There’s Only One Flag That US Service Members Should Honor?

2015-06-26T12:13:36-04:00

My fellow Southern soldiers, it is well past time to stop displaying the stars and bars.

Like many white Southerners, I grew up idolizing Confederate generals like Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, and George Pickett, and J. E. B. Stuart, and hating Sherman.

My ancestors, the Dixons, fought for the Confederacy. There is ample evidence that at least some of them owned slaves. After the war was over, many continued marauding as outlaws in Texas, where a large contingent of them rode with John Wesley Hardin. It was noted at the time that Hardin’s gang was especially violent in its treatment of Yankees. The Civil War did not end quietly for the Dixons.

I suppose I have as much right as anyone to lay claim to the idea that the Confederate flag is my “heritage.”

But why would I want to?

Just because my forefathers fought for slavery, why would I want to fly the bloody banner under which they fought, particularly since I joined and served honorably in the United States Army, the very Army which they fought against? Why would I choose to “honor” a legacy of hate and repression, and at the same time, wave it away with a claim that I don’t mean anything hateful by it?

Would I accept the same justification from a soldier whose last name was Hess or Bormann or Frick and wanted to fly a swastika?

As a troop commander, I made more than a few soldiers remove the stars and bars from trucks or barracks rooms. None of them ever expressed any guilt for the actions of the Confederacy, because, as they pointed out, it wasn’t as if they’d ever owned slaves or fought to preserve someone else’s right to do so. The next question always seemed to get them: If they don’t feel guilt over something they took no part in, how can they feel pride?

What we soldiers should feel pride about is the flag that is on our sleeve, the flag under which we fought and died, the flag under which we buried our fellow soldiers who paid that “last full measure of devotion.” That flag is the American flag, the flag of a country that is not perfect, but one still founded on the “self-evident” truth that “all men are created equal.”

The American flag flew proudly over the government that finally declared the Emancipation Proclamation, that recognized slavery as a historic injustice. That’s the flag that still flies. That’s the flag we should be proud of.

What is the legacy of the Confederate flag that flies off so many cars and trucks in barracks parking lots or hangs in pictures on the walls in offices of officers and noncommissioned officers alike?

What is the legacy of the Confederate flag?

In his farewell address as a United States senator in 1861, Jefferson Davis said that Mississippi “has heard proclaimed the theory that all men are created free and equal, and this made the basis of an attack upon her social institutions” when explaining why Mississippi must leave the Union. The social institution in question was not state’s rights, but slavery.

Alexander Stephens, the vice-president of the Confederacy, was even more blunt: “Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition.”

In a military in which Southerners sweat and bleed and die — men and women of every nationality and ethnicity — in a service culture on which we depend and they us, why would I ever want to stain myself with a flag whose founders declared them to be unequal? How can that possibly be conducive to good order and discipline?

The Army’s values are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. How does a flag founded on the principles of naked, unashamed bigotry and racial injustice comport with those values?

Simply, it does not.

The Confederate flag always was, and still is, about slavery. That bloodstained banner is what it is, and no amount of justification will make it something else.

It is the flag of injustice, and of treason. It is the flag of disunity and discord. It should not be afforded a place of honor, and it should have no appeal to those of us have served or still serve an Army and a country committed to unity.

My fellow Southern soldiers, it is well past time to stop displaying the stars and bars.

When I look back at the history of my family and I want something to honor, I take the example of my grandfather, James Dixon. He was an NCO in the Marines who fought at Iwo Jima. In the late 1940s, he was very active in the Raleigh, North Carolina, chapter of the American Legion. Sometime in the 1950s, a black officer attended a meeting. Whether invited by a member or just because he could, no one has ever been able to figure out. As one might imagine given the climate in the South at the time, the black officer’s reception was hostile.

My grandfather, who by this time was a popular member of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, took a stand. He publicly left the meeting, proclaiming that he would have nothing further to do with the American Legion until they learned to pay proper respect to officers, no matter what their color.

Only after the Legion Chapter apologized did my grandfather return.

That’s the military legacy of my family I choose to honor, and I urge all other soldiers who consider themselves the South’s sons to do the same.

http://taskandpurpose.com/theres-only-one-flag-that-us-service-members-should-honor/

There’s Only One Flag That US Service Members Should Honor

My fellow Southern soldiers, it is well past time to stop displaying the stars and bars.

Response by SSG John Erny made Jun 26 at 2015 12:16 PM

2015-06-26T12:16:07-04:00

I disagree some what, there are other patriotic flags like the don't tread on me flag. Historical USA flags I think are fine. I have a 1776 flag that I fly some times. The current flag of course is the primary flag and should be the primary flag at all times. Some people do bastardize them from there original meaning and that is sad.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 1:08 PM

2015-06-26T13:08:10-04:00

I am not sure how to weigh in on this. As a "damn Yankee", we didn't see the Confederate flag much, when we did it was on media illustrated to represent the KKK (or later, the Dukes of Hazard", but mostly the former). I am an educated person, so I can see many sides to the argument.

