June 5, 2023
‘So Long, Fort Bragg, Hello, Fort Liberty:’ North Carolina Military Base Renamed
A North Carolina military base is one of the latest to rename military posts, ships, streets, and other things that initially honored Confederate leaders.
A ceremony was recently held renaming Fort Bragg, one of the most prominent military installations in the U.S. According to The Washington Post, the military base was officially renamed Fort Liberty.
“Welcome to Fort Liberty, the center of the universe,” Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commanding general of Fort Liberty, said during the ceremony. “We were given a mission to re-designate our installation, no small task with its history. We seized this opportunity to make ourselves better and to seek excellence. That is what we always have done and always will do.”
View this post on Instagram
Fort Bragg, the United States Army’s Special Operations Command headquarters and home to the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, was originally named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg in 1918. With its new name, the base became the only one named after a value instead of a person.
“Every name was considered [and] debated,” Donahue said, noting that selecting a name for Fort Bragg was tough for the committee. “Ultimately, any of them could have been chosen. A consensus could not be reached on just one.”
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reported that the congressionally mandated plan was picked up in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. A panel established by Congress recommended nine Army bases that honored Confederate military officers to be renamed, with the new titles being confirmed in September and accepted by the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Although the initiative has run into opposing views, including from Donald Trump, William A. LaPlante, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment ordered the DOD to begin installing the new names in January.
Along with Fort Bragg, the other eight Army bases to be renamed are Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee, and Fort Pickett in Virginia; Fort Polk in Louisiana; Fort Rucker in Alabama; and Fort Hood in Texas.