Pentagon begins ‘full implementation’ of renaming Confederate-named bases

By Washington Examiner
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America Protests Military Confederate Symbols
This Jan. 4, 2020 file photo shows a sign for at Fort Bragg, N.C. As much as President Donald Trump enjoys talking about winning and winners, the Confederate generals he vows will not have their names removed from U.S. military bases were not only on the losing side of rebellion against the United States, some weren’t even considered good generals. Or even good men. The 10 generals include some who made costly battlefield blunders; others mistreated captured Union soldiers, some were slaveholders, and one was linked to the Ku Klux Klan after the war. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File) (Chris Seward/AP)

Pentagon begins ‘full implementation’ of renaming Confederate-named bases

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The Department of Defense has begun implementing the name commission’s recommendation to rid the department of its names tied to the Confederacy.

Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante directed all DOD organizations to begin the process on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder announced. The direction followed the completion of a congressionally mandated 90-day waiting period.

FORT BRAGG, FORT HOOD, AND FORT LEE AMONG THE BASES A COMMISSION WANTS TO RENAME

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin accepted the renaming recommendations in October.

The military and all other DOD organizations will now rename or remove the more than 1,100 street, school, and building names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that are references to the Confederate States of America.

The panel recommendations include new names for nine Army bases that currently commemorate Confederate officers, including Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Fort Liberty; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia to Fort Moore and Fort Eisenhower; Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee, and Fort Pickett in Virginia to Fort Walker, Fort Gregg-Adams, and Fort Barfoot; Fort Hood in Texas to Fort Cavazos, Fort Polk in Louisiana to Fort Johnson; and Fort Rucker in Alabama to Fort Novosel.

The Naming Commission’s findings, which were released in three separate reports, will cost roughly $62.4 million, according to retired Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, who was the vice chairman of the commission.

The Pentagon has until Jan. 1, 2024, to complete the task, and Ryder said the department is “confident” it will meet the deadline.

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“I think we are confident each of the services has clear instructions in terms of what it is that they need to focus on and where the secretary is confident that the services are and will continue to take that seriously,” he explained during Thursday’s briefing.

Officials also recommended dismantling and removing the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

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