The United States Department of Defense Approves Renaming Nine US Military Bases Named After Confederate Generals
AGN.News Team
October 13, 2022
WASHINGTON (AGN.News) – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, on last Thursday, signed off on an independent commission’s recommendations to rename military bases that honor Confederate officers and effectively scrub a long list of references commemorating the southern rebellion, initiated by the Confederacy.
Congress created a special commission
The Naming Commission, established by Congress last year, took inventory of all of the military’s contemporary references to the Confederacy, which waged war against the United States to preserve the slave trade which enslaved African Americans.
The commission found nine Army bases and several buildings commemorating rebel officers, in addition to a monument honoring Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Naming Commission announcement
United States Military Bases to be renamed by the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has approved new names for nine military bases. The Commission completed the work of renaming Fort Benning, Fort Gordon and 7 other bases.
A Naming Commission Implementation Working Group led by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment will oversee the full implementation of all directives of the commission’s recommendations.
What are the bases on the list?
These are nine bases: Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, Fort Lee, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, and Fort Pickett.
These nine bases are named after generals who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America, also called The Confederacy, between 1861 and 1865.
These Confederates worked in concert in an effort to preserve slavery as an institution in the United States and overthrow the constitutional government. As confederate leaders, they took up arms as rebels against the United States.
New names commemorate and honor US leaders
These nine military bases will be renamed after loyal defenders of the United States who gave their all as they served their country honorably in life and battle to preserve the unity and prosperity of the United States of America.
Fort Walker Honors Dr. Mary Walker
In Virginia, Fort A.P. Hill will be renamed Fort Walker, in commemoration of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first female surgeon in the US Army.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, M.D. (1832-1919) is commonly referred to as Dr. Mary Walker. In 1855, she earned her medical degree at Syracuse Medical College in New York and became a surgeon.
Dr. Walker fought for the rights of African Americans as an American abolitionist. She was also a prohibitionist in support of good health. She was captured while providing medical services to the wounded during the Civil War and became a prisoner of war.
Dr. Mary Walker is the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor for her dedication to duty and commitment to the United States during the American Civil War.
After the war Dr. Walker was approved for the Medal of Honor, for her efforts to treat the wounded in battle and across enemy lines during the Civil War. After the war, she was a writer and lecturer supporting the women’s suffrage movement (women right to vote) until her death in 1919.
Fort Moore Honors Hal and Julia Moore
In Georgia, Fort Benning will be renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia Moore. General Hal Moore (1922-2017) was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military’s second-highest decoration for valor.
He was the first of his West Point class (1945) to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general. Lt. Gen. Moore fought in the Korean and Vietnam wars and coauthored the bestselling book “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young.” Julia Moore supported military families back home during her husband’s service.
Julia Compton Moore (1929-2004) was the wife of Lieutenant General Hal Moore, a United States Army officer. Her efforts and complaints in the aftermath of the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 prompted the U.S. Army to set up survivor support networks and casualty notification teams consisting of uniformed officers, which are still in use. Both her and her husband are buried at Fort Benning (Fort Moore).
Fort Eisenhower Honors Dwight D. Eisenhower
In Georgia, Fort Gordon, outside Augusta, will be renamed Fort Eisenhower after former President and five-star General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969). He was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
During World War II, Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, and achieved the five-star rank of General of the Army.
Fort Liberty Honors America’s liberty
In North Carolina, Fort Bragg will be renamed Fort Liberty, in commemoration of the American value of liberty. It is a synonym for the word freedom. The word “liberty” is often used in slogans, such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” or “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.
In this sense, the exercise of liberty is subject to capability and limited by the rights of others. Thus liberty entails the responsible use of freedom under the rule of law without depriving anyone else of their freedom.
The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States reminds everyone of the American value of liberty and now Fort Liberty will do the same.
The copper statue, a gift from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
Fort Cavazos Honors Richard Cavazos
In Texas, Fort Hood will be renamed Fort Cavazos, in commemoration of Gen. Richard E. Cavazos (1929-2017). General Cavazos was a Korean War recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross as a first lieutenant and advanced in rank to become the United States Army’s first Hispanic four-star general.
During the Vietnam War, as a lieutenant colonel, Cavazos was awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross. In 1976, he became the first Mexican-American to reach the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army.
Cavazos’ military awards include two Distinguished Service Crosses, Army Distinguished Service Medal, a Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legion of Merit awards, five Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge, a Parachutist Badge.
Fort Gregg-Adams Honors Gen. Arthur J. Gregg
and Honors Lt. Colonel Charity Adams Earley
In Virginia, Fort Lee will be renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, in commemoration of Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg (1928- ) and Lt. Col. Charity Adams (1918-2002).
Gregg was born in Florence, South Carolina in May 1928. He attend grade school near Florence. There were no high schools open to Blacks closer than 10 miles to his home, so his older brother arranged for him to stay with him in Newport News, Virginia and attend high school there.
After graduation from high school, Gregg briefly served in the Merchant Marine and studied at the Chicago College of Medical Technology before enlisting in the US Army.
Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg is a retired United States Army lieutenant general. He’s described as, “One of the Army’s preeminent logistics leaders of the 20th century who served for over 35 years.
Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg enlisted in the Army as a private in 1946 and retired as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4 in 1981. The Army named the “Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg Sustainment Leadership Award” in his honor.
Honors Lt. Colonel Charity Adams Earley
Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley (1918–2002), also known as Charity Adams, was an American United States Army officer. She was the first African American woman to be an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later called WACS).
Adams was the commanding officer of the first battalion of African American women to serve overseas during World War II. Adams was the highest-ranking African American woman in the army by the completion of the war.
Adams was born on December 5, 1918 in Kittrell, North Carolina and grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. Her parents believed strongly in education and were high achievers. Her father, a college graduate, was an African Methodist Episcopal minister.
Her mother was a schoolteacher. Adams was the oldest of four children. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School as valedictorian and from Wilberforce University in Ohio in 1938, majoring in math and physics.
After graduation, she returned to Columbia where she taught mathematics at the local high school while studying part-time for a M.A. degree in psychology at the Ohio State University, receiving her master’s degree in 1946.
Adams enlisted in the U.S. Army’s Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in July 1942. In March 1945, she was appointed the commanding officer of the first battalion of African-American women, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. They were stationed first in Birmingham, later in France.
By the completion of the war, Lieutenant Colonel Adams was the highest ranking African-American woman in the military. She had many awards and honors. She was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 1993.
Gregg and Adams will be honored again when Fort Lee in Virginia is renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, after Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley by January 1, 2024.
Fort Novosel Honors Michael J. Novosel
In Alabama, Fort Rucker, near Ozark, will be renamed Fort Novosel, in commemoration of CW4 Michael J. Novosel Sr. Michael J. Novosel Sr. (1922-2006) of Enterprise, Alabama served in the United States military during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
He flew the B-29 Superfortress bomber in World War II. In order to serve in the Vietnam War, he gave up the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve and became a chief warrant officer in the Army.
He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military decoration, for his bravery in conducting a medical evacuation under fire in the Vietnam War. His final resting place is Arlington National Cemetery.
Fort Johnson Honors William H. Johnson
In Louisiana, Fort Polk will be renamed Fort Johnson, in commemoration of Sgt. William Henry Johnson. Sergeant William Henry (1892-1929), commonly known as Henry Johnson, was a United States Army soldier.
Sergeant William Johnson performed heroically in the first African American unit of the United States Army to engage in combat in World War I.
While on observation post duty on the night of May 14, 1918, Johnson came under attack by a large German raiding party, which may have numbered up to 36 soldiers. Using grenades, the butt of his rifle, a bolo knife and his bare fists, Johnson repelled the Germans.
In the battle, Sergeant Johnson killed four German soldiers while wounding others, rescuing a fellow soldier from capture and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Johnson suffered 21 wounds during the engagement.
In 1918, the French awarded Johnson with a Croix de guerre with star and bronze palm. The medal was Awarded for Military duty during World War I, valor in battle. He was the first U.S. soldier in World War I to receive that honor.
On June 2, 2015, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by U.S. President Barack Obama in a posthumous ceremony at the White House. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Fort Barfoot Honors Van Thomas Barfoot
In Virginia, Fort Pickett will be renamed Fort Barfoot, in commemoration of Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot. Sgt. Van Thomas Barfoot (born Van Thurman Barfoot; 1919-2012) was a loyal United States Army officer (from 1940-1974).
Sgt. Van Thomas Barfoot was a recipient of the United States military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II. Barfoot was formally presented with the medal on September 28, 1944, in Épinal, France, by Lieutenant General Alexander Patch, for bravery in the face of the enemy during World War II.
Barfoot later served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was awarded a Purple Heart. He reached the rank of colonel before retiring from the Army.
On October 9, 2009, the portion of Mississippi Highway 16 which runs from Carthage through his hometown of Edinburg to the border between Leake and Neshoba counties was named the “Van T. Barfoot Medal of Honor Highway”.
When will the changes be made?
The order from Secretary Lloyd Austin III to follow the recommendations of the commission will be held up by a 90-day waiting period in most cases, per the congressional action that started the renaming process, but should be in place by 2024 at the latest, according to Military.com.
Why was renaming necessary?
“The names of these installations and facilities should inspire all those who call them home, fully reflect the history and the values of the United States, and commemorate the best of the republic that we are all sworn to protect,” Austin, the first Black defense secretary, said in a statement in which he said he agreed with the naming commission’s recommendations.
The Secretary of Defense’s Statement
“The Commission has chosen names that echo with honor, patriotism, and history — names that will inspire generations of Service members to defend our democracy and our Constitution,” Austin said.
Secretary Lloyd Austin III stated in the memorandum accepting the name change: “In the words of Admiral Michelle M. Howard, the Naming Commission’s chair, the commission’s goal was to inspire Service members and military communities ‘with names or values that have meaning.’
The (United States Department of Defense or DoD, USDOD or DOD) Department’s implementation of the Commission’s recommendations will do just that – and will give proud new names that are rooted in their local communities and that honor American heroes whose valor, courage, and patriotism exemplify the very best of the United States military.”
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