reminded often that dedication to a cause presents never ending challenges that plumb the depth of your commitment. Sometimes in life the biggest obstacle to completing your mission is yourself. The Monuments Men and women of world war ii would be proud of what you accomplished. If they were here, i know they would want you to consider two difficult questions that defined their military service and may define yours. The first would be the timeless question of priorities. In a world struggling with the disease, starvation and war, why even bother with something so esoteric as the protection of Cultural Heritage . As early as 1942 , art restore george stout who would become the leader in western europe and establish their operation in postwar japan addressed this question when he made the moral argument for cultural preservation officers. He said, to safeguard these things will not affect the outcome of battles but it will effect the relations of invading armies with those people and their governments. To safeguard these things will show respect for the beliefs and customs of all men and will bear witness that these things belong not only to a particular people but also to the heritage of mankind. In december 1943 the Monuments Men who were in europe, all 12 of them, were concerned that the operation had stalled. They were hitchhiking their way from town to town with no command authority and few resources to do their job. Some questioned whether the army was truly committed to the state and objective of preserving treasures or was the operation merely an attempt to counter propaganda that western allied troops were arriving on the shores of europe determined to steal its art and Cultural Treasures. Today we know the answer on december 29th, 1943, eisenhower issued orders to his commanders to work with the monuments officers and respect Cultural Treasures so much as were allowed. This was the endorsement of mission that the Monuments Men desperately needed. Eisenhower issued a similar order two weeks prior to the normandy landings. At wars and he set aside bureaucracy to accelerate the return of major cultural objects to the countries from which they had been stolen. After the war, general eisenhower weighed in stating in a democracy at least, there always stands beyond the materials them and destructiveness of war those ideals for which it is fought. One of those ideals was the preservation of works of art and other cultural objects. Ideals dont have an expiry date. It mattered then and it matters today. They constituted the moral arc of why we fought that war. Learn from our experience the Monuments Men and women would tell you. Confiscation and destruction of Cultural Property provide advanced notice of the mass killings that are sure to follow. It is the playbook used by the taliban, al qaeda, isis, and now rushes leader, vladimir putin. As we bear witness to the loss of life ukraine and the discretion of its Cultural Heritage, can there be any question that preservation of our shared Cultural Heritage matters more today than ever . Then there are the practical arguments, the United States represents 4 of the world population. Most americans dont have a centuries old tradition of veneration for art and cultural objects. Our new nations tend to be more intangible. Ideas that are embodied in our most historic documents including the declaration of independence and the constitution. It is often difficult for us to appreciate the deep emotional connection other nations have for their Cultural Heritage. But building and strengthening alliances with the remaining 96 of the world depends in part on demonstrating a basic understanding and respect for their culture and that presents a challenge not just for you and your work but for all americans. One thing that americans do value is protecting the lives of our troops in that mix protecting the Cultural Treasures of the countries where they are deployed a moral and imperative. The simple truth is this, the responsibility of a military force to protect the Cultural Treasures in the territories in which it operates is absolute. Owning that narrative depends on good deeds and action. Failing to do so breeds contempt and anger that will cost lives. Once the Monuments Men had boots on the ground, they had to confront the dangers of their mission which led to the second question, is art worth a life . The deaths of Monuments Men would seem to answer that question with a resounding, yes. There were many close calls. Stewart leonard was the director of a small museum in key west florida before becoming a bomb disposal expert. Ever the philosopher, leonard told bernie taper, a fellow Monuments Men that there was one good about being in the bomb disposal unit. Taper took the bait and asked, what could ever compensate for the dangers of that job . Leonard smiled and said, you never have a superior officer looking over your shoulder. And in fact, none were looking over his shoulder as he dismantled bombs that german sappers had placed around one of the wonders of the world, the cathedral in france. Monuments men, a 43yearold professor of art at Yale University and an artist himself left his wife and threeyear old son to risk his life to save countless monuments and works of art in italy. He