With the commission to rename bases formed with the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the goal of renaming 10 bases across the United States has moved forward. The Army bases named during World War II are getting a name change. The commission is made up of 8 members – four that are selected by the Secretary of Defense, and four from within the House and Senate Armed Services Committee representing veterans and military communities.
Recently Fort Bragg has solicited feedback on renaming the base. Per the installation’s homepage, the criteria for selecting a new name have not been released. Generally, the ideals of the Army of courage, values, sacrifices, and diversity of the military community will be utilized for the name selection per the Army’s website. There is also a Google doc specifically for the Fort Brag renaming with 17 suggested names with the history of each name listed.
Will giving feedback make the difference? On the one hand, the Army wants to include the local community and military community in the name choice. This would help the community feel ownership of the new base. It may also ease the tension in renaming the base. There has been division in regards to the naming commission. Some people applaud the effort of renaming the bases noting that the name change doesn’t erase history but moves forward. Others see the name change as exactly that – an erasing of history and poor use of funds and time. While others still feel the name of the base does not matter – naming the base generic things like “the Fort” or “Basey McBase Base” does not change or devalue what work is done there.
The commission has stated that they will take feedback into consideration, and will release criteria for name considerations. The bases being renamed are Ft. Bragg in North Carolina; Camp Beauregard and Fort Polk in Louisiana; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Rucker in Alabama.
Providing feedback for the installation you call home or have called home, is a great way to stay connected to your community, and be part of the history of the name change. It has certainly provided ample discussion on the history of military figures throughout America’s 250+ years.
The name change will not be immediate. Name recommendations were submitted to Congress by October 1, 2022.
I do not think it’s worth my time to bother submitting a name. There are and always will be a head of a committee with the task of prioritizing and selecting the top choice or choices. However, these committee heads most likely have their own agenda, “they know better than the rest” and they already have decided on the choice or they will want to curry favor with someone higher up else whose agenda is not necessary in line with the local community or military community that the Army wants included in selecting the name; as this would help the community feel ownership of the new base. It may also ease the tension in renaming the base.
To support my unwillingness to waste my time, I present New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray. She was appointed (by her husband…) to head up a committee to create statues of women with historical significance to the city with a $10 million grant.
The city asked New Yorkers for their input in picking seven women, and the top vote-getter was Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen to be named a saint by the Catholic Church.
But the committee headed by Chirlane McCray, de Blasio’s wife, ignored residents’ pick, instead she chose jazz legend Billie Holliday, Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias, a Latina and desegregation activist, and LGBTQ advocate Sylvia Rivera, among others, according to reports.
When Chirlane McCray was finished, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini did not even make the cut…
I’ll leave it to the reader to decide what or whose agenda triumphed…
I for one totally agree.
The government is wasting millions of dollars.
Why are we changing names of Army Bases, taking down statues, adding the statues in New York?
It is to appease certain sectors in order to get votes that support their agenda.
Leave the names alone, do away with the committee, give the money you would save back to soldier’s families.
Leave the base names as they are. That is my suggestion.
I find it isn’t worth my time to submit names. History has happened and can’t be changed, only accepted. If you start changing the Military base names, do the same for everything in the US.
Leesville, VA, Washington DC, and other cities have to change their names. George Washington was a slave holder… Does this mean his bust needs to be removed from Mt. Rushmore, the same as Robert E. Lee’s statue was removed?
Learn from the past and don’t make the same mistakes again. Accept what happed in many aspects. It wasn’t correct to “People of Color”, Indigenous People, or the Japanese in WWII and many others.
We simply have to quit judging history by today’s standards. Establishments and monuments were named to honor important achievers at the time. What you are doing is practically sacrelege. You can’t change history, but, you can learn from it. Just you wait and see, MLK and George Floyd tributes are going to be torn down by your children. To speak cliche, what goes around, comes around. Grow, accept, learn!
Deleting history is not the answer! Whatever happened America learned from it, that is what counts!
leave the names alone. They are part of history and history cannot be changed so easily.
I agree with the old Chief, everything that he said. Everyone knows that to be true. This old retired veteran does not appreciate the politicizing of our military and our “old friends,” the military bases. We may know where the base is by its name, and don’t appreciate that being changed by civilians. My two cents.
It is inappropriate to change the names just to satisfy the current atmosphere, , .leave it only and advise all concerned/interested the way it was, personally I did not nor will not support the past but, history is history, all need to know this.
