Here's a story that I hope everyone will relate to.
I run the NJ State Aviation Museum. One of the more famous and tragic events in New Jersey's history was the loss of the Hindenburg in May of 1937 at Lakehurst.
The original company that insured the Hindenburg, USAIG, is still thriving in NYC, right across the river from us. USAIG contacted us and asked if wanted a large (8ft) model of the Hindenburg they had commissioned for the 50th anniversary of the disaster.
We received the model and it's on display in the museum. Last year, we had a Yashiva group visit from Brooklyn. We get a large percentage of visitors from the Orthodox Jewish community. One of the chaperones, a mother, started making a scene, yelling, and tearing me apart because of the swastikas on the stabilizer of the model.
Before I had chance to reply, the rabbi interjected and addressed the group. His comments were that the markings on the tail had a significant meaning because of the terrible things (and people) associated with it. Removing the markings because they offend you is not the proper thing to do, especially in a historical context such as this. He closed by saying that if we make everyone remove the symbols of history, however bad it might be, then we are in effect 'sweeping it under the rug', and trying to deny that it ever happened. That is were we are wrong, because eventually, it will be forgotten, and all of the suffering that image caused will have been done in vain.
Now, I'm not Jewish, I'm not even religious, but it was very noble words from a wise man.
The models we build represent machines, not politics, or people. Historically, we can at look at just about anything and find someone or some cultural group that could take offense to it. Native Americans aren't fond of the US Cavalry. I was born and raised on an Indian reservation. No one wanted to be the cowboys when we played cowboys and Indians...kinda ironic, huh?
Please remember something...fighter planes, tanks, bombs, rockets, warships, and guns don't kill people. People kill people. Therein lies the irony. We model weapons of destruction, yet we, as decent humans, should abhor war. As soldiers, we train for war, yet all real soldiers despise war and pray for peace.
Sorry, had to rant.
Jeff Herne
Director, NJ Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum
www.njahof.org