Feelings on displaying the Confederate flag on your POV or person while on a military installation?

1. Seems divisive. If we're going to get our drawers knotted over some USMA cadets raising fists, then that flag seems like it should be an even bigger issue.

2. The men who went to war under that flag went to war for a set of ideals. Some of those ideals are good, some not. In the 21st Century, a person flying that flag has to understand and accept the fact that that "movement" attempted to destroy the country, enslaved MILLIONS and the racial tensions and disparities that existed under that system have yet to be fully rectified. And maybe never will.

3. I am thick-skinned. You can't offend me by flying a flag. Any flag. And hell, I like guns n' freedom as much or more than most folks flying that flag. And by flying that flag, you have to not just accept the historical negatives, but the contemporary associations based on the fringe groups who have co-opted the symbol. So I figure that if you're aware of all that and still choose to ride out under that flag, you and I aren't going to have much to talk about.

The Confederate Flag is misunderstood. It was never carried into battle.

Each state carried its State Flag into battle, as there was more sense of belonging to a state than a nation (obviously) during the Civil War.

So for those who think that the Confederate Flag everyone sees now, was a battle standard, are mistaken. And while we're talking about misconceptions, the Civil War was NOT about slavery; it was about States' Rights vs. Preserving the Union. Lincoln himself was ambivalent about slavery, and wrote that if he could preserve the Union without abolishing slavery, he would do that. Slavery was simply a wedge issue that became a theme in the war.

I circled around to look at this thread and saw the comments were still going strong by a few. This reminds me of Anthropological Global Warming discussions where some refuse to see the view of the other side ("It's a symbol of pride and history and if you don't see it, you're ignorant!" ... "it's a hate symbol and if you fly it you're nothing but a racist!"). As LTC Paul Labrador, pointed out you need to accept the impact that symbols like this has on others - positively or negatively.

Is it a symbol of pride and history? Yes! Is it a symbol of racism? Yes! Many on both sides are correct and incorrect at the same time because as long as you discount the views of those in disagreement, then all you have is a narrow view of what "The Truth" is. The fact is that the majority of individuals have a neutral view and don't have strong feelings one way or another.

Army Command Policy specifically gives the Commander the authority to order the removal of symbols, flags, posters, or other displays in order to maintain good order and discipline (I suspect other Services do as well). As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, it's another CAN versus SHOULD situation.

There are some individuals who will go out of the way to find something to be offended by. On the other hand, there might be a sizable population of people that might have a negative view instead of a few individuals. Determining which is the case and the appropriate actions needed in order to maintain the good order and discipline of the organization is the role thrust upon the Commander in these situations.

Tough call. The meat of the matter is really intent. The problem with that is that its difficult to impossible to determine intent at first glance, so someone who sees it as a symbol of racial division and hate and will be very offended, while someone else will see it as a symbol of home, and will not be.

My knee-jerk reaction is that Military Installations are just better off without it. Our bases serve one flag.

I know of no regulation preventing it, when I lived in the barracks as a private, I had one hanging in my room, I feel that is about the same as Spanish heritage Americans flying the flag of their heritage. The civil war is over, but it is still a part of my heritage. I had kin folk that fought and died in that war. Teach your people to honor each other as a person and try to understand each others past. Do you also tell the other people not to fly other countries flags where their ancestors come from? stop looking for conflict and focus on respect for individuals.

First off by saying that in recent years I found out about my family history, and that alot of my mother's ancestors fought for the Confederacy(but some Union, too.). I always kind of knew that, and was proud of it. My ancestors definitely were not slaveholders, but loyal to their home state. Really confused some people around me, in school and such, that I was proud to have that heritage.(I went to HS in NJ, alot of Blacks in that school.) The majority of men that fought for the South, was just out of of patriotism for Virginia, or South Carolina, or Georgia...their home state, in the South it was just about their native state. The flag only really became a symbol of hate was when some Southern states flew them above their statehouses to defy integration. Really though, the US flag could be considered one too, because slavery was flown under that one way more. In reality, a flag is just a piece of fabric, sewn up in such a way to look like something. It's how people act, towards it's honor or disrespect, is how it should be truly valued.

