Video above: First Warning Weather forecastSeven U.S. Army bases whose names were changed in 2023 to remove Confederate associations are reverting to their original titles — now honoring different individuals who share the same surnames, the Army announced Tuesday.The changes, approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reverse the renaming effort launched under President Joe Biden, which had honored women and minority service members. Critics say the new designations undermine the spirit of removing Confederate symbols.>> COMMUNITY, STATE AND COUNTRY: WVTM 13 coverage on PoliticsMarc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, called it “a difference without a distinction.” Skeptics argue that the move appears designed to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the previous administration.Despite federal law prohibiting military assets from honoring Confederate figures, Hegseth bypassed this by selecting new namesakes who share the same last names but were not Confederates. Sen. Jack Reed, (D) RI, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “By instead invoking the name of World War II soldier Private Roland Bragg; Secretary Hegseth has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit.”Fort Bragg in North Carolina, renamed Fort Liberty in 2023, was the first to be restored in February, now honoring Private Roland Bragg. Fort Benning in Georgia, formerly Fort Moore, reverted in March to honor Corporal Fred G. Benning.Other affected bases include Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett and Fort Lee in Virginia; Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort Hood in Texas; Fort Polk in Louisiana; and Fort Rucker in Alabama. All names have been restored as of mid-June.>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13Other recent renamingsRepublican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry last week said he was restoring the name of the state’s largest National Guard training site, writing on social media that ‘we honor courage, not cancel it.’In late June, Hegseth also announced that the USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed after a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, removing the name of the gay rights activist who had served in the Korean War.Criticism of renaming and broader implicationsCritics question the rationale of reverting to names long associated with Confederate leaders. “No county on Earth would name its military base after people who tried to overthrow the government,” Morial said.Stacy Rosenberg, an associate teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, raised concerns over the inefficiency and cost of repeated base renamings, noting that there is currently no estimate for the expense. She said the most important measure is whether the namesake has a service record worthy of the honor.Angela Betancourt, a public relations strategist and reservist in the U.S. Air Force, described the process as part of how administrations use naming to signal what the military should represent. She added that honoring qualified heroes regardless of background is itself positive.>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for freePortions of this report were contributed by The Associated Press.
Video above: First Warning Weather forecast
Seven U.S. Army bases whose names were changed in 2023 to remove Confederate associations are reverting to their original titles — now honoring different individuals who share the same surnames, the Army announced Tuesday.
The changes, approved by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reverse the renaming effort launched under President Joe Biden, which had honored women and minority service members. Critics say the new designations undermine the spirit of removing Confederate symbols.
>> COMMUNITY, STATE AND COUNTRY: WVTM 13 coverage on Politics
Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, called it “a difference without a distinction.” Skeptics argue that the move appears designed to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the previous administration.
Despite federal law prohibiting military assets from honoring Confederate figures, Hegseth bypassed this by selecting new namesakes who share the same last names but were not Confederates.
Sen. Jack Reed, (D) RI, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said: “By instead invoking the name of World War II soldier Private Roland Bragg; Secretary Hegseth has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit.”
Fort Bragg in North Carolina, renamed Fort Liberty in 2023, was the first to be restored in February, now honoring Private Roland Bragg. Fort Benning in Georgia, formerly Fort Moore, reverted in March to honor Corporal Fred G. Benning.
Other affected bases include Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett and Fort Lee in Virginia; Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort Hood in Texas; Fort Polk in Louisiana; and Fort Rucker in Alabama. All names have been restored as of mid-June.
>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD: Community coverage from WVTM 13
Other recent renamings
Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry last week said he was restoring the name of the state’s largest National Guard training site, writing on social media that ‘we honor courage, not cancel it.’
In late June, Hegseth also announced that the USNS Harvey Milk will be renamed after a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, removing the name of the gay rights activist who had served in the Korean War.
Criticism of renaming and broader implications
Critics question the rationale of reverting to names long associated with Confederate leaders. “No county on Earth would name its military base after people who tried to overthrow the government,” Morial said.
Stacy Rosenberg, an associate teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, raised concerns over the inefficiency and cost of repeated base renamings, noting that there is currently no estimate for the expense. She said the most important measure is whether the namesake has a service record worthy of the honor.
Angela Betancourt, a public relations strategist and reservist in the U.S. Air Force, described the process as part of how administrations use naming to signal what the military should represent. She added that honoring qualified heroes regardless of background is itself positive.
>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free
Portions of this report were contributed by The Associated Press.