WASHINGTON – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18), Thursday, urged military officials to remove any symbols honoring Confederate officers at the US Military Academy at West Point and rename any buildings named in their honor.
Maloney’s request was sent to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy. West Point is in Maloney’s congressional district.
“West Point is a globally revered institution – and as such, should be as inclusive and welcoming as possible to our cadets, servicemembers and West Point visitors. Honoring Americans who engaged in armed rebellion against the United States in support of racism and slavery does not reflect the values of the institution or our Army,” said Maloney, a former member of the Board of Visitors.
“Any symbol or building named to honor the Confederacy and its hateful rhetoric falls short of the institution’s principles and should be removed or renamed immediately,” he said.
Recently, Marine and Navy leadership have announced bans on the public display of the Confederate battle flag on Marine installations. Esper and McCarthy have expressed their support for renaming military bases named after Confederate Generals. Elected officials in states across the South have recently removed Confederate monuments.
Maloney’s was co-signed by Reps. Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Max Rose (NY-11), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Anthony Brindisi (NY-22), Danny Davis (IL-7), Bill Foster (IL-11), Stephen Lynch (MA-8), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Joyce Beatty (OH-3), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Ann McLane Kuster (NH-2) and Rep. James McGovern (MA-2).
