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

To some people it really is JUST about southern pride.

I personally don't think the Confederate flag is offensive at all. I see it as some honoring their heritage and history. Not bragging about the past but reflecting on love for the south. My father is 76 years old. My mother is Native American (Pure) and my dad is East Indian and Black. He was so big into history that we had Confederate Flag cups, plates, actual flags, table cloths, and much more. My father showed me that everyone has history that they represent. There are others that may use the flag in negative and offensive ways but this goes for anything. For example the biggest debate I ever got in was the use of the "N" word. For African Americans to use it seems ok but for anyone else it is a huge no no. Yet i look on as many use that word now even other races. This is the same as the flag I believe. Some may take it as history and some may not. For me I think you should show who you are and not be ashamed. If someone is offended and can CLEARLY express WHY they are offended let them do so then educate them...

(This may hit some nerves but it is my opinion)

This is a very sensitive situation that is often dealt from in the military as most of the Army installations are in the south. It is hard to say how someone would perceive such a image. My Regiments linage goes as far back as the 3rd North Carolina, of which fought as a Confederate infantry regiment. There is a lot of pride for the South as you also have Civil War Memorials all over NC, to include Raleigh.

I try to step back from a situation and view it from another perspective. By being in the South it is virtually impossible but I would look to another country.

Portugal was one of the greatest colonial powers in the World. They had many colonies all over the world. The largest was Brazil. At one point the main power of Portugal was in Brazil but there was a civil war, or rebellion. Portugal lost and Brazil won it's independence. This would echo across the world and would lead to many other colonies following suit. Leading to the Portuguese version of Vietnam a century later. Of which I have family fight in Africa for Portugal.

You may ask why this is relevant. My real last name is Da Rosa. It was changed when my father came to America from Portugal. I am Portuguese. I take great pride in being Portuguese. However, if you want to insult someone who is Portuguese try calling them Brazilian. It is insulting and ignorant to me. It is not even on the same continent. It is more common than one would think.

Some may think this is nonsense but that that is exactly my point. You may see it as trivial but to some it is not. You may see it as the Confederate Flag but you may find that person that lost a family members in the past battling the confederacy. To that person it is not trivial.

While in a place of employment you should act in a professional manner. The only flag I wear is the American flag. I don't have a Portuguese flag on my car but will sport my Portugal jersey during their short span in the world cup. You wouldn't want to come across any other way that you maybe perceived in an less than professional manner. If they were off base I don't see an issue with it or if they were in a private capacity. If you are a leader and you have a Confederate flag across your back window and that young African-American soldier you just got in from Mississippi may view you in a whole different light.

I am proud to be from the south, and more importantly, from Texas. My answer will be short and to the point. I don't celebrate failure. I am not proud of failure. If someone thinks it makes them a "rebel" to display that flag...then good on them. It makes it easier to recognize people I want nothing to do with. If you are a person that is so simple that you have an emotional connection the confederate flag....well...you are a dumb ass. I'm sure if you stepped out into traffic the world would miss the contributions you would have made.

There is only one flag I am loyal to. If This seems harsh, good. I take disloyalty to the flag of the United States of America very personal. And that is exactly what this is...don't try to twist it into something else. If you do, then you would be a disloyal coward. Our country, not ourselves.

It's pretty simple - the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia (though often proportioned more like the Second Confederate Naval Jack) is a symbol of the south. If someone takes issue with it, they take issue with my adopted homeland and therefore with me.

Is it disruptive? It's only so if someone insists on being disrupted by it. I can't be held responsible if small-minded people prejudge me based on the flag. So long as the CO does not ban it, I will fly it. And if the CO does ban it, I will remove it from my truck... and then file a complaint with the CMEO over the discriminatory practice.

When I was Active Duty, I had a Confederate flag bumper sticker on my car. I'm from Alabama, and it had always been a simple symbol of my southern heritage. Back home, you could see them everywhere in little towns. I never viewed it as a racist symbol. Many of my relatives were Civil War soldiers and died under that flag. Ignorant bigots hijacked it and turned it into a representation of hate.

While everyone is entitled to their own feelings and thoughts, we as military professionals need to think seriously about how, when, and where we express them. Common sense would tell me that showing/wearing/flying the confederate flag on a military installation probably is in bad taste, and I know that I would be openly inviting conflict. I am pretty sure that individual was looking for a debate/fight, or they wouldnt have done it to begin with.

Do what you want. Just don't be surprised if you get some dirty looks.

I personally don't have a problem with that flag. Yes many people have different views of its meaning and what it stands for. I think the bigger issue is everyone in this country is offended by something a flag, the name of a football team a cross etc. Seems like most folks say they believe in the 1st amendment, liberty and the pursuit of happiness unless it offends me. Next thing you now someone won't like my cowboy boots and I will have to give them up. Silly I know but that's the world today!

Bottom line, you can't just wave a magic wand and expect all that has been represented by the Confederate Flag to go away just because you say so. If you want me to take you seriously about the "Heritage not Hate" bullshit, then convert to Buddhism and fly a swastika flag ..... THEN I'll take you seriously.

To insist that blacks MUST accept your version of what the flag is a symbol of and no other is to minimize how we've been treated, and how some of us are still treated today. That in and of itself makes me just want to walk away from you and not even know you.