Proposed Name Changes for Army Bases

[Number6]

The Army proposes changing the names of nine Army bases named after members of the Confederacy and they will take effect if Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Congress approve the changes. The bases proposed name changes are:

Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty
Fort Polk to Fort Johnson
Fort Benning to Fort Moore
Fort Gordon to Fort Eisenhower
Fort Hill to Fort Walker
Fort Hood to Fort Cavazos
Fort Pickett to Fort Barfoot
Fort Rucker to Fort Novosel
Fort Lee to Fort Gregg-Adams

The link explains who and why the new names were chosen.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2 ... 15830.html

[carmenjonze]

Good.

[Number6]

Normally, I don't approve of naming Navy ships after presidents and that should go for bases as well. However, in Eisenhower's case, he distinguished himself as a general in WWII and that's qualification enough.

[gounion]

I like the name change for Ft. Rucker. I've been there several times and know a lot of folks there. It's one of the, if not THE, largest helicopter bases in the world. The name is far more fitting than the current one, given the base's mission.

I'm glad they're changing the base names. Better the people listed than traitors to our nation.

[Glennfs]

I like the name change for Ft. Rucker. I've been there several times and know a lot of folks there. It's one of the, if not THE, largest helicopter bases in the world. The name is far more fitting than the current one, given the base's mission.

I'm glad they're changing the base names. Better the people listed than traitors to our nation.

I think Ft Liberty is kind of a dumb name. I believe they should have found a person for that honor.
As for the rest of the list every person on it is deserving of the honor

[gounion]

I think Ft Liberty is kind of a dumb name. I believe they should have found a person for that honor.
As for the rest of the list every person on it is deserving of the honor

I see no reason to nitpick.

[gounion]

So this was a great thing that these names got changed. There was no good reason to keep the names of some of the worst anti-Americans in our history on our bases. Of course, race-baiting Donald Trump vetoed it, but it was part of the Defense Bill, and the Congress and Senate both overrode his veto.

But the right sure hates this, don't they?

So, of course, Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence, always quick to pander to hateful racists, say if elected, they'll reverse the changes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... ort-bragg/

And yet this outcome is unsatisfactory to Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence, who, in separate speeches at the North Carolina Republican convention on June 9, branded the name change “political correctness” and promised to undo it if elected.

Even for a pair of contenders desperately trying to defeat front-runner Donald Trump, while also pandering to his supporters, rolling back one of the most prominent of the nine name changes that will occur at bases this year is a dubious cause. It’s important to understand just how dubious and how extreme.

Far from an exercise of political correctness, the provision of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2021 that established a process for removing the Confederate taint from the Civil War winner’s military properties was one of the more constructive, moderate responses to the racial reckoning of 2020.

Though initially proposed by Democrat Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and denounced by GOP lawmakers such as Sens. James M. Inhofe (Okla.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.), the base-renaming legislation was modified and attracted sufficient GOP support to pass what was then a Republican-majority Senate Armed Services Committee on a voice vote. Republican backers included Sens. Mike Rounds (S.D.), Joni Ernst (Iowa) and Mitt Romney (Utah).

Nevertheless, President Trump paused from disputing his election defeat in December 2020 to veto the NDAA, crucial legislation that presidents rarely obstruct because it sets policy for the entire Pentagon. One of his objections, he said, was the bill’s “politically motivated attempts ... to wash away history." Both houses of Congress promptly overrode his veto by more than the requisite two-thirds margin.

The legislation created the eight-member Naming Commission, which sought input across the country, including in communities near the affected bases. The commission was composed of both Democrats and Republicans. Among the latter was Rep. Austin Scott (Ga.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Scott supported the committee’s unanimous recommendation, to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, that Bragg become Liberty.

The other eight bases will henceforth bear names of military heroes who fought for the United States. For example, Louisiana’s Fort Polk, named for Confederate Gen. Leonidas Polk, will become Fort Johnson, for Army Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black World War I soldier and Medal of Honor recipient.

