Marine general orders removal of Confederate items at bases

All Confederate flags, bumper stickers and similar items must be removed from Marine Corps bases, according to a new directive from the commandant.

Marine Gen. David Berger has told his commanders to begin implementing the order or develop plans to do so by Saturday.

The order was included in a sweeping memo Berger sent out last week that calls for administrative changes and other reviews. They range from efforts to recruit additional women for combat jobs, restrictions on Marines convicted of domestic violence and the possible expansion of maternity leave and guidelines for pregnant service members.

Berger's memo provides no details on the Confederate order, but simply directs “the removal of all Confederate-related paraphernalia from Marine Corps installations.” But the plan would cover flags, signs and other Confederate symbols.

The memo calls for Marine Lt. Gen. Charles Chiarotti to develop a plan to put the order into effect. There is no specific date set for the removal of the items, but it's expected to take effect in coming weeks.

A recent

found that 36% of troops said they had witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideological-driven racism in recent months, an increase of 14% from the year before.