Forgive Benedict Arnold

You all know the story of Benedict Arnold. You know, Connecticut's "State Traitor" who we were all taught to hate in 5th grade? He may not be as much of a traitor as we think he is. 

I just returned from a trip to London where my family, Revolutionary War eggheads, made a homage to Benedict Arnold by visiting his grave. We've always loved the Revolutionary War, and countless audiobooks and trips to battlefields gave me a new perspective on the war that formed our country rather than the standard stuff I learned in 5th grade. And one person I saw from a different view was Benedict Arnold.

Benedict Arnold was like any other man of the time. He . He was a patriot. He joined the Continental Army and became a great general, leading his men in the takeover of Saratoga and defended Danbury. But he was ignored by the Continental Congress. He was never promoted when men of lower rank were. And when lazy General Horatio Gates took credit for taking Saratoga while Arnold was on the front lines commanding his men, it pushed Arnold over the edge.

He formed a friendship with John Andre, a popular British officer, and together they planned for the British to take control of West Point, an instrumental fort on the Hudson. However, the plan went south when Andre was caught by some patriots and they discovered the plan which Andre had written down hidden in his boot. Because he was wearing civilian clothes and not his officer's uniform, Andre was convicted of spying and was hung by the Americans. Arnold made it off to the British war ship safely, but he was never accepted by the British. He died in London with his wife Margaret Shippen. 

But back to the present day. Aside from calling backstabbers Benedict Arnolds, Arnold has been labeled as a traitor, nothing more. Nobody knows, or wants to know about who he was before he joined the British, or why he did. Nobody knows that without Arnold, we wouldn't have won the war. Without Arnold, we may not be the United States of America.

My mom was the one who made the appointment to see Arnold's grave in the basement crypt-turned-kindergarten of St. Mary's church in the Battersea section of London. A woman with a strong Austrian accent led us inside three at a time to see the grave. She shoved aside some Tupperware boxes of toys so we could have a closer look. Then she took a picture of me, my brother, and my mom in front of it and gave us a tour of the church. And that was that. 

Benedict Arnold's grave was in a kindergarten class.

But Arnold may not have even had a tombstone if it weren't for the late Connecticut senator Bill Stanley. Stanley raised money to buy a tombstone with his motto, "If we can forgive the Japanese for Pearl Harbor, why can't we forgive him?"

And he's totally right. Arnold may have joined the British, but can't you see why? Nobody appreciated him. Everybody ignored him. Arnold had a tough life, but if it weren't for him, we may not be living the lives we have now. And I think a person like that deserves more than a grave next to a fishbowl.

What do you think? Should we forgive Arnold? What would you have done if you were him? (be honest)