The Pentagon is moving to ban the display of the Confederate flag on military bases with a new policy that doesn’t mention the controversial banner.
Fox News reported it obtained a copy of a memo that lists the type of flags that will be allowed. They include the American flag and the banners of the military branches, U.S. states and territories and NATO along with the POW/MIA flag.
The report said the new policy effectively will ban the Confederate banner.
“Flags are powerful symbols, particularly in the military community for whom flags embody common mission, common histories, and the special, timeless bond of warriors,” stated the memo, which was signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
The Confederate flag was a favorite among NASCAR fans until the organization banned it this year. It was painted on the roof of the “General Lee” car made famous by the “Dukes of Hazzard” television show.
President Trump has criticized the moves to banish it, calling it a free speech issue.
But it has been specifically targeted by elements of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Esper’s memo states: “The flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect, and rejecting divisive symbols.”
Fox noted some state officials have taken down Confederate monuments and symbols because of the Confederacy’s legacy of slavery. “But many activists have since moved on to targeting past figures and symbols of U.S. history in general.”
Trump explained he knows people who like the Confederate flag, “and they’re not thinking about slavery.”
“You go to NASCAR. You had those flags all over the place. They stopped it. I just think it’s freedom of speech, whether it’s Confederate flags or Black Lives Matter or anything else you want to talk about. It’s freedom of speech,” he said in an interview with CBS News.
The military service branches already have begun working on bans of the Confederate flag, with the Marine Corps adopting a prohibition.
The Hill reported the policy applies to the display of flags in public spaces on all Pentagon property, such as office buildings, ships, aircraft, barracks, houses and porches.
The “unauthorized flags,” however, still will be allowed in museum exhibits, on state license plates and a few other locations, such as monuments.
House Democrats have announced plans for a bill to ban the Confederate flag outright.
