Pennsylvania governor candidate Mastriano posed in Confederate uniform at Army War College

Doug Mastriano, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania, posed in a Confederate military uniform in a 2013-14 faculty photo at the Army War College, a picture obtained by Reuters shows. Faculty at the school, where Mastriano worked at the time, were given the choice to dress as historical figures, people familiar with the photo told Reuters. While a few others appear dressed up, Mastriano is the only one in the photo dressed in a Confederate uniform, which many associate with hate and the legacy of slavery in the South. CNN has reached out to Mastriano's campaign for comment.

Reuters reported Friday that the photo was released by the Army War College after a request under the Freedom of Information Act. The Army War College removed the photo from its wall of faculty group shots after Reuters reached out for comment, the outlet reported. "The faculty photo did not get the team's attention; the photo has since been removed because it does not meet AWC values," the college said in a statement to Reuters. The flag of the Confederacy, its symbols and the statues commemorating Confederate leaders have long divided the country. Critics say the symbols represent the war to uphold slavery, while supporters call them signs of Southern pride and heritage. The symbols have been used by White supremacists, and in recent years the Department of Defense has taken steps to ban Confederate symbols.