Sugar-coating history? Mayor pushes to desegregate South Carolina war memorial.

A war memorial in a small South Carolina city serves as more than just a monument to the fallen soldiers of World War I and II; it is a reminder of the country’s racially segregated past. The Greenwood, S.C., memorial currently separates soldiers into two categories, “white” and “colored,” showcasing the racial segregation of the US army during the wars.

But while the mayor of Greenwood would like to alter the memorial to remove painful memories of racial segregation, some historians say its historical integrity should be preserved to serve as a reminder of the past.

"Segregation was the accepted social order of that time," said Eric Williams, who spent 32 years as a historian with the US Park Service, the Associated Press reported. "If we alter the monument, we alter its historical integrity.” ...