The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David Berger, published a lengthy letter on social media Thursday to "provide his views" on the "issue" of banning confederate paraphernalia across the Marine Corps.
At the root of his explanation is the concept of a team.
"In every facet of every significant endeavor involving Marines, the team has been the primary component," the letter reads. "We are a warfighting organization, an elite institution of warriors who depend on each other to win the tough battles. Anything that divides us, anything that threatens team cohesion must be addressed head-on."
One of those "divisive" threats, Berger writes, is the Confederate flag.
Berger also wrote that he did not intend to "judge the specific meaning anyone ascribes to that symbol or declare someone’s personally held view to be incorrect."
While some Americans view the flag as a symbol of heritage, others closely associate the symbol with the Civil War, racism and slavery.
The decision to remove Confederate paraphernalia from Marine Corps bases worldwide was first communicated in a memo at the end of February — shortly after Congress demanded the military start more closely tracking white supremacy in its ranks.
White supremacy on social media not tracked by US Military. Congress wants to know why
Many Twitter responses to the letter on were in agreement with the commandant's letter and thanked him for its publication. Others had questions regarding "erasure of history."
Still, others questioned whether the letter was necessary.
It took eight paragraphs to say “stop flying the confederate flag, or you’re going to office hours.”
— Jeffrey Lyon (@ddosguru) April 23, 2020
And, of course, Twitter users were also particularly concerned with what would happen to Marines with Confederate flag tattoos.
Cut the tattoo off.
— “Not Stonks” McGillicutty (@yosarianespo) April 23, 2020
Meanwhile, the commandant has released no such lengthy explanation on the decision to continue enforcing grooming standards in the midst of the pandemic — a controversial subject as other branches relax haircut requirements to encourage social distancing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, however, did communicate a very Marine Corps-esque explanation for why he supports the continued standards.
"As the son of a Navy corpsman who hit the beach at Iwo Jima with the 4th Marine Division — it took extraordinary discipline to conquer that island with 7,000 Marines killed in 19 or 20 days and put that flag on Suribachi. That Marine victory was the result of incredible discipline," Milley said. "It may seem superficial to some but getting a haircut is part of that discipline."
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Reach Elizabeth Howe on Twitter @ECBHowe.
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