We have a former SS officer buried at Arlington. Should he be removed?

Back in late September, much was made of the Canadian Parliament, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, giving a former Ukrainian SS officer, one Yaroslav Hunka, a standing ovation as a part of Zelenksyy's visit asking for more aid in Ukraine's fight against the Russians.

A quick look at Hunka's bio indicates he was a member of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division.  Born in what was then Poland, he enlisted in the SS in 1943. Like Zelenskyy, he is also Jewish.

During World War Two, the 14th Waffen was part of the Grenadier Division SS.  The regiment was largely made up of ethnic Ukrainian volunteers from Galacia.

It was founded in 1943 to fight Soviets on the Eastern Front.

Fight the Soviets on the Eastern Front.

I was unable to find allegations that Hunka individually participated in war crimes. There are, however, allegations that his unit, the 1st Galician, committed war crimes. So, the essential issue seems to be that he was assigned to an SS unit. But the unit did engage in combat with Soviets for almost the remainder of the war in Europe, taking tremendous casualties along the way.

There was a huge outcry against the Canadian government, against their Parliament and against their Speaker of the House who ultimately resign.  Many of those leading the charge remain opposed to providing aid to Ukraine... and saw this as just another sign that Putin is correct, that his effort in Ukraine is to "clean out the Nazis."

Meanwhile, another individual followed the same path from a different area.

SS-Untersturmführer (Lieutenant) Lauri Torni

Torni was a Finnish soldier who fought under three flags: as a Finnish Army Second Lieutenant of the Fourth Independent Jäger Infantry Battalion against the Soviets in the Winter War and the Soviet-Finnish sub-theater of World War II known as the Continuation War; as a German Army Captain (under the alias Larry Lane) of the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS when he fought the Soviets on the Eastern Front in World War II in Sondercommando Nord.

Fought the Soviets' on the Eastern Front.

After changing his name, he went on to serve as a United States Army Captain (under the alias “Larry Thorne”) when he served in the U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War.

While I've been unable to find out much about Hunka's war record, Torni was a made-for-TV movie.

He was awarded medals for bravery in combat by Finland (Mannerheim Cross) Germany (Iron Cross) and the United States (Combat Infantry Badge, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and 2 Purple Hearts.)

He was also Special Forces and Master Parachutist Qualified.

                                US Army CPT Larry Thorne, promoted posthumously to Major.

While deployed in the Vietnam War, he was killed in a helicopter crash and his remains were not recovered until 1999, and he was subsequently buried in Arlington with full military honors.

There are, of course, similarities between Torni and Hunka.  Among those are the allegations that the Davison to which Torni was assigned, the SS Division Viking, did, in fact, participate in war crimes. I was, however, unable to find any allegations against Torni.

The differences are there between the two.  But so are the similarities.  

This begs the issue: if Hunka, the subject of scorn and derision is to be hated for his association with the SS as a teenager and the subsequent "scandal" have cost the Canadian Speaker of the House his position in Canada, should the remains of Major Thorne, who was in the SS in his mid-20s, be dug up and sent back to Finland?

If we are to give Thorne a pass considering his SS record of fighting what amounts today as Russians... then  why doesn't Hunka receive a similar pass for his service in fighting what amounts today as Russians?

I'd really like to know. And so far, as many times as I've asked that question, I have yet to get an answer.