| Advertisement |
ARLINGTON, Va., June 25 (UPI) -- As the debate continues whether the Confederate flag represents Southern heritage or supremacist views in the United States, the Pentagon has stated its position on the matter -- and it's okay, for now. The U.S. Department of Defense told the Military Times Thursday that there is no current policy banning the Confederate flag -- also known as the Rebel Flag -- inside the Defense Department or among servicemen and women.
Advertisement
The flag is presently a hot button issue among Americans after a gunman killed nine people in a historic black church in South Carolina last week. Images of the accused shooter, Dylann Roof, holding a handgun and a Confederate flag have since surfaced online.
In recent days, some Americans have condemned the Rebel Flag as a symbol of racism and hate. Corporate America has also faced the issue, as stores like Walmart and Amazon.com announced new policies banning the sale of items that feature the flag.
The Pentagon said Thursday it has no such ban.
"It's not something the department is reviewing," a Defense Department spokesman told the Military Times. That, he noted, is something the four U.S. armed services would have to decide individually.
The military does, however, have policies banning symbolism that is considered overtly racist, sexist, extremist or derogatory.
The Pentagon also said Thursday that there are no plans to rename any of the 10 Southern military bases that bear the names of Confederate leaders.
Elsewhere, including South Carolina and Alabama, Southern governments are facing questions as to whether or not they should remove state facilities that are adorned with the Confederate flag.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley this week ordered that all Confederate flags be removed from the capitol grounds.
Eight statues of Confederate figures are placed around the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, though it's unclear if there will be any efforts to have them removed.
Others, however, say that the Confederate symbol is viewed by some as a sign of heritage, not hate.
"Let's face it, one of our greatest military generals in the history of our nation was [Civil War Confederate commander] Robert E. Lee," Gen. Daniel Allyn, the Army's vice chief, said in the Times report.
"For many Americans, the flag came to represent the South as a region," Civil War author Craig Warren said. "For many white southerners today, it still symbolizes regional pride."
