Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced Fort Liberty will be renamed again to Fort Bragg—the base’s previous name, which was changed in 2023 as a part of a wider Pentagon effort to rescind special honors given to officials and military personnel linked to the Confederacy—but said the new name does not honor the Confederate general Braxton Bragg.
FILE PHOTO: Fort Bragg had been renamed to Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a wider effort to rescind ... [+]
In a statement, the Pentagon said Hegseth signed the memorandum “renaming Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Roland L. Bragg,” while flying onboard a military plane from Joint Base Andrews to Stuttgart, Germany.
Hegseth also shared a video of himself signing the document and saying: “That's right. Bragg is back!”
The new name pays tribute to Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, a World War II veteran who was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for “his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.”
The Pentagon announcement does not include any additional information about Bragg and his military service.
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A brief biography in the Military Times notes Bragg served with the U.S. Army’s 17th Airborne Division and earned a Silver Star. The World War II veteran is mentioned in ‘The Bitter Woods’, a book about the Battle of the Bulge written by John Eisenhower, the son of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower, who also served in World War 2 and was a military historian, wrote about Bragg saving a wounded soldier’s life during the battle while being lightly wounded himself. During the battle, Bragg, along with Lt. McLain (full name not mentioned), used a captured German ambulance to carry a wounded soldier. Eisenhower wrote: “A German machine gun opened fire on the ambulance, and Bragg decided the only thing to do was to shove the throttle to the floor and speed through the fire.” Although the wounded soldier was killed in the gunfire, Bragg was able to bring a supply party to help the soldiers fighting in Flamierge, Belgium. Citing his obituary, Stars and Stripes reported that Bragg was captured by a German soldier during the war. He eventually managed to escape by hitting the German soldier on his head and stealing an ambulance.
“This change underscores the installation's legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation,” the Pentagon’s statement added.