THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 31, 1995 TAG: 9510310309
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
Navy Secretary John H. Dalton has apologized for an admiral's decision to remove the Georgia and Mississippi state flags from a ceremony because of protests over the use of the Confederate battle flag in their designs.
Dalton relayed the apology to Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., in a letter that Nunn's office released Monday.
Rear Adm. R.M. Mitchell Jr. was not following Navy policy when he decided to remove the flags from a change-of-command ceremony in Pennsylvania in August, Dalton wrote. The other 48 state flags remained at the ceremony.
``It is Navy policy to display the flags of every state when the state flags are displayed,'' Dalton wrote. Nunn forwarded the letter to Georgia Gov. Zell Miller and Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice.
Dalton said he would make sure commanders are reminded of the policy to prevent a recurrence.
The removal of the flags came to light after a Mississippi resident at the ceremony complained to Fordice, who contacted Nunn, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Nunn relayed the complaint to the Navy. by CNB