I wear a belt buckle with an American and Confederate flag on it. When I checked into my first command a black chief told me that I probably shouldn't wear it, but it didn't offend him, it might offend others. I asked him if he was telling me not to wear it as an order or as a person. he told me as a person so I walked off. People often see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism but it really just stands for the people that finally said enough to the governments oppression and exercised their rights to create a separate country ran by states rather than big government. I proudly wear mine. I get dirty looks but those individuals are narrow minded.

The Stars and Bars on the bottom left was the national flag for the Confederate States of America. The flag on the right is most mistakenly known as the "Stars and Bars" and also mistaken as the national flag of the confederacy. There was much confusion on the battlefield when the Stars and Bars was used as many confederate soldiers confused it with the US flag as it both looked similar from a distance. Generals in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia came up with the battle flag on the right to create an esprit de corp on the battlefield and to remove the confusion resulting in the confederacy's national flag looking similar to the Stars and Stripes.

I live in Georgia and grew up in the South during the majority of my youth. Not one of my friends who displays the confederate battle flag does in support of slavery or for any racist reason. They utilize it to demonstrate the love they have in their southern heritage, especially when it comes to states' rights issues while the federal government imposes its will where it infringes on those rights.

The flag does not offend me one way or another. I believe slavery is wrong and I'm grateful our nation no longer participates in it. During my 25-year career, it never bothered me to see the flag displayed in one form or another on vehicles on or off post, nor did it bother me to see it displayed in one form or another in soldiers' rooms in the barracks. I understand some people are offended by it because they look at it being displayed as a support of slavery, but slavery no longer exists in this country, nor will it ever exist again. It's time to just move on.

How the Confederate Flag Saved My Father’s Life
(This is a true story Based on Interviews from several members of My Fathers Unit in Vietnam, SFC Jim Ross, SFC AL Lingo, SFC Ernest C. Peters and others.)
By Darrell W. Peters

I realize when people see the Confederate Battle Flag it evokes a lot of emotion. Some organizations have even used it as a symbol of hate. Yet having a Grandfather who was born months before the Civil War and having family who fought on both sides of that war and who fought and died for what they believed in. I suppose I look at the symbols of the War of the Rebellion through different eyes.

During the Vietnam War well over One Hundred years at the end of the Civil War the Confederate Battle Flag saved my father’s life. It seems that the Unit my father had been attached to had two shifts of cooks. One shift of cooks was from the North and they prepared food common to the Northern States, Boston Baked Beans, Corn Beef and Cabbage, Parker House Rolls, and other notable favorite foods.
The other shift of cooks was from the South They prepared food common to the Southern States, Grits and Gravy, Southern Fried Chicken and other notable food famous from the Region.

If the soldiers wanted to know which shift of cooks were preparing a meal all they had to do was look to see what flag was flying over the Field Kitchen. If it was the Stars and Stripes the Northern Boys were making the meal and if it was the Stars and Bars of the Confederacy it was the Southern Boys making the meal.

On this particular morning for Breakfast the southern boys were preparing the meal and the Stars and Bars of the Confederacy was flying over the field kitchen early that morning since Breakfast didn’t start until Six O’clock in the morning. As the day wore on an American Patrol brought captives from a Vietnamese Patrol into the camp, the North Vietnamese soldiers seemed confused. When they were questioned they wanted to know what new country had entered the war. They had never seen the strange flag that was flying early over the base before. They had orders to find an American Camp and Attack. When the North Vietnamese saw this strange flag they did not know to what country it had belonged to? They thought they found the American camp but this flag confused them to the point of not ordering an attack on the camp.

To this day I am forever grateful that the Southern boys were preparing breakfast that morning in Vietnam. The Flag of the Confederacy Flying over the Field Kitchen saved a lot of lives that day, to include the life of my father SFC Ernest Christopher Peters.

I am from Missouri, my family arrived in the USA the poor way. They arrived in New Orleans and worked their way up the Mississippi River to a German section of the St. Louis area. This was 1890's. I say all this to establish that I don't really have a steadfast connection for or against the stars and bars. I have no more a problem with one displaying the battle flag of the CSA, then one flying a flag of any other country (past or present). While I was serving as the 1sg at Ft. Hood in the late 90's, the CSM told us "By Monday I want all those flags with X on them taken down". So all CSA battle flags and all Malcom X support flags were removed. Now this caused something of a stink, I figured an X is an X, it was all or none.