Statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee being taken down in Charlottesville
CBSN
Work has begun Saturday morning to take down a Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, nearly four years ago. A crane was moving into place and workers were preparing to hoist the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee away.
Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker gave a speech in front of reporters and observers as the crane neared the monument. "Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain," Walker said.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.