New names for US military posts
During the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, in many US cities Confederate monuments were removed during the second half of 2020. This also drew attention to the names of US military installations which were named after Confederate military. Lawmakers established a commission to remove all names, symbols, display monuments and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America. This commission completed its work by 1 October 2022.
Nine major US military installations were placed on the list to be recommended to be changed: Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Hood, Fort Lee, Fort Pickett, Fort Polk and Fort Rucker. Scramble obviously has its focus on aviation, so looking at this list the following US Army posts draw our attention since they house aviation units.
Fort Benning
Located near Columbus (GA), this installation was established as Camp Benning on 19 October 1918. It was named after Confederate Army Brigade General Henry L. Benning. On 11 May 2023, this installation will be renamed to Fort Moore. This in honour of Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife Julia Compton Moore. During the first large-scale battle involving US troops in Vietnam, Hal Moore was the commander on the ground of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry. In 1992 he wrote a book called “We Were Soldiers Once...And Young”, which was turned into the famous movie featuring Mel Gibson “We Were Soldiers” in 2002. Both the book and the movie also highlight the pressure of war on the families of the soldiers back home, and the roll played by Julia Moore in supporting them.
Fort Bragg
The home of the 82nd Airborne Division and various US Special Operations units is located near Fayetteville (NC). It was built in 1918, and named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg. During the summer of 2023, the post will be renamed Fort Liberty. It is the only major base which will not be renamed after a person.
Fort Hood
Located in central Texas, near the town of Killeen (TX), this installation was opened on 15 August 1942. It is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It will be renamed Fort Cavazos on 9 May 2023. General Richard Cavazos was a highly decorated war veteran from Korea and Vietnam, who was the first Latino four-star general and also the first Latino Brigade General.
Fort Polk
Located in Vernon Parish (LA), Fort Polk was named in honour of Confederate General Leonidas Polk. Construction of this US Army post took place in 1941, and during the summer of 2023 it will be renamed to Fort Johnson. Sgt Henry Johnson was a World War One Medal of Honor recipient. He was assigned to C/15th New York (Colored) Infantry Regiment, which was later re-named 369th Infantry Regiment.
Fort Rucker
Probably from an aviation perspective the most well-know location. Located in Dale County, Alabama, Fort Rucker is the home of the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence and US Army helicopter pilot training. It was established on 1 May 1942, and named after Acting Brigade General Edmund Rucker. This location will be renamed Fort Novosel on 10 April 2023. Lieutenant Colonel Michael J Novosel, served as B-29 pilot during Second World War and Korean War. He retired in 1955, but gave up his rank to enlist in the US Army to fly helicopters during the Vietnam War. Assigned to 283rd Medical Detachment and 82nd Medical Detachment, he flew 2,543 medevac missions in Vietnam, during which he rescued 5,589 wounded personnel.
Concluding this article, this listing only shows the major US Army posts. It can be expected that various smaller locations will also undergo name changes. It should also be mentioned that the federal commission was not authorized to provide name change advice on National Guard installations, which are not considered to be assets of the Federal government. However, following conclusions of The Naming Commission efforts discussions have started in several individual states to analyse and potentially rename National Guard installations as well.
Photo: Dino van Doorn from Scramble archive (just illustrative)