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National Guard units ordered to retire Confederate battle streamers
The US Army has directed National Guard units that were a part of the Confederacy during the Civil War to remove Confederate battle streamers from their units’ guidons this year.
The move comes because of recommendations from the congressionally mandated Naming Commission, which was formed to examine the Pentagon’s references honoring rebels who seceded from the United States, largely to preserve and expand slave labor.
In total, there are 491 streamers set to be removed. At least 48 units from mostly southern National Guard units have been directed to remove Confederate battle streamers from their guidons.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SOUTHERN NATIONAL GUARD UNITS: To Toss Confederate Battle Streamers <a href="https://t.co/wtBORvg1DP">pic.twitter.com/wtBORvg1DP</a></p>— SEGAMI (@segamihcfund) <a href="https://twitter.com/segamihcfund/status/1636708584409931778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Streamers hang on top of a unit’s flag and are awarded for participating in wars or specific battles ranging from the colonial era to the Global War on Terrorism.
Units with the most Confederate combat decorations include the 116th Infantry Regiment and 183rd Cavalry Regiment of the Virginia National Guard, which made up part of the so-called Stonewall Brigade, a large military formation commanded by Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
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Following battlefield success in the early days of the Civil War, most of Jackson’s troops died throughout the conflict, with only about 200 of the 6,000 original troops surviving the war.
The Naming Commission did not recommend that all Confederate references be scrapped from the military. Units that are part of the 29th Infantry Division, known best for its legendary battle storming the beaches of Nazi-occupied France in World War II, wear a patch that includes a blue-and-grey yin and yang. The patch was introduced during World War I to symbolize the merger of units with old Confederate and Union ties that would fight together in Europe. The division will keep its patch.
In October, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin backed the commission’s recommendation to rename nine Army bases that currently honor Confederates, including Fort Polk, Louisiana, which will be named after Sargent. William Johnson, a Black Medal of Honour recipient.
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home to the Army’s Airborne and special forces, is the only base that will not be renamed after a major military figure; instead, it will be renamed Fort Liberty.
The removal of the Confederate battle streamers from the National Guard units’ guidons is expected to take place within the coming year, in line with the renaming of the Army bases. This marks another step toward removing any traces of the Confederacy from the military and promoting inclusivity and diversity in the armed forces.
Following units are being directed to remove Confederate battle streamers from their units’ guidons:
