Marine Corps Bans Displays of Confederate Battle Flag Following Floyd Death

Paula Liu
By Paula Liu
June 8, 2020US News
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Marine Corps Bans Displays of Confederate Battle Flag Following Floyd Death
U.S. Marines march in the Veterans Day Parade in New York City on Nov. 11, 2019. President Donald Trump, the first sitting U.S. president to attend New York's parade, offered a tribute to veterans ahead of the 100th annual parade which draws thousands of vets and spectators from around the country and world. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The United States Marine Corps is banning all instances of symbolism reflective of the Confederate battle flag in public view following the death of George Floyd.

In a message, the Marine Corps said that public displays would include but are not limited to public spaces like bumper stickers, clothing, mugs, posters, and flags.

The U.S. Marine Corps stated that the reason for the change is that the confederate flag had often been associated and co-opted by “violent extremists,” as well as “racist groups” with “divisive beliefs.” Furthermore, the Marines stated that these ideologies and actions have no place in the corps.

“Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness, the use of the confederate battle had on our society. This presents a threat to our core values, unit cohesion, security, and good order and discipline,” the message read.

David Berger, the Marine Corps commandant General, indicated back in April that the Marines must face head-on the very things that divide and threaten team cohesion.

“We must remove those symbols that have the effect of division and not mere disagreement,” Berger wrote.

The order indicated that the inspection and removal of these confederate flags is the responsibility of each unit commander and all inspections should be done as indicated by the Marine Administrative Message.

“Commanders must exercise best judgement and discretion consistent with this when conducting inspections,” the message read. However, the message suggests consulting with their respective staff judge advocate when running across questionable situations.

According to the Marine Administrative Message, this directive applies to the total force.

However, it stated that this directive of removing the Confederate battle flag from Marine Corp Installations does not apply to some instances, namely, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the Museum at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego, Parris Island, or any Marine Installation that “addresses the civil war from a neutral, historical, or educational perspective.”

Confederate Navy jack flag
A Confederate Navy jack flag sits at the base of Confederate Mound, a memorial to more than 4,000 Confederate prisoners of war who died in captivity at Camp Douglas and are buried around the monument in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 23, 2017. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In addition, while performing inspections to remove instances of the Confederate battle flag, the message said that commanders are not allowed to look and search inside individually-assigned rooms or living quarters, desk drawers, cabinet drawers, lockers, bags, private automobiles, or housing that’s owned or operated by the government.

However, places that can be searched and inspected include all workplaces and locations that are of common access to individuals. These include but are not limited to: office buildings, facilities, boats, vessels, aircrafts, government vehicles, hangars, ready rooms, conference rooms, individual offices, cubicles, storage rooms, tools and equipment rooms, workshops, break rooms, galleys, recreational areas, commissaries, Navy and Marine Corps exchanges, and heads.

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