The U.S. Army renamed North Carolina's Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty during a ceremony Friday.
Fort Liberty is one of nine military bases to experience a name change, but it is the only one not named after a person but a value instead. Its website assured readers that "no act can take away from the heritage this installation’s service members created while stationed here or anywhere else, serving our nation." The base was named after Gen. Braxton Bragg of the Confederate Army.
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“We understand the original name’s prestige in the eyes of some of the Soldiers, Families, and our nation, was built upon the bravery and dedication of those who served here, not because of an obscure, incompetent, ill-tempered confederate general’s legacy,” the website reads. “Nevertheless, our nation’s representatives felt a need to move on from that name and put the redesignation into law, and we are abiding by that law.”
The Naming Commission, a congressional commission tasked with removing Confederate-