Following Marine Corps order to ban Confederate battle flags at all Marine installations, the US Navy announced that is working on the flag’s removal within its bases, ships, aircraft, and submarines.
In light of the situation, spokesman Commander Nate Christensen said in a statement:
The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, has directed his staff to begin crafting an order that would prohibit the Confederate battle flag from all public spaces and work areas aboard Navy installations, ships, aircraft and submarines. The order is meant to ensure unit cohesion, preserve good order and discipline, and uphold the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment.
For the records, Marine Corps posted on Twitter that the Confederate battle flag had “all too often been co-opted by violent extremists and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in their Corps”.
Following the widespread protests over the death of George Floyd two weeks ago, many state and local leaders were convinced to remove racist symbols in public spaces.
Namely, officials in Virginia, Alabama and Florida have been taking down Confederate statues and displays while in some cases, protesters are destroying the markers themselves.
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.
…Marine Corps Commandant General David H. Berger concluded.