I proudly salute my stars and stripes. That's my story. I am sticking to it. :)

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made Jun 26 at 2015 1:21 PM

2015-06-26T13:21:55-04:00

The two flags mentioned in OP are not both US flags. As a military service member, yes, the only flag that I honor is the current US Flag. The confederate battle flag to me represents a piece of American history (nothing more) and cannot be ignored - I love this country and when you love something, you take the good and the bad.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jun 26 at 2015 1:43 PM

2015-06-26T13:43:06-04:00

I totally agree....we soldier for that flag, my dad soldiered for that flag in WWII ( and 7 uncles), my grandad chased Pancho Villa for that flag and a great uncle fought in the Spanish-American war for that flag.

There is no other flag but the Stars and Stripes for me!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 2:01 PM

2015-06-26T14:01:41-04:00

While I honor greatly, the flag and symbol of my nation, I also have respect for the Battle Flage of Virginia, as well as the CSA Flag. I say this for the following reasons:
1.) The Flag is NOT a symbol of hate, racism, or slavery. Those who claim that it is are in dire need of a history lesson.
2.) I am a descendant of Jefferson Davis (The President of the CSA, for those who do not know). He helped create a union of his own, in which each individual state government was able to govern themselves without relying on the Federal governemnet to aid them. he did wonderful things for this system he created, under the banner of the CSA (NOT the stars and bars).
3.) The Stars and Bars is a battle flag that flew in every battle in the civil war. I have respect and honor for it, not because of some half-cocked idea of slavery and racial inequality, but because it is a stark reminder of the cost at which this country has become the nation it is today, and the millions of men and women who shed their blood to get it here.
It may not be a popular opinion, but it is one that I will own proudly; I am proud to be a Southerner, an American, and I am proud to fly the Stars and Bars right under the Stars and Stripes.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jun 26 at 2015 2:03 PM

2015-06-26T14:03:10-04:00

I kept a picture of Gen Robert E. Lee on my desk, he was the epitome of a soldier and gentleman too. I did have relatives in the south.....South Jersey.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 2:12 PM

2015-06-26T14:12:41-04:00

Well, let's see, I see the U.S.A flag, state flags, the Christian flag, and the POW/MIA flag all as being deserving of respect. Oh, and the Army, Navy, and Air Force, flags.

I am sure I may have missed some others.

Response by 1LT William Clardy made Jun 26 at 2015 2:50 PM

2015-06-26T14:50:02-04:00

Honor it? Hardly. It already has its own honor.

Respect it and swear allegiance to the nation for which it stands. Sure thing. I've always been a monogamist when it comes to patriotism -- "dual citizenship", and dual allegiance, makes no sense to me.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Jun 26 at 2015 5:30 PM

2015-06-26T17:30:49-04:00

Well stated and eloquently expressed!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 10:33 AM

2015-06-28T10:33:11-04:00

The Confederate flag is a piece of history and heritage. It means different things to different people. However, there is ONLY ONE TRUE FLAG for our nation, the Stars and Stripes, and we should ALWAYS honor it.

Response by SFC Wesley Arnold, Jr made Jul 3 at 2015 6:54 PM

2015-07-03T18:54:19-04:00

I agree but think you missed one point ... "There's Only One Flag" ... does this mean that all Service members are not to honor their home state? What about duel citizenship as long as it does not conflict with their duties?

Not meaning to sound like a smart-ass, but this is (or could be) the type of statements that fuel more separation rather than a forward unity of the Nation.

Response by CW3 Kevin Storm made Jul 8 at 2015 4:20 PM

2015-07-08T16:20:50-04:00

It takes a big man to admit that his family may have done some things in the past that he wish they may have never done. Your grandfather stepping up in what was most likely a very trying moment in a hostile environment speaks to his intestinal fortitude to do the right thing!

Response by SPC Ken Sawyer made May 17 at 2018 8:14 AM

2018-05-17T08:14:53-04:00

The Confederate flag is not was not about slavery you should educate yourself. The war between the states was not about slavery. It was about taxes. The southern ports were booming and the north wanted what they felt was their share of the money from exports. Most of what was needed back in Europe came from the fields in the south. Slaves were held in the north prior to the war just not in large numbers because we didn’t have the farmland and shorter growing seasons up here. President Lincoln threw slavery into the mix for free soldiers. With the promise of freedom if a black fought for a year. Well they weren’t paid unlike white soldiers unless they made it a year then they would have their freedom and a few dollars. In the meantime you had a fighter that you only had to supply arms and food can’t get one any cheaper than that. I also you noted a flagbif treason shouldn’t be flown. HELLO THE START AND BARS is a flag of treason. We were committing treason when we went to war with England.