Incompetent Commandant Cans Confederate Flag

Marine Corps Commandant David H. Berger

This just in from Fox News:

"The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps wrote that “it is time to exclude” public displays of the Confederate flag in a letter addressed to his fellow Marines this week.

“I am mindful that many people believe that flag to be a symbol of heritage or regional pride,” Gen. David H. Berger wrote. “But I am also mindful of the feelings of pain and rejection of those who inherited the cultural memory and present effects of the scourge of slavery in our country.”

Part of doing that, Berger wrote, is identifying “symbols or subcultures that degrade the cohesion that combat demands,” noting the adage that failure is not an option.

“This symbol has shown it has the power to inflame feelings of division,”

Now where have we heard this before?...

That's right. It was on my blog. Specifically December 8, 2018. It was on this date I wrote about another "Diversity Warrior" making headlines regarding the need to expunge all things Confederate from the military. U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal stated in an Op-Ed that:

"In the summer of 2017, my wife, Annie, urged me to take down the picture. Disgusted by the images of hate and white supremacy that had descended on Charlottesville in the form of angry, torch-bearing men, she felt that Lee’s picture risked offending guests to our home by sending an unintended message of agreement with the protesters who had sought to preserve a statue of the Marble Man. Initially, I argued that Lee was an example of apolitical loyalty and stoic adherence to duty. But as days passed, I reflected on the way that Lee’s legacy looked to people who hadn’t grown up with my perspective or my privilege. So, on an otherwise unremarkable Sunday morning, I took the painting off the wall and sent it on its way to a local landfill for its final burial. Hardly a hero’s end."

Both Berger and McChrystal showed great weakness for men who are supposed to be military leaders. McChrystal, at his wife's urging and Berger because he's worried about the "feelings" of recruits.  He also stated that it was his mission to build a cohesive fighting unit. If Berger is more worried about "feelings" than the training of Marine recruits, he has already failed in his mission.

Meanwhile, the American Legion magazine is conducting an online poll, asking its members how they feel about Commandant Berger's edict banning all things Confederate and by the looks of it, the grunts aren't happy. 51% are against his decision, 31% agree and 5% don't know what to think about it (14% chose to answer in the comments, most of them against Berger's decision).

Below are just a few of the comments:

"If we are going to remove anything Confederate related in the Corps, are we going to rename all the Army forts named for Confederate Generals (Bragg, Benning, Hood, AP Hill, Picket, Lee, Jackson, and Polk) and rename the Naval vessels named after confederates? Remember most were USA officers before joining the Confederacy. If we expand this approach and say we will remove anything associated with slavery, then we need to remove the Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe monuments as they all were slave owners. Virginia probably should shut down Jamestown, since slaves first were used there to keep the colony alive. We have a hard enough time learning from history, now we want to just erase history !! Remember those who do not learn from history are doomed to relive it. I do agree with those who feel it is odd that Confederate names show up everywhere since the Confederacy was defeated. But to try to make these adjustments 150 years after the fact seems even more odd."
Submitted by jklillard : Feb 27, 2020 4:24pm

"I think that this whole"politically correct" deal is retarded. I too am against slavery, but our history needs to be preserved. For it is through history that all mankind can make a better future."
Submitted by pop_crochet : Feb 28, 2020 7:05am

"You are totally correct! In the recent past, George Orwell's book "1984" was mandatory reading; how little did we know that his book was a true story! Just because you don't agree with what occurred in the past doesn't give ANYONE the right to rewrite history! Those who choose to ignore history (or rewrite it) are condemned to relive it! Currently it's acceptable to tear down, remove, destroy or hide what is it not PC? How soon before we destroy Mt. Rushmore, or Washington's memorial in D.C, because it doesn't align with the radical liberals ideals of being "politically correct"? These mental midgets already onto eliminating anything related to Columbus and native American statues; where does it end? The time for "political correctness" is over, what is needed is understanding and TEACHING the values of this great country, not selfish self interests!"
Submitted by breachplug : Feb 28, 2020 9:41am

"If this keeps up we won't have a history. The civil war is part of American History just as the other wars. As a student of history we must remember there were other reasons we were in a civil war: the unfair tariff on cotton that hurt the south and the fact Lincoln did not want the union to separate. Here in Atlanta it has been a war against anything that was confederate"
.Submitted by lewlin57 : Feb 28, 2020 3:54pm

Men like McChrystal and Berger are not leaders they are appointees and their job is to weaken the military, not strengthen it. Perhaps if Southern men (and women) are so hated in today's military, maybe they should stop joining it but there lies the problem, the rank and file military personal join for love of their country while some of their high-ranking leaders put policy above patriotism.

- Clint Lacy
Is author of "The Rape of Delaware County" available in paperback $10 and Kindle $.99 (for a limited time)