Hegseth Restores Fort Bragg Name
But it's a different Bragg!
Department of Defense, “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Renames Fort Liberty to Fort Roland L. Bragg“
While flying aboard a C-17 from Joint Base Andrews to Stuttgart on February 10, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum renaming Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Roland L. Bragg. 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. This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation.
This move will make a lot of people who hated the “Fort Liberty” name, which was always a lame choice, and who have memories of their time serving at Bragg happy while annoying those who see it as a transparent undoing of the Base Naming Commission’s work. But I suspect it’ll stick, as undoing it would require dishonoring young PFC Bragg—even though we all know we wouldn’t otherwise be naming one of the most storied US Army bases after someone who earned the third highest medal for valor.
It is noteworthy that the Bragg/Liberty name has been by far the most contentious. Of the nine Army bases renamed between March and June 2022, it’s the only one that I still hear about. I’ve actually done training at the former Forts Benning (now Moore), Rucker (now Novosel), and Gordon (now Eisenhower) and have been on Hood (now Cavazos) and A.P. Hill (now Walker) and, aside from having to remember what they’re now called, haven’t much cared. My dad did his basic training at Polk (now Johnson) over 60 years ago now. But the fact that the commission couldn’t pick a soldier associated with the home of the XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, and U.S. Special Forces and went with the “Liberty” cop-out was rather irksome.
Would I have preferred Fort Roy Benavidez? Yes. But I’m not losing any sleep over the reversion to “Fort Bragg,” either. Although, if they were going to do this, it would have made more sense to rename it after Braxton Bragg’s cousin, Union Brigadier General Edward S. Bragg, a distinguished soldier who later served as a Congressman and U.S. Ambassador.
We’re just lucky he didn’t name it after President Doughboy.
Petty, trivial, middle finger extended. In other words, typical Trump culture war crap (albeit nicely packaged as honoring another Bragg).
Deeply unserious people. But we knew that.
Yeah, it’s a bit lame, but still much better than it being named after a mediocre general in an enemy army.
@Mikey: Oh, sure. But, rather obviously, the only reason PFC Bragg received the honor was because he shared a last name with the mediocre general in an enemy army.
@Charley in Cleveland:
Now honoring President Bragadacio.
The stupidity of it all is that they are admitting they don’t know nor care about what they are honoring or not honoring.
As noted above, it is about sticking it to people, not for serious reasons.
I suppose Secretary of Defense Hegseth could have renamed it Fort BHawk after the distillery just outside the base.
This post submitted Tue. Feb. 11, 2025 8:24am cst.
I know a few people who refuse to use the term “joint base”. Military traditions are deep, and when you ask people to do extraordinary things you have to respect them. Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the US, and a lot of people spent the most important weeks of their lives there. Small acts of respect get noticed.
Small acts of respect get noticed.
Like Donald Trump’s respect for women when he said: “you can grab them by the pussy.”
I noticed that.
This post submitted Tue. Feb. 11 2025 8:44 cst.
@Fortune: Like cancelling recognition of history and historical figures.
@Fortune:
You know what signifies respect? Not naming a U. S. Army post after a general who took up arms against the U. S. Army and commanded forces that killed U. S. Army soldiers.
Republicans are [for the Nth time] giving the population culture war shibboleths while claiming the organizations regulating their billionaires are WOKE AND GAY and therefore eliminated. Fun fact.. The only giveback from the 2008 bailout was the CFPB, and so when CFPB eliminated, banker bailout has become just free cash with no strings.
Instead of “Arlington national cemetary,” everyone should refer to it as the Confiscated Lands Of The Traitor Lee.
Small acts of respect – like Fortune taking a day trip to in Ohio the past few days to fly a Nazi flag and get run out of town by blackpeople with loaded guns.
The only way out is increasing labor union power — and knowledge of that is why Christian churches are funded by billionaires because labor unions are hard but fake Jesus seems easier. And of course the cash and healthcare that fake Jesus gives is… just as fake.
@Gavin: New low.
Odd change. It’s like they decided to clean up which Bragg got the fort name. So, not named for Braxton Bragg the dumb Confederate general but now named for Roland L Bragg a private who saved a life in WW2. Conservative political correctness.
Little Pete Hegseth. It was so easy, he simply turned to Page-666 of his Ginni-Thomas-autographed edition of the Project 2025 Plan and there it was: ‘Re-rename Fort Bragg.’ Re-renaming that base reminds us again that the Civil War isn’t over.
For a while now I’ve thought that in ways the 2024 election reminded me historically of the 1876 election. That is, it was a crossroads, maybe a precipice. In 1876, the compromise that settled the election was one that gave away a primary purpose of Civil War victory – the end of slavery and establishment of a basis of civil rights and progress for Black people. We pulled the plug on Recontstruction and ushered in over 80 years of apartheid, segregation and Jim Crow.
Circumstances are different of course, but the Trump (re) election has the same feeling to me.
Also,the current Culture War vibe is straight out of 1933 Berlin. It’s a war on perceived decadence – drag queen story hour, women having sex for purposes other than for procreation, the entire LGTBQ milieu, and much more. The writer Christopher Isherwood would recognize it for sure.
Finally, and I know this is a small reach, but I could easily imagine Marshal Philippe Pétain bringing Elon Mush onboard to manage the financial affairs of 1940 Vichy France.
Speaking of respect:
Defense Secretary Hegseth booed and heckled by military families protesting against DEI push
A reminder that military families matter.
@Fortune:
As do small acts of disrespect, like naming bases after generals who fought to keep Black citizens’ ancestors enslaved.
@Mikey: I feel obliged to disagree with the characterization of Braxton Bragg as mediocre. Bragg would have had to be a good deal more competent, and a deal less querulous, to rise to mediocre. I never really objected to naming a fort after him. As a Confederate general he was a considerable asset to the cause of the Union.
King County (home of Seattle) was named after William Rufus de Vane King, a vice president to Franklin Pierce who died after 45 days in office having spent the vast majority of that time in Cuba with his tuberculosis. Wikipedia notes “King never carried out any duties of the office.”
King was a senator from Alabama who had 500 slaves, and no connection to the Pacific Northwest. He is also sometimes suspected of having had a romantic relationship with James Buchanan.
King County is now named after Martin Luther King, who also had no connection to the Pacific Northwest. Objectively an upgrade, even if we lost a bit of closeted queer, slaveholding, contagious history/trivia.
Performative outrage at its peak.
Fort Bonespurs.