LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Military historians are upset about damage to a World War II artifact caused by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's staff. Hegseth insisted on moving one of several oversized globes used by General Dwight D. Eisenhower for planning operations against Nazi Germany, NPR's Quil Lawrence reports.
QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE: General and later President Eisenhower is seen next to maps or oversized globes in many historic photos associated with the American invasion of Normandy to liberate France. Hegseth had requested one of those globes be moved into his office, and it got damaged in the haste to carry out that order last February, according to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, who tells NPR that, quote, "Antarctica has a hole in it." Historians and the military - and in particular, military historians - are quite sensitive about preserving ceremony and artifacts.
ISAIAH WILSON: Yeah, it's pretty heartbreaking, frankly.
LAWRENCE: Dr. Isaiah "Ike" Wilson is a combat veteran and historian who taught at West Point. His dad served in World War II. And, yes, his nickname Ike is after President Eisenhower. He wrote a Substack about this incident titled "The World Is Not An Office Ornament."
WILSON: Rushing to move, it may be emblematic of some of the things we see coming out of Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pentagon, to include our approach to war and warfare, and the latest piece being Iran - ready, fire, aim.
LAWRENCE: This story was first reported by The Washington Post, which published a photo of the damaged globe. The Pentagon press office sent an unsigned statement calling this an inconsequential nonstory but confirming that an accident had occurred and that the globe was being repaired. The statement also said the globe was a replica but did not elaborate or respond to follow-up questions by airtime.
Quil Lawrence, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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