Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth backed up his decision to return a Confederate monument to Arlington National Cemetery removed by “the woke lemmings” who have erased Confederate symbols from American culture. The Reconciliation Monument, a memorial to the Confederacy, was removed from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in 2023.

The memorial was removed in 2023 at the recommendation of a commission appointed by Congress to rid the military of Confederate symbols and names.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday that a statue commemorating the Confederacy would be returned to Arlington National Cemetery. The statue, which Hegseth referred to as “The Reconciliation Monument,” was removed in 2023.