Fort Bragg, the U.S. Army base in North Carolina that is among the world's largest military installations, was formally renamed Fort Liberty on Friday, part of a broader effort to rechristen bases named for Confederate officers.
Last year, a commission created by Congress recommended new names for nine bases that honored Confederate officers, after the nationwide protests following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd prompted the military to re-examine its history through the lens of race.
In a video on Friday announcing the change, the Army said the base is the only one to be named after a value, rather than a person. "No value has proven more integral to the United States and the history of its military than liberty," the video said. Established in 1918, the North Carolina base was originally named for General Braxton Bragg, who served in the Confederate Army during the 19th-century U.S. Civil War. It houses the Airborne and Special Operations Forces and is home to 53,700 troops, according to its website.
The next base to change names will be Fort Polk in Louisiana, which will become Fort Johnson later this month in honor of Henry Johnson, a Black soldier lauded for his heroism in World War One combat.Our Standards:
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North Carolina's Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake, renamed Fort LibertyWhile the previously renamed bases were chosen to honor past soldiers or Army families, Fort Liberty was named after no one person.
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North Carolina's Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake, renamed Fort LibertyWhile the previously renamed bases were chosen to honor past soldiers or Army families, Fort Liberty was named after no one person.
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Fort Bragg to drop Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebrandingFort Bragg is shedding its Confederate namesake to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans view as a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to Black service members.
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Fort Bragg to drop Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebrandingFort Bragg is shedding its Confederate namesake to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans view as a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to Black service members
Read more »
Fort Bragg to drop Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebrandingFort Bragg will shed its Confederate namesake to become Fort Liberty in a Friday ceremony that some veterans view as a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members.
Read more »
Fort Bragg to drop Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebrandingThe change is part of a broad Department of Defense initiative to rename military installations bearing the name of confederate soldiers.
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