Instead of spending millions on renaming the Post .Spend the money on helping our homeless vets ,
NO WHY DO THAT, TO MANY PEOPLE TRYING TO CHANGE AMERRICA AS WE HAVE KNOWN IT THESE PEOPLE DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THE LONG RUN, THINGS ARE GETTING BAD THHESE PEOPLE ARE NOT REAL AMERICANS, TRYING TO CHANGE THE WAY U THINK,WORK, VOTE,UR KIDS THINKING,SCHOOLS, ITS GOING TO BE A MESS IF WE LET THIS HAPPEN TRUE AMERICANS NEED TO TAKE NOTICE BEFORE ALL THIS TAKES PLACE, ALL THE STATUES HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND I SEEN ON NEWS THERE SENDING FBI AND POLICE TO SCHOOL PTA MEETINGS SO BAD, BORDER PROBLEMS
There is insufficient information regarding how the input(s) will be managed/disciplined. Even so, I am very much in favor of seeing the name of Colin Powell considered based on his many contributions as a soldier at the highest level, as a statesman in the role of Secretary of State and for his demonstration as a remarkable citizen whom most would consider as a role model in every capacity where he has made meaningful contributions to our country.
the names of bases have been ok for generations going back before the civil war leave them alone history does not need to be changed history is history learn from it don’t ignore it history is not vanity that is the way it was
Military should stay out of politics, besides these men were patriots, fighting for their cause, they were brave and trusting souls. Let us continue to honor them and their valor.
I dont think that any name should be changed to satisfy a few. The money involved to do this can be used for a better need .( I/E ,homeless vets ,medical help for wounded vets etc.) .It will cause more trouble for business,street names,mailing and the list goes on. It was a dumb ideea to start with,and still is.
the name for fort Bragg should be Fort Gavin for jumping Jim Gavin of the Eighty 2nd Airbourn
This is nothing more than dishonoring Americans who made the military their careers and served ALL Americans. It is a waste of time and tax paper money. History cannot be changed…they may try, but you are supposed to LEARN from history. Unfortunately, it seems like most people could care less other than having their agenda put into place. I do not agree with changing the names of these forts.
I agree with the Old Chief. Canx culture has reached all facets and I am disgusted that the military has gotten on its knees.
They need to leave the names alone. Too many people have served at these bases, deployed from these bases, lost friends from these bases and no one has ever had a problem with them. until now. Not only does it erase our history, but it costs mega bucks to change a base name. Someone needs to get a spine and stand up to these people and demand accountability for those who are trying to erase our great history.
The names should be left alone. First of all, NOBODY is perfect, and NOBODY will be 100% accepted by everyone. This is another example of 97% being forced to cater to a noisy 3%.
Our country is not perfect. We had many problems in our history, but the point is that we face our challenges and rise above them, as a nation. Slavery was bad, without question. However we recognized it, stopped it, and created laws and even a Constitutional Amendment forbidding it to ever happen again. This is in contrast to other countries around the world still practicing slavery today. Trying to deny our history, albeit imperfect, through name changes is pitiful at best.
Changing the names of bases, buildings, streets…what’s next? I worked with a Petty Officer Bragg, does he have to change his name now because of someone who lived over a hundred years before he was born?
Are parents going to have to start changing their children’s names if the other school kids decide they don’t like them? Where does this insanity end?
Quit wasting money on new name plates for Military Bases just because some woke CRT gang of two wants you to believe that the name at present offends someone. What offends me is the waste of money to make new signs just like the nit wit who had the forestry service rename Smokey the Bear to Smokey Bear and that cost $40 Million bucks. You cannot erase history by toppling statues, burning books or re-teaching history. History is just that, HISTORY, it remains in the hearts and minds and deeds of the individuals that did it. How about just using the money to fill pot holes on the bases, ports, forts, airfields, and posts. You can knock over the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument, the Vietnam Wall, it doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Sadly, we (contemporary people) seem to think our standards are the only ones ever to exist. You cannot judge the ancient Romans, for all of their wonderful achievements, and simultaneously tear down the artifacts of Rome because they were built by slaves. Yet they were. Judging the past service, and naming of bases, for revered service members should be left as is. People who served during the Confederacy were named US veterans in 1958. This recognized the validity of their service and their commitment to the military. “The Old Chief” is probably right. This committee will continue to erase the past of this great country and replace it with tokens of current appropriate, acceptable thought.
Leave the names of these post alone. Probably ninety percent of the people don’ t know who these people were and if you rename them now a hundred years from now they want even know these people. Lets start useing our brains and stop wasting money and time and get on to doing something useful.
There is history, loyalty and dedication by the thousands of men and women who dutifully served in the units stationed at these locations. Changing the names is disrespectful to their service history, let us not ignore those who have given their lives having served in the units at these military installations. Where and how far do the changes occur on military records, change the past?
The costs to change the names is phenomnal to even consider.
Leave the bases as is. I was in the army reservive , army national guard and the active Air force ane these bases mean a lot to me for histiry sake,