US Navy plans to ban Confederate battle flag on ships
June 10, 2020
US naval operations admiral Mike Gilday said he had directed his staff to draft an order that would prohibit the Confederate battle flag "from all public spaces and work areas aboard Navy installations, ships, aircraft and submarines."
His statement issued by the Navy Tuesday coincided with the funeral in Houston, Texas, for George Floyd, a black man whose killing in Minneapolis in the hands of white police on May 25 has crystalized protests worldwide over racism.
Many Americans view the Confederate flag as a symbol of former slavery and persistent racist discrimination.
Some, especially in America's "South" see it, however, as a source of pride in remembrance of soldiers who fell during America's 19th century Civil War.
Flag removed over 'power to inflame' division
The US Navy's intended removal of the Confederate flag follows a similar order to the Marine Corps by its commander General David Berger last week.
Berger said the flag "carries the power to inflame feelings of division."
Read more: More than a piece of cloth: the Confederate flag
His command last Friday in a separate statement, said the Confederate battle flag had "all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps."
Ten major US Army installations carry former Confederate officers' names, reported AP, including Fort Benning, named after a slavery advocate.
Another is North Carolina's Fort Bragg, where retired four-star general David Petraeus served. Writing in The Atlantic, he said the moment had come "for us to pay such attention" and follow procedures in Army renaming moves.
'Bipartisan conservation' urged
Reuters Tuesday quoted a US Army spokesman as saying Secretary Ryan McCarthy was willing to open a bipartisan conversation about renaming Army bases named after former Confederate leaders.
Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot, wrote Monday to US military service heads urging them to follow Marine Corps Berger's example of banning public displays of the Confederate battle flag.
The US Senate, meanwhile, has confirmed General Charles Brown as chief of staff of the US Air Force, making him the first African-American military service chief.
Read more: Opinion: US racism part of everyday life
The Senate voted 98-0 at a session presided over the US Vice President Mike Pence, making an unusual appearance in the Republic-led chamber.
Brown, currently commander of America's Pacific Air Forces and who graduated in 1984 at Texas Tech University, recounting in a video Tuesday how he was "often the only African American in my squadron."
"I'm thinking about wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers and being questioned by another military member: 'Are you a pilot?'," said Brown, his voice raw.
The 58-year-old general and fighter pilot with 2,900 flying hours, including 130 in combat, said he would work as Air Force chief to ensure diversity.
Few reach top ranks
Black people make up only 9% of officer corps in the US military although as a whole the characteristic "black" is said to apply to 19% of all active-duty enlisted troops.
Read more: How US police avoid scrutiny and keep power
Among those US officers, only 71 are general or flag officers — wearing one to four stars, including only two who have attained the top four-star rank, according to Associated Press.
The most diverse was the US Army, with 21% African Americans, but with the Marine Corp at only 10%.
Within the Navy 17% were regarded as black and less than 15% in the Air Force.
ipj/rc (AP, Reuters)