Berlin Blog question 1

One of the most distinct ways in which the U.S. and Germany memorialize their history differently, is where it's memorialized. In Germany there are plenty of public/random bits of history, such as the graffiti in the Reichstag, the line of the Berlin Wal, and the tower of the kaiser wilhelm church. When thinking about U.S. history memorials, most of them can be found in museums, taken from their original home, or constructed in such designated areas like around the Washington D.C. Mall. In contrast the German Holocaust Memorial is in it's own area, an area frequented by it's citizens daily.
The only memorial that comes to mind that contradicts my argument of memorializing bits of history where they originally stood, would be the Pearl Harbor memorial of the US Arizona. For that particular artifact of history, one needs to charter a boat to the middle of the harbor and the memorial is built around the sunken ship. However if I remember correctly the sunken ship had to remain under water, because it couldn't be brought up or maintained correctly.
Also when watching a Frontline documentary about the process of creating the German Holocaust Memorial (link found on d2l), the argument was brought up that this was Germany displaying something they as as nation were at fault for. The man in this video then pointed out that the United States had never really done that, his example being the United States mistreatment of the Native Americans (Trail of Tears). When trying to think about American memorials the ones that comes to mind are those in D.C., the Oklahoma City bombing, and 9.11 memorials. The Oklahoma City bombing was done by one man, not the government, 911 was a result of terrorist attacks, and the DC memorials are mainly war related. Even such a frowned upon, mainly U.S. war, the Vietnam War, doesn't recognize U.S. faults and blatant disregard for human life.
There is a wall commemorating all of the U.S. fallen soldiers, as there should be; however what about the U.S. treatment of the Hmong, our unfulfilled promise to grant them all U.S citizenship. Still today it's been documented in TIME ASIA, that there are still a great percentage of the Hmong population hiding in the jungles of Loas, afraid of being prosecuted and killed by the Government for aiding the U.S. during the war. And what about the live of our ally Hmong that were ostentatiously ruined by the use of Agent Orange along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. No where that I know of, does the U.S. memorialize these faults or even the Hmong who gave their lives while aiding the U.S. military.
Lastly I would like to bring up the U.S. Civil War. I'm not much of a history buff and I've never really paid attention to Civil War memorials; however I think that it is an interesting debate when it comes to the Confederate (rebel) Flag. Some people view it as a way of memorializing family members that fraught in the war, some view it as just a flag displaying southern pride, and then there are those who use it and/or who view it as a blatant symbol of racism. One country, one symbol, a variety of views.