It's been more than a month since renaming installations honoring Confederate leaders made headlines -- but the Army isn't done talking about it.
"What we want to do, at least as the leadership in the Army, is to identify those things that may divide us and take a look at and come up with solutions that are going to bring us together and make us more of a cohesive team," Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said during an interview with DefenseOne this week.
It was June 9 when Army leaders first said they would be "open to discussions" about renaming the ten Army installations named for Confederate officers. The debate resurfaced following the killing of George Floyd that ignited a movement across the country against racial injustices. But by July 22, as those discussions were still ongoing, the White House announced it would veto the 2021 Defense budget and policy bill if provisions for renaming these installations were included.
Despite those threats, the conversation continues.
"Some soldiers I've talked to, it's a very emotional issue," McConville said of the question of renaming the installations. "For other soldiers, they don't even realize the names of the people on the bases they're at."
While the Pentagon banned the display of the Confederate flag -- and a lot of other flags along with it -- in mid-July, the ten Army bases remain including Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has repeatedly responded to inquiries on the matter by deferring questions to Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.
The flag ban, McConville said, is also still being discussed within the Army.
"We have heard from some soldiers and from some families a concern about what flags fall into the policy. But the intent, at least within the Army -- we want to make sure that everyone feels included and everyone feels involved," McConville said. The sweeping flag ban also made LGBTQ pride flags, sports flags and many others off-limits.
In late-July, President Donald Trump made his stance on the matter clear.
"I don't care what the military says. I'm supposed to make the decision," Trump said in a Fox News interview. regarding renaming installations named for Confederate officers.
"I'm not going to go changing them," he added.
"(The Army) is looking for things that are going to bring people together long term," McConville said Monday on the matter. "What's the best way to bring the force together?"
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Reach Elizabeth Howe on Twitter @ECBHowe.
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