- Title: US military needs to take "hard look" at Confederacy symbols: top general
- Date: 9th July 2020
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JULY 9, 2020) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) WIDE SHOT OF ONGOING CONGRESSIONAL HEARING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, GENERAL MILLEY, SAYING: "The symbols are the, It's not just that, you know, we have to improve the substance of promotions etcetera in the military. We've also got to take a hard look at the symbology, the symbols, things like Confederate flags and statues and bases and all that kind of stuff. The Confederate, the Confederacy, the American Civil War was fought and it was an act of rebellion, it was an act of treason at the time against the union, against the Stars and Stripes, against the U.S. Constitution and those officers turned their back on their oath. Now, some have a different view of that, some think it's heritage, others think it's hate. The way we should do, it matters as much as that we should do it. So we need to have, I've recommended a commission of folks to take a hard look at the bases, the statues, the names and all of this stuff to see if we can have a rational, mature discussion." WIDE SHOT OF ONGOING CONGRESSIONAL HEARING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, GENERAL MILLEY, SAYING: "I personally think that the original decisions to name those bases after Confederate generals, the 10 bases you talked about in the army, those were political decisions back in the nineteen tens and twenties and thirties and World War One, World War Two time, for a hundred years ago and they're gonna be political decisions today. The military equity here is divisiveness and as you mentioned, cohesion. 43 percent of the United States military are minorities and in the army, for example, these are army bases you're talking about, we're up to 20 plus percent African-American and in some units you'll see 30 percent. And for those young soldiers that go on to a base of Fort Hood or Fort Bragg or Fort wherever named after a Confederate general, they can be reminded that, that general fought for an institution of slavery that may have enslaved one of their one of their ancestors." WIDE SHOT OF ONGOING CONGRESSIONAL HEARING
- Embargoed: 23rd July 2020 20:41
- Keywords: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley Confederacy Congressional hearing President Donald Trump
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Race Relations / Ethnic Issues,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001CM39ZRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The top U.S. general said on Thursday (July 9) that the military had to take a "hard look" at symbols of the Confederacy and had recommended a commission to look at the issue, even as President Donald Trump has ruled out renaming military bases that are named for Confederate leader.
"I've recommended a commission of folks to take a hard look at the bases, the statues, the names, all of this stuff, to see if we can have a rational, mature discussion," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley told a Congressional hearing.
Milley said the decision to name some bases after Confederate generals was a political decision and it would be a political decision to rename them. But he added that the focus for the military was unity and cohesion.
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