HARRISBURG — Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) issued the following statement after vandals severely damaged several monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the desecration of historic monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park. These actions are not protest, not expression and not harmless mischief — they are acts of vandalism and desecration that dishonor the memory of the brave Americans who fought, suffered and died on this sacred ground.
“Gettysburg is hallowed ground. As President Abraham Lincoln reminded the nation here, ‘four score and seven years ago’ our fathers brought forth a nation ‘conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.’ The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War and in the struggle to end the evil of slavery. It tested whether that nation — or any nation so conceived and so dedicated — could long endure.
“This place is not abstract history to me. I have spent countless hours at Gettysburg walking the battlefield and monuments, educating families, students and visitors about the many battles fought here over the course of several critical days and explaining what the outcomes of those battles signified for the survival of the Union and the future of liberty in America. Gettysburg is where history comes alive, where Americans can see — not just read about — the terrible cost of freedom and the sacrifices required to secure it.
“The monuments that stand at Gettysburg do not glorify war; they commemorate sacrifice. They honor citizen-soldiers who gave what Lincoln called ‘the last full measure of devotion,’ so that the nation might have, in his words, ‘a new birth of freedom.’ To deface these memorials is to dishonor not only the men who fought here, but the cause of equality and civil rights that their sacrifice helped advance.
“The damage inflicted is especially troubling because many of these monuments are constructed of porous historic stone and bronze, materials that readily absorb oil-based substances. This makes restoration extraordinarily difficult, time-consuming and costly. In some cases, the damage may never be fully reversed. The financial burden of restoration will fall on taxpayers and preservation professionals, diverting resources that should be used to preserve history and educate future generations — not to repair acts of reckless disrespect.
“As the state senator for the district that includes Gettysburg, I will not remain silent while this sacred place is violated. Those responsible must be held fully accountable, and every effort must be made to restore and safeguard these monuments so that future generations may continue to learn from this defining chapter of our national story.
“Gettysburg reminds us that the freedoms we enjoy were purchased at an immeasurable price. We owe it to those who fought here — and to Lincoln’s enduring vision that ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth’ — to preserve this hallowed ground with the reverence it deserves. Pennsylvania, and the nation, must stand united in making one thing clear: the desecration of our history, our heroes and our shared ideals will not be tolerated.”
CONTACT: Don Beishl