On October 26, 2018, US President Donald Trump designated a 380-acre site at Camp Nelson, Nicholasville, Kentucky, a national monument to honor the role played by African American soldiers in the US Civil War.

An estimated 180,000 African American soldiers fought on the Union’s side during the Civil War.

He is being pilloried in the media and on social media for this wonderful monument and they wonder why no one trusts the media. LA Times made it about how awful we are to have enslaved people, Gizmodo sarcastically said, “Earther Trump use a law he seems to hate…”, and so on. The hateful comments are not worth repeating. It’s better to concentrate on this effort to unite Americans and to honor these men who served our country.

THIS IS ABOVE POLITICS, IT’S ABOUT RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

Camp Nelson in central Kentucky, was a Union Army depot during the Civil War that became a recruiting center for about 22,000 black soldiers and a refugee camp for their families.

Saturday, the camp became the country’s latest national monument, the first area to gain the designation under President Trump.

“Today, the site is one of the best-preserved landscapes and archeological sites associated with United States Colored Troops recruitment and the refugee experiences of African American slaves seeking freedom during the Civil War,” Trump wrote in a proclamation creating the 373-acre site, which was donated to the federal government by Jessamine County.

“Camp Nelson reminds us of the courage and determination possessed by formerly enslaved African Americans as they fought for their freedom,” he continued.

“The story here is a story about fighting for freedom in a slave, Union state,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said at the ceremony.

“We don’t hide from history. We learn from history. This history is an important part of American history and story.”

“At a time in our country when there are divisions, this is the real story of America,” U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) said.

“This is the right place, and it is above politics,” Zinke said. “This is red, white and blue.”