Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the U.S. Army to change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, but with a twist.
Hegseth signed a memo aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 before landing in Stuttgart, Germany, ordering the renaming of the North Carolina base to Fort Roland L. Bragg, not the Confederate general that was the previous namesake.
“That’s right. Bragg is back,” said Hegseth after signing the memo.
SO LONG FORT BRAGG, WELCOME FORT LIBERTY: THE PENTAGON’S NAMING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS TAKE EFFECT
The name of the military installation was changed in 2023 as part of a broad Department of Defense initiative, motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests, to rename military installations bearing the name of Confederate soldiers.
The base was originally named in 1918 for Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles that contributed to the Confederacy’s downfall.
The new name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.
“During these hellish conditions and amidst ferocious fighting, PFC. Bragg saved a fellow soldier’s life by commandeering an enemy ambulance and driving it 20 miles to transport a fellow wounded warrior to an allied hospital in Belguim,” the memo states.
MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, SHIPS NAMED AFTER CONFEDERATES BEGIN RENAMING PROCESS
The military installation is one of the largest in the world and is home to the Army’s famed 82nd Airborne Division and the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
“The directive honors the personal courage and selfless service of all those who have trained to fight and win our nation’s wars, including PFC. Bragg, and is in keeping with the installation’s esteemed and storied history,” the memo said.
In addition to the North Carolina base, several other Army posts were renamed, including Fort Benning, home to the Army’s infantry school, to Fort Moore, after the late Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, a Vietnam War commander, and Fort Hood to Fort Cavazos, named after Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a four-star general who fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
At the time the Army was renaming several bases, Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule said at a commission meeting that Fort Liberty was chosen as the new name because “liberty remains the greatest American value.”
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