Some National Guard units disobeyed orders to drop Confederate objects: report
A new report says Army National Guard units in some southern states have not yet complied with an order to issue Civil War-era battle streamers. However, at least one claims the items have already been thrown away.
According to a military report, units in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi and West Virginia have so far failed to comply with an order to turn over Confederate fighter aircraft to the Army Personnel Command because the deadline has passed. com.
The report comes after at least 48 National Guard units were ordered in March to remove their Confederate streamer guides and turn them in for storage at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. This policy was the result of a decision by Congress to remove references to the Confederacy from military units and installations.
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Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joseph Lewis, 122nd Army Band commander, adds World War II campaign streamer to unit leader during a ceremony June 23, 2021, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. (Defense Service for Visual Information Distribution)
Streamers attached to the top of unit flags are typically awarded to units for participation in conflicts or wars, with the guidon displaying the unit flag, and streamers are often worn at the front of military formations.
According to the report, the Army collected 438 of the 491 streamers, including those from states such as Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. However, it is unclear why some units complied with the order before the Sept. 1 deadline, the report said. It was noted that some units may already display the streamers in their own museums, while other streamers may have been lost or taken home by individual service members as collectibles.
Army Human Resources Command did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.
U.S. Army Col. Michael Shields attaches a new battle streamer to the guidon during the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s deployment ceremony at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. (Ministry of Defense)
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Of the states that have not yet surrendered their streamers, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi were full members of the Confederacy after seceding from the Union during the Civil War. Maryland and West Virginia, which seceded from Virginia in 1863, were border states that remained in the Union but had some units that joined the Confederate cause.
A spokesman for the Maryland National Guard, reached for comment by Fox News Digital, said the state’s units turned over the streamers as requested.
The 122nd Army Band command team prepares to induct World War II campaign streamers into unit leadership during a ceremony June 23, 2021, at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. (Defense Service for Visual Information Distribution)
“Contrary to recent reports, the Maryland National Guard no longer has the Confederate service commemorative streamers formerly featured on the unit’s colors,” the spokesperson said. “These streamers were returned to the US Army on March 21, 2023, well before the required deadline. As a professional military organization, we would never willfully disregard legitimate orders from properly constituted authorities.”
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The other five states did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.