Pentagon leaders say they’re evaluating whether to remove Confederate symbols from military bases

“I personally think that the original decision to name those bases after Confederate generals and the 10 bases you’re talking about in the Army, those were political decisions back in the 1910s and 20s and 30s and World War One, World War Two timeframe and they’re going to be political decisions today,” he said.

“Some think it’s heritage, others think it’s hate,” Milley added.

“The American Civil War was fought and it was an act of rebellion and an act of treason at the time against the union, against the stars and stripes and against the U.S. Constitution,” U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley 

Last month, Trump, in a string of tweets, wrote that U.S. Army bases named after generals who fought for slave-holding states of the Confederacy in the Civil War will not change their names.

The president contended in his June 10 tweets that the Confederate names of the bases have become part of the nation’s great “heritage.”

“It has been suggested that we should rename as many as 10 of our Legendary Military Bases, such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, etc. These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Read more: Trump says U.S. Army bases will keep Confederate names

Trump’s statement that his administration “will not even consider” changing the names came three days after a spokesman for the U.S. Army said, “The secretary of the Army is open to having a bipartisan conversation regarding the renaming” of 10 Army bases named after Confederate generals, who had served in the U.S. Army, the nation’s oldest service branch.

Last month, both the Marine Corps and Navy announced plans to ban the Confederate battle flag from being displayed on vessels and installations. 

CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/09/pentagon-leaders-say-theyre-evaluating-whether-to-remove-confederate-symbols-from-bases.html