According to a report, many former soldiers have spoken out strongly against the decision to rename the U.S. Army installation at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Fort Liberty as part of the Biden Defense Department’s effort to rid the service of Confederate iconography.
A brief ceremony was held at the base to officially change the name to “Fort Liberty,” which was selected via the Naming Commission from a list of 188 potential options. Since 1918, the base has been known by the name of Braxton Bragg, which honors a Confederate general.
The fight over whether or not to get rid of Confederate memorials and symbols, including the name “Fort Bragg,” has been going on for decades. The Fort’s website tries to reassure veterans who are worried that the renaming would erase their history.
The website stated that the heritage created by the installation’s service members while serving our nation cannot be taken away by any act, whether it happened here or elsewhere. The prestige of the original name was based on the bravery and dedication of those who served there, not because of the legacy of an indistinguishable, ill-tempered, and incompetent Confederate general. According to the statement, the nation’s representatives decided to change the name, and they are following that law.
The report shows that despite the fort’s assurances, many current and former soldiers are highly critical of this choice, seeing it as an erasure of a piece of their history and thinking that their service has been disgraced in the process.
Black Army veteran George Postell Jr., who served at the base for over four years, shares this sentiment. Postell stated that he and many other soldiers donated blood in honor of Fort Bragg. In his opinion, the place will always be known as Fort Bragg, regardless of any name changes.
Fort Rucker, Fort Lee, Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, Fort Pickett, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Hood, and Fort Polk are all to be renamed.