There’s no denying Fort Bragg was an “iconic name,” as DeSantis said, with a nice ring to it — even a pun on the swagger of warriors who train there. Understandable, too, is the attachment of veterans to a name that, whatever its historical significance, belongs to their personal biographies.

As one former soldier who served there told the Associated Press: "It’s always gonna be Bragg, the way we look at it.”

For all that, it would be difficult to imagine a less worthy honoree than Fort Liberty’s now former namesake, North Carolina enslaver Braxton Bragg, a West Point graduate who did serve the United States in the Mexican War but later betrayed his country and commanded troops — not very well, by most accounts — for the Confederacy.

I'm not surprised that haters like Josh Hawley and James Inhofe fought the bill, but I AM astonished that Iowa Senator Joni Earnst backed it.

But hey, as for DeSantis and Pence, haters gotta hate.

[Toonces]

Are they really forts?

We tend to name our bases based on the town they are in or near.

When I worked for DND, I was at CFB Trenton which was in...Trenton.

(Department of National Defense. Canadian Forces Base)

[gounion]

Are they really forts?

We tend to name our bases based on the town they are in or near.

When I worked for DND, I was at CFB Trenton which was in...Trenton.

(Department of National Defense. Canadian Forces Base)

Most United States Army Bases are called Forts.

[Number6]

Why would Americans want to name our military bases after people who fought against the United States? It would be like naming a base Osama bin Laden.

Here's one base name change I doubt anyone would object to. Fort Benning was renamed to Fort Moore after General Hal Moore and his wife Julie. General Moore earned his recognition leading the first major battle of the Vietnam War. Julie Moore changed the way next of kin are notified when a soldier was killed from receiving an impersonal telegram to the news being delivered in person.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fort-benni ... e-georgia/

[Glennfs]

Prior to the woke community deciding they were offended by the names I doubt 1 in 10 people knew who the bases were named after.
Now on to the next thing they will be offended by. Don't know what it will be but I guarantee they will come up with something.

[JoeMemphis]

Prior to the woke community deciding they were offended by the names I doubt 1 in 10 people knew who the bases were named after.
Now on to the next thing they will be offended by. Don't know what it will be but I guarantee they will come up with something.

True. However, in 10 years, maybe sooner, no one will give these new names a second thought. I’m good with Eisenhower and Moore as they are names I’m familiar with and they distinguished themselves as soldiers. I’m sure the other names were similarly chosen. I’m with you in that I would probably picked a distinguished Army Vet for Bragg. But that’s a personal opinion. Liberty sounds a little corny to me. To each his own.

[ZoWie]

Fort Liberty sounds like some place they'd build overseas to launch offensives in support of some dictator who the economic elite was cozy with. It seems propagandistic, like a mission to "free" people of a government that won't let United Fruit Company take over the day to day running of the country in order to pay farm workers a starvation wage to grow stuff that all goes straight to US produce markets.

It's just like when old commies were coming up with names like People's Democratic Republic for dictatorial goverments that rounded up and killed dissidents.

[Number6]

Prior to the woke community deciding they were offended by the names I doubt 1 in 10 people knew who the bases were named after.
Now on to the next thing they will be offended by. Don't know what it will be but I guarantee they will come up with something.

From my experience in the AF, when arriving at a new base we went through a base orientation program that lasted from a few days to a week. We were given information on the history of the base as well as the local community. So most military personnel would know the reason for the name of the base. That alone is reason enough to not have bases named after Confederates who fought against the U.S..

[Number6]

True. However, in 10 years, maybe sooner, no one will give these new names a second thought. I’m good with Eisenhower and Moore as they are names I’m familiar with and they distinguished themselves as soldiers. I’m sure the other names were similarly chosen. I’m with you in that I would probably picked a distinguished Army Vet for Bragg. But that’s a personal opinion. Liberty sounds a little corny to me. To each his own.