had decidedly different view. He told his wife, the life of one american boy is worth infinitely more to me than any monument i know. Like the other Monuments Men, keller risked his life not to say beautiful objects but to defend a cause. The same cause that monuments event george stout wrote about in 1942. Preservation of our shared Cultural Heritage. What can you learn quickly what can we all learn . From the experiences of the world war ii Monuments Men and women that will help you complete your message and help our nation reestablish the high bar for the protection of the world shared Cultural Heritage . First and foremost, leadership is vital. The monuments fine arts and Archives Program of world war ii worked because despite the many flaws, leadership from president roosevelt to army chief of staff marshall, to general eisenhower was aligned in its endorsement and support of the mission. Backing them up with the best and brightest minds in the arts and museums, archives and libraries in the United States and united kingdom. But the critical component the x factor war that men and women that volunteered to go into harms way and apply their professional expertise and women such as unsung hero are delia hall, employee of the state department, who spent more years than any other monuments officer continuing to locate and return stolen works of art to the rightful owners at a time when so many people just wanted the topic to fade away. Second, no two conflicts are the same. Learn from the past but be flexible in your planning for the future. Your predecessors spent years of their lives working throughout europe and parts of asia. Your challenges may stretch from the plains of Eastern Europe to the parched deserts of the middle east and the pacific. The most timeconsuming part of their mission, locating and returning more than 4 million stolen cultural object your challenges may be focused less on this and preventing deliberate destruction. What we have now is this. The world is never going to have a shortage of bad guys determined to erase the culture of others. Be vigilant. Youre not just cultural preservation officers, your frontline ambassadors. There will be many things you cannot control, but you must be resolute in communicating to commanders the importance of protecting Cultural Treasures were over our fighting forces go. Trust your training, but trust your instincts. Do your job right and in all likelihood, few people will notice. Even fewer will say job well done. And thats okay. Do it poorly and you will be reading about it on the lead story online and in print media around the world. In some respects, i think your task is more difficult than the Monuments Men and women of world war ii. The threats to our shared Cultural Heritage then were centered on the nazis and destruction. There is also mismanagement and incompetency were shortcuts and deferred maintenance lead to selfinflicted loss. Climate change and the consequent natural disasters and this one which i think is moving up on the list by the day. Poor or ineffective communication by our leaders in a social media world driven by short explanations, Unrealistic Expectations and Immediate Gratification that undercuts the sacrifice and effort of all those who have dedicated themselves to create this. The protection of Cultural Property was not a republican versus democrat issue during world war ii, nor should it become one today. It will was, has been, and remains a leadership issue. President roosevelt was unfailingly clear that the United States would take the lead in respecting the Cultural Property of others. Our leaders must not lower that standard. Threats that target cultural sites are soundbites that may cause damage as great or greater than the destruction of the objects themselves. It takes the bad guy narrative that americans dont care about the culture of others. It understands your mission, displaying the monuments of the men and women of world war ii. Remember edith stammen, who in 1947, more than 50 years before the invention of social media, profoundly stated it is not enough that we be virtuous. We must also appear so. The relentless criticism of the United States in the aftermath of looting the iraq National Museum in baghdad in 2003 convinced me that popularizing the story of what your predecessors did during world war ii and sharing it with the world was an essential step to reconstituting the monuments officer program. Invitations to go on base in fort mccoy and fort meade to speak with officers preparing to deploy. To the congress and white house were president obama gave a screening of the film for various government agencies. There were many other powerful advocates who should be recognized for their steadfast commitment to the Program Including colonel jackson, dr. Rory rush, russell, sergeant al rocha, our interim in between monuments woman, between world war ii and our 21stcentury graduates here, passion and relentless determination to see this materialize. Cant overstate it. While i am standing here addressing you, know today, many other names of people i have not mentioned also deserve credit. In closing, general eisenhower once said about the work of the Monuments Men and women and the role of the United States army in protecting