Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2025—No Mention of Israeli and US Genocide of Gaza from US Government
Colonel (Ret) Ann Wright
On January 24, 2025, the Veterans Administration of the Pacific region sent out a notice to all veterans registered in the Pacific region to not forget Holocaust Remembrance Day. Not surprisingly, the email did not say one word about the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, nor about US complicity in that genocide.
The VA email, which other federal agencies probably duplicate to their workforce and clients, reads:
"On January 27, 2025, we observe Holocaust Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion to reflect on one of history's darkest periods. The Holocaust began with the opening of the Dachau Concentration Camp on March 22, 1933, and ended with the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945. During this time, millions of innocent people—among them those with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of Jewish heritage, and Romani communities—were systematically exterminated.
Let this day serve as a reminder to treat all individuals with dignity and respect and to guard against judgment and prejudice in all its forms."
Without mentioning the ongoing Israeli genocide of Gaza with the complicity of US politicians and federal workers of the Biden administration, the remembrance of the World War 2 holocaust degrades the horrific events 80 years ago. The oft-spoken phrase used in connection with the Holocaust, "Never Forget," rings hollow when our government blatantly and without remorse continues to participate in a genocide in which 47,000 Palestinians have been murdered by US bombs delivered by the Israeli military.
As was done after the World War 2 genocide, we must hold all the perpetrators of the genocide, whether in Israel or the United States, accountable for the internationally recognized crime of GENOCIDE.
Please read my articles about the senior women of the Biden administration complicit in the Israeli genocide of Gaza and all the pious Catholics in the Biden administration who implemented the genocide policies of the United States.
Pacific Islanders and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies Gutted by the Trump Administration
At the end of the Pacific Islands VA email sent to all US veterans in the Pacific region, most of whom are from minority populations that have not been included in many programs and who have not been treated equitably, the email states that in compliance with new Trump administration directives, "Per the Executive Order on Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing, the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) has discontinued all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Programs. Equal Opportunity Employment (EEO) is available as needed."
Ann Wright served 29 years in the US Army/Army Reserves and retired as a Colonel. She was also a US diplomat for 16 years. She served in US Embassies in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. She resigned from the US government in March 2003 in opposition to the US war on Iraq. She is the co-author of "Dissent: Voices of Conscience."