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| Hubertus Strughold |
Should an
American award be named after a man who worked on
experiments for Nazi concentration camps? The Space Medicine Association (SMA)
is currently discussing this issue. Every year the SMA gives out the Hubertus Strughold Award, which is named after a man who played a large role in helping
American astronauts walk on the moon. Subsequent to Strughold's death, though,
US Army Intelligence documents were released, proving that he was involved in
experiments in Germany during World War II that assisted the Nazi Regime. The
experiments he worked on were extremely harsh and killed hundreds of inmates
at Dachau concentration camp.
Due to his involvement with the Nazis, many of Strughold's honors have been stripped. A library at Brooks Air Force Base was named after him, but his name has been taken down. Likewise, his image on a mural at Ohio State University was removed. On the other hand, the Space Medicine Association has not changed the name of the Hubertus Strughold Award...yet. This article from The Wall Street Journal quotes Professor Proctor, a critic of the award's name, who says, "You can't whitewash history." I question this comment...haven't we whitewashed history plenty of times before? Take George Washington for example. Most just think of him as a hero and altogether ignore the fact that he owned slaves. Franklin Roosevelt, another American hero, had affairs with women while he was married, but it’s rare to hear mention of that. Many American people focus solely on the good that these men did for our country, whitewashing the flawed parts of their lives.
Clearly loads of respect toward Strughold has been lost, and rightfully so, but why can't he be honored for his accomplishments (as the two men listed above were), instead of dishonored for his wrongs? How do we change the present because of certain pasts, but not others? Where is the line drawn?
Due to his involvement with the Nazis, many of Strughold's honors have been stripped. A library at Brooks Air Force Base was named after him, but his name has been taken down. Likewise, his image on a mural at Ohio State University was removed. On the other hand, the Space Medicine Association has not changed the name of the Hubertus Strughold Award...yet. This article from The Wall Street Journal quotes Professor Proctor, a critic of the award's name, who says, "You can't whitewash history." I question this comment...haven't we whitewashed history plenty of times before? Take George Washington for example. Most just think of him as a hero and altogether ignore the fact that he owned slaves. Franklin Roosevelt, another American hero, had affairs with women while he was married, but it’s rare to hear mention of that. Many American people focus solely on the good that these men did for our country, whitewashing the flawed parts of their lives.
Clearly loads of respect toward Strughold has been lost, and rightfully so, but why can't he be honored for his accomplishments (as the two men listed above were), instead of dishonored for his wrongs? How do we change the present because of certain pasts, but not others? Where is the line drawn?
Interesting discussion here. Can we separate the "dancer from the dance" (to quote Yeats). This is a provocative post. I'd give a little more bio of this man in the post itself. Doesn't much of the answers to your question rest on the extent of his activities, the nature of his work, and for our purposes most of all his Americanness.
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