Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum on Monday to rename Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Bragg.
“That’s right. Bragg is back,” Hegseth stated in a video posted on X after signing the memo onboard a army transport plane sure for Germany.
The brand new identify, nevertheless, doesn’t honor the Accomplice basic the Military base was beforehand named after.
“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,” Division of Protection press secretary John Ullyot stated in an announcement.
“This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation,” he added.
The North Carolina base was initially named in 1918 for Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Accomplice basic from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was recognized for proudly owning slaves and shedding key Civil Warfare battles that contributed to the Confederacy’s downfall.
It was one among a number of army bases that have been named after Accomplice figures throughout World Warfare I and World Warfare II as a part of an effort by the federal authorities to exhibit “reconciliation” with southern whites, in line with Boston College historian Nina Silber.
The bottom took on the identify Fort Liberty in June 2023 as a part of a Biden administration Pentagon initiative – motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests – to rename army installations that had been named after Accomplice troopers.
The North Carolina army set up was the one base renamed utilizing a moniker that didn’t honor an individual.
The price to rename Fort Bragg — one of many largest army installations on the earth by inhabitants — was about $8 million.
President Trump had vowed on the 2024 marketing campaign path to rename Fort Liberty again to Fort Bragg, if elected.
“We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg, right?” Trump stated at an October rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“We’re gonna get it back. We’re gonna bring our country back,” he pledged.
The bottom is residence to the Military’s 82nd Airborne Division and serves because the headquarters for the Military’s Particular Operations Command.
Hegseth’s memo directed the Military to current the underneath secretary of protection for acquisition and sustainment with a timeline to implement the identify change and a listing of any extra sources which may be wanted.
