Confederate battle flag: Marines have removed the Confederate flag from bases, DOD considering a ban service wide

DOD is considering banning the Confederate battle flag military wide. the Marine Corps had already done so 3 June 2020. The decision is in the works currently to include all branches of service and establishments.

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS AND THE SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE MARINE CORPS

Marines and Sailors, last summer, in my planning guidance, I stated there is no place in our Corps for racists – whether their intolerance and prejudice be direct or indirect, intentional or unintentional. As a continuation of that declaration, in April, I addressed the removal of the Confederate battle flag from our bases, and explained my views behind that decision. I wrote, “Anything that divides us, anything that threatens team cohesion, must be addressed head-on.”

Current events are a stark reminder that it is not enough for us to remove symbols that cause division – rather, we also must strive to eliminate division itself. The trust Marines place in one another on a daily basis demands this. Only as a unified force, free from discrimination, racial inequality, and prejudice can we fully demonstrate our core values, and serve as the elite warfighting organization America requires and expects us to be.

To this end, Sergeant Major Black and I encourage commanders and leaders at all levels to have a conversation with their Marines and Sailors, and ask that in doing so, all actively listen.  By listening, we learn, by learning, we change.  The path to a more just and equal Marine Corps begins with these conversations.

On June 24, 2015 National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis asked park superintendents to work with their partners and bookstore operators to voluntarily withdraw from sale items that solely depict a Confederate flag. 

“We strive to tell the complete story of America,” National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said of the agency’s reputation for telling difficult parts of our history. “All sales items in parks are evaluated based on educational value and their connection to the park. Any stand-alone depictions of Confederate flags have no place in park stores.” 
Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent Ed Clark asked the Gettysburg Foundation to consider this request. This morning, the Gettysburg Foundation President Joanne Hanley requested the bookstore operator, Event Network, to comply with the request. 

Hanley said, “We are committed to our partnership with the National Park Service at Gettysburg for the preservation of resources and for outstanding educational programs.”