The Pentagon is changing the name of the military base Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, reversing a decision made by a congressionally mandated commission to rename bases that honor Confederate generals.
The Army base will be renamed Fort Bragg, but it will honor a different Bragg than its original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, who fought for the Confederacy. Instead, it will honor Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, who was awarded a Silver Star for actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, according to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“This decision reflects the installation’s proud history of honoring selfless service and sacrifice in defense of the nation,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot said in a statement.
NBC News was first to report the Defense Department was considering this option.
Roland L. Bragg was one of the names previously considered for the base’s name change, but ultimately, officials decided to name it Fort Liberty, instead of naming the base after any single person.
On the campaign trail, President Trump criticized the renaming. At an October rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina — near where the military installation is located — Mr. Trump said, “We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg, right?” and promised, “We’re gonna get it back. We’re gonna bring our country back.”
Before he became defense secretary, Pete Hegseth said the base should never have been renamed. While promoting his book “War on Warriors,” Hegseth said, “We should change it back, because legacy matters. My uncle served at Bragg. I served at Bragg. It breaks a generational link.”
When he entered the Pentagon for the first time, he referred to Fort Liberty and Fort Moore by their former names, Fort Bragg and Fort Benning.
Fort Bragg and Fort Benning were two of nine bases that the Naming Commission, a commission mandated by Congress to rename bases honoring Confederates, for which new names were suggested.
Back-to-back annual defense authorization bills first banned the military service branches from naming installations after Confederates and then created the Naming Commission. In 2020, Mr. Trump vetoed the defense bill, in part because of the base-renaming provision, but the House and Senate overrode his veto. The service branches, like the Army, still have the authority to rename bases as long as they’re not named for Confederates.
The base is home to the Army’s Special Operations and Airborne forces, including the 82nd Airborne Division, which is often considered the tip of the spear by the U.S. military because it can rapidly deploy within 18 hours of notification.
Fort Bragg officially became Fort Liberty during a ceremony in June 2023.
The Naming Commission estimated that changing the name of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty would initially cost over $6 million, according to the commission’s report. It’s not clear how much it will cost to change the name back to Fort Bragg.
Hegseth’s memo directs the Army to inform the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment of the timeline and necessary resources for the implementation of the change.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fort-bragg-name-change-fort-liberty/
