Veterans criticize Doug Mastriano for wearing 'the uniform of traitors' after a photo of him in a Confederate outfit surfaces

A group of nearly 60 veterans signed an open letter that slammed the Trump-backed Pennsylvania Republican for wearing "the uniform of traitors" after he was criticized for wearing a Confederate outfit in a photo.

Mastriano, a state senator running for governor, wore a Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the war college.

The retired Army colonel and others in the photo were given the option of dressing up as historical figures, but no one else chose the rebel military garb.

59 veterans wrote a letter to the campaign of Josh Shapiro, saying they were deeply disturbed by the photo.

The letter states that his decision to wear that uniform is an insult to those who served and those who are still serving.

Two elected Democrats and a former Secretary of the US Army are among the signatories.

The letter states that hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians fought against the Confederacy. Doug Mastriano doesn't embody the values of the armed services.

Mastriano's campaign did not reply to a question from Insider.

The Confederacy's lingering legacy

The US military is grappling with the legacy of the Confederacy.

In a recent report, a commission tasked with addressing that history recommended that the US military academies remove names and monuments that honor those who fought for slavery and replace them with the best examples of the armed forces' past.

The US Army War College told the news agency that it had removed the photo from the wall because it didn't meet their values.

Since winning the GOP nomination, Mastriano has been fighting claims of extremists.

Mastriano became the point person for a scheme to appoint fake electors to overturn the results of the election after the 2020 election. On January 6, he used campaign funds to bring protesters to Washington.

Mastriano was criticized by democrats and republicans for his association with Gab, a social media platform favored by far-right extremists. Andrew Torba is an anti-Semite who identifies as a Christian nationalist.

Tell us about a news story. C Davis is the reporter for Insider.