Fort Bragg drops Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebranding

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Fri Jun 2, 2023, 10:13 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members.

The change was part of a broad Department of Defense initiative, motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests, to rename military installations that had been named after confederate soldiers.

The Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted nationwide after Floyd’s killing by a white police officer, coupled with ongoing efforts to remove Confederate monuments, turned the spotlight on the Army installations. A naming commission created by Congress visited the bases and met with members of the surrounding communities for input.

“We were given a mission, we accomplished that mission and we made ourselves better,” Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, told reporters after the ceremony that made the name change official.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/army-base-renaming-fort-bragg-liberty-dcfe8bd9eeaa8373d2338bf99a4cac69

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This is a biggy because "Fort Bragg" had become such an iconic base (and name).

Article updated.

Original article -

FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Fort Bragg shed its Confederate namesake Friday to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans said was a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to current and prospective Black service members.

The change was part of a broad Department of Defense initiative, motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests, to rename military installations that had been named after confederate soldiers.

The Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted nationwide after Floyd’s killing by a white police officer, coupled with ongoing efforts to remove Confederate monuments, turned the spotlight on the Army installations. A naming commission created by Congress visited the bases and met with members of the surrounding communities for input.

While other bases are being renamed for Black soldiers, U.S. presidents and trailblazing women, the North Carolina military installation is the only one not renamed after a person. Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule said at a commission meeting last year that the new name was chosen because “liberty remains the greatest American value.”

[EYESORE 9001]

1. I served aboard a US Naval vessel named for an enemy of this country

It chapped my ass even then, as a teenager. Ship has been decommissioned over 30 years now, and I hope that mistake is never repeated.

[Paladin]

2. Outstanding. (nt)

[Calista241]

3. The aircraft carrier John C Stennis is named after a Senator from Mississippi

Stennis was a strong supporter of segregation, and he signed the Southern Manifesto (which disagreed and called for resistance of Brown v Board of Education).

He also said in fucking Congress on the record that black Americans "had come down from the trees a lot later than we did."

The aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1995 and has just completed its mid-life refueling. It is expected to serve in the Navy until the 2040's.

[edhopper]

5. "black Americans "had come down from the trees a lot later than we did." "

Wow, he accepted evolution, how progressive of him.

[Upthevibe]

4. ........................

[Bo Zarts]

6. Always "Fayette-Nam" to me.

But thank goodness for the change.

[obamanut2012]

7. Same

[OneCrazyDiamond]

8. Fort Bragg California should follow suit. nt

[Lucky Luciano]

9. I wonder if the anti-woke mob will oppose a name like "Liberty." Haha

[republianmushroom]

10. I like it

[IronLionZion]

11. Liberty is way too woke

You can't erase history!

My favorite are the idiots who claim this kind of stuff makes our military weak since our enemies don't have this problem.

[oasis]

12. I wonder what measures Sen.Tommy Tuberville

took to block that change.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. This renaming scheme was done as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act

which can be found here and he WASN'T a Senator yet (he had just been elected to the Senate in November 2020 but wouldn't be sworn in until January 2021). Doug Jones (D) was still the Senator from AL.

That NDAA was passed December 11, 2020 AND his former dear leader vetoed it, but both chambers (including the Senate) overrode the veto, and it became law January 1, 2021 without his input.

[Wonder Why]

14. Many of those names were given to placate the Southern politicians when their support

was needed as a tradeoff for things the Northern politicians wanted.

Unfortunately, we forget these were done in the bad old days where the Democratic Party was made up of Northern liberals and Southern racists. When the Northern liberals stopped placating them and the Republicans began to seriously bow to them to get their votes, they became Republicans.

[EndlessWire]

15. I don't like it.

Just being honest. "Liberty" reminds me of Liberty University. less than stellar. They should have called it "Fort Freedom," if that's the way they're going. Lots of renaming potential. "Fort Liberty" makes me want to gag.

[marybourg]

16. We can't allow the right wing to co-opt all

of our symbols and nouns. Just think of “Liberty University” as “Unliberty University “ and reclaim the word “liberty” , which has a proud pre-revolutionary history.

[EX500rider]

17. Id prefer they name it for some previous Medal of Honor winner

[BumRushDaShow]

18. I heard something on the radio this afternoon that said that this was the largest base in the U.S.

and I think that is why they wanted to give it a more "neutral" name.