Fort Bragg would be Fort Liberty. Fort Gordon would become Fort Eisenhower. For the first time, Army bases will be named after Black soldiers or women. A commission independent of the Army recommended Tuesday new names for nine Army posts to honor Confederate officers.
These recommendations are part of a larger effort by the military in order to address racial injustice. They were made in response to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in May 2020.
Fort Bragg in North Carolina is the only base not named after someone. Two other bases would be named after Black soldiers and three others would have women’s names. Fort Gordon, Georgia would be the most famous — it would honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower who led allies forces in Europe during World War II.
Other proposed renamings honor lesser-known heroes such as those who were awarded the Medal of Honor, which is the highest military award. Fort Polk in Louisiana would be renamed Fort Johnson after Sergeant. William Henry Johnson, a Black Medal of Honor winner who served in World War I in the Army.
Recommendations: Fort Bragg and 8 other Army bases get new names
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
2 hours ago
FILE – Fort Bragg in Fort Bragg (N.C.) A commission independent is proposing new names for nine Army posts which were named after Confederate officers. Their recommendations included Fort Bragg becoming Fort Liberty, and Fort Gordon becoming Fort Eisenhower. These recommendations are part of a larger effort by the military in order to combat racial injustice. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
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FILE – Fort Bragg in Fort Bragg (N.C.) A commission independent is proposing new names for nine Army posts which were named after Confederate officers. Their recommendations included Fort Bragg becoming Fort Liberty, and Fort Gordon becoming Fort Eisenhower. These recommendations are part of a larger effort by the military in order to combat racial injustice. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
WASHINGTON (AP), Fort Bragg would be Fort Liberty. Fort Gordon would become Fort Eisenhower. For the first time, Army bases will be named after Black soldiers or women. A commission independent of the Army recommended Tuesday new names for nine Army posts to honor Confederate officers.
These recommendations are part of a larger effort by the military in order to address racial injustice. They were made in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020.
Fort Bragg in North Carolina is the only base not named after someone. Two other bases would be named after Black soldiers and three others would have women’s names. Fort Gordon, Georgia would be the most famous — it would honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower who led allies forces in Europe during World War II.
Other proposed renamings honor lesser-known heroes such as those who were awarded the Medal of Honor, which is the highest military award. Fort Polk in Louisiana would be renamed Fort Johnson after Sergeant. William Henry Johnson, a Black Medal of Honor winner who served in World War I in the Army.
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Tech Sgt. Pickett would be the name of Fort Pickett, Virginia. Van Barfoot was a Medal of Honor winner who served during World War II. Fort Pickett in Virginia would be named after Tech Sgt.
Fort A.P. Fort A.P. Hill would be renamed Fort Walker in Virginia after Mary Edwards Walker who was a doctor who treated soldiers during the Civil War and later won a Medal of Honor.
Fort Hood, Texas would be renamed Fort Cavazos in honor of Gen. Richard Cavazos who served in Korea War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He also became the Army’s first Hispanic four star general.
Fort Benning in Georgia would be named after a married couple: Lieutenant General Hal Moore who served in Vietnam, received the Distinguished Service Cross and Julia Moore who prompted the creation teams that conduct in-person notifications about military casualties.
Fort Lee, Virginia would be given a hyphenated title — Fort Gregg–Adams. This name is the only one that would honor someone still alive today: Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg. Gregg is a logistics leader. The other half of this name is Lt. Col. Charity Adams, who led the first Black Army unit deployed in World War II.
Congress will receive a final report by October 1, which will detail the costs for removing and changing names. In late 2020, Congress passed a law that outlined the renaming process. The secretary of defense will implement the plan by Jan. 1, 2024.
There was much discussion and debate in the communities surrounding the bases about the proposal to change their names. Ty Seidule, vice chairman, stated that panel members visited the bases and met with residents and leaders. They then used their suggestions to choose the final names.
U.S. military officers have defended the naming Confederate officers as bases for years. The Army claimed that the names were not meant to honor the rebel cause, but rather a gesture of reconciliation towards the South as recently as 2015.
In the wake of Floyd’s murder and months of racial unrest, Congress created a comprehensive plan for renaming military posts and hundreds more federal assets, including roads, buildings, memorials and signs that honor rebel leaders.
A month after Floyd’s passing, Army Gen. Mark Milley testified before Congress. According to Milley, the current base names might be a reminder to Black soldiers that rebel officers fought against an institution that could have enslaved them ancestors.
Lloyd Austin, the Defense Secretary and first Black Pentagon Chief in the United States, has been blunt about his personal experiences with racism. During his Senate confirmation hearing, he spoke out about his time as a lieutenant colonel in the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, where three white soldiers were accused of being skinheads and were involved in the murder of a Black couple walking down a street.