Cultural Treasures, that it is our privilege to pass on to the coming centuries treasures of ages past. As a military officer, one might have expected eisenhower to use the word duty, but privilege conveys a measure of pride that he felt, knowing that history would judge both his decisions and the performance of the armies under his command. Next year the remarkable legacy will be shared with the world. With an idea we have nurtured since 2009 becoming a reality. The National World War Ii Museum Monuments Men and women gallery. The first exhibit to telling these heroes stories, the origin of your story. And now, my friends, we arrive at the most important moment in a relay race. 16 years ago, replace the legacy of the world war ii Monuments Men and women from into my hands. Today i pass the responsibility of that portion of their legacy on to you. Thank very much, robert, for those really moving a thank you very much, robert, for this very moving keynote address. Now i would like to call up colonel scott chessie for the service. Thank you, richard. Several of the members of the 2022 Army Monuments Officers Training cohort were recently appointed to u. S. Army reserves for the specific purpose of protecting Cultural Heritage and armed conflict. At this point, im going to invite those newly appointed heritage and preservation officers to come up on stage and receive their oath. Heritage and preservation officers, newly appointed post. 11. Raise your right hands. Raise your right hands. I, state your name. Having been appointed an officer in the United States Army Reserves of the United States of america in the grade of captain, i do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that i will take this obligation freely , without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of which i am about to enter. So help me god. 38 golf six. Victor herridge and preservation officers return to your s you may return to eayour sea. Why. Kiefer might. Ladies and gentlemen, well now present the certificates to the 2022 imo graduating ladies and gentlemen, we will now present the certificates to the 2022 graduating class. Class, please line up and prepared to receive your certificates. Captain william baer. Staff Sergeant Nathan butcher. Captain sonja dixon. Captain timothy bags. Major william simon. Specialist nathan butcher. Specialist nathan hamilton, pardon me. Sergeant first class, david. Colonel yousif hyder. Captain anna kaiser. Captain timothy. Staff sergeant hector. Captain peterson. Warrant officer peter. Meijer benjamin roberts. Captain william welsh. Captain aidan bassitt. Captain christopher king. Captain andrew klotz. Captain tyler low. Captain blake. And last but not least, captain jessica wagner. The ceremonial party can take their seats. I just have a f the ceremonial party can take their seats. I just have a few brief closing remarks. I am cory wagner, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative. We have so many colleagues and partners to think that you will find things in the acknowledgments on the last page of the program, so we have a read of that but quickly i would like to thank my partner who started this journey with me many years ago, and i want to thank also all of our colleagues who have supported, trained, pushed through orders and getting people quickly into their units. And all during, you know, the whole thing of covid, so thank you. I also want to give special thanks to the smithsonian cultural rescue staff who supported this dream and vision for such a long time, such a long time. And other smithsonian staff who supported the training and all the instructors who supported our training and worked so hard to realize this important program. I want to thank my boss for believing in the need and supporting us 100 all the way. Finally, my heartfelt thanks to my husband, retired major paul wagner who supported my dreams for this and continues to support as a volunteer training officer. And so last but not, ld gentlemen, may i present 2022 ld inaugural class of the army monu last but not least, ladies and gentlemen, may i present the 2022 class of the Army Monuments officers. Watch trans ones new series, books that saved america. With the library of congress, we explore key works of literature in american history. Books that have won awards, led significant societal changes and i talked about today. We will hear from experts who will shed light on the impact of these iconic works and journeys across the country to be celebrated with the authors and incredible books. Huckleberry finn by mark twain. Their eyes were watching god and free to choose. Watch our 10 part series, books that changed america, starting monday, september 18th at 9 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Cspan , our mobile video apple or log online to cspan. Org. Join us thursday for a preview of books that shaped america with librarian of congress and bestselling author Douglas Brinkley live from the library of congress. This is the 14th librarian of congress, in office since 2015. Has written and edited on president s, famous americans and other topics. Watch the preview thursday live at 7 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Cspan now, or the free mobile video app. Online now at cspan. Org