Mending a monumental mistake, by Nicole Brodeur, Seattle Times, October 29, 2010

OCTOBER 22, 2010

Congressman John Lewis, one of the leading lights of the American Civil Rights Movement, wanted to see for himself.

Rep. Lewis (D-GA) joined Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and two federal judges from the Western District of Washington--Chief Judge Hon. Robert Lasnik and Hon. Richard A. Jones--for a 90-minute tour of historic Fort Lawton sites at Seattle's Discovery Park. The tour included the gravesite of Italian prisoner of war Guglielmo Olivotto, the fort's parade grounds, and the remote so-called "Colored Area" where African American soldiers and Italian prisoners of war were quartered side-by-side.

Rep. Lewis was in Seattle at the invitation of Rep. McDermott, who has asked his staff to study the possibility of erecting information signs in the Park to introduce visitors to the 1944 Fort Lawton court-martial and its aftermath.

Judge Lasnik offered his impressions of the tour in his Federal Bar Association column. We'll post excerpts soon. Here is a brief quote:

"Just walking the trails where that mammoth miscarriage of justice occurred over 65 years ago would be emotional enough for anyone.  Yet the experience was further enhanced by the fact that Judge Jones and I shared this walk with none other than Congressman John Lewis himself.  When they met, Congressman Lewis said to Judge Jones, “Thank you for your service.”  Judge Jones responded, “Thank you for all you did to make it possible for me to have this position.”  It was a memorable moment between two remarkable men."