Fort Liberty is a bit corny but it's better than being named after a Confederate General. I'd prefer to name the bases after one of the towns/cities where they're located. For example, Fort Knox would be known as Fort Louisville.

[JoeMemphis]

Fort Liberty is a bit corny but it's better than being named after a Confederate General. I'd prefer to name the bases after one of the towns/cities where they're located. For example, Fort Knox would be known as Fort Louisville.

I dunno 6. How many of these folks going into the military today know that much history? But it’s done and as I said in 10 years no one will remember the old names or the controversy.

[Number6]

I dunno 6. How many of these folks going into the military today know that much history? But it’s done and as I said in 10 years no one will remember the old names or the controversy.

As I said, they're informed when they arrive at their base during base orientation. The history of the base is very short and from my experience it's forgotten after a couple of months. One thing I remembered from my base orientation at Hahn AB, Germany in the 1980s was Chuck Yeager was at one time the base commander. Other than that, I recall almost nothing else. That's the reason why I support naming the base after a nearby town/city because it's easier to remember the location than the history of the person it's named for.

[JoeMemphis]

As I said, they're informed when they arrive at their base during base orientation. The history of the base is very short and from my experience it's forgotten after a couple of months. One thing I remembered from my base orientation at Hahn AB, Germany in the 1980s was Chuck Yeager was at one time the base commander. Other than that, I recall almost nothing else. That's the reason why I support naming the base after a nearby town/city because it's easier to remember the location than the history of the person it's named for.

Makes sense.

[bird]

Prior to the woke community deciding they were offended by the names I doubt 1 in 10 people knew who the bases were named after.
Now on to the next thing they will be offended by. Don't know what it will be but I guarantee they will come up with something.

I did. And you don’t know what the fuck woke even means.

Bragg, Polk et al were traitors. Fuck the confederate assholes who whine about a rebellion against the U.S. that lasted less time than Nirvana.

[Glennfs]

As I said, they're informed when they arrive at their base during base orientation. The history of the base is very short and from my experience it's forgotten after a couple of months. One thing I remembered from my base orientation at Hahn AB, Germany in the 1980s was Chuck Yeager was at one time the base commander. Other than that, I recall almost nothing else. That's the reason why I support naming the base after a nearby town/city because it's easier to remember the location than the history of the person it's named for.

Sounds about right. While I doubt many people know who Bragg was for example. But, I can sure envision an African American soldier at orientation saying to themself WTF when they hear he was a Confederate General.
At the end of the day the name changes are a big nothing burger that as Joe said in 10 years nobody will know or care about.

People who were upset about the previous names along with those who are currently upset about the new names are just looking for things to be upset about.

[gounion]

Sounds about right. While I doubt many people know who Bragg was for example. But, I can sure envision an African American soldier at orientation saying to themself WTF when they hear he was a Confederate General.
At the end of the day the name changes are a big nothing burger that as Joe said in 10 years nobody will know or care about.

People who were upset about the previous names along with those who are currently upset about the new names are just looking for things to be upset about.

No, the former names would upset anyone who believes in our nation and don’t think traitors should have bases named after them. Where do you stand on that?

[Glennfs]

No, the former names would upset anyone who believes in our nation and don’t think traitors should have bases named after them. Where do you stand on that?

Sorry but figuratively speaking nobody was upset about the names.
In fact nobody gave them a second thought.

[gounion]

Sorry but figuratively speaking nobody was upset about the names.
In fact nobody gave them a second thought.

Now that you've given them a second thought, isn't it good that they're no longer named after traitors to our nation?

[Glennfs]

Now that you've given them a second thought, isn't it good that they're no longer named after traitors to our nation?

In 10 years the new names won't matter any more than the old names

[gounion]

In 10 years the new names won't matter any more than the old names

At least the people the bases are named after will deserve it. They aren’t traitors. I think that’s an improvement, don’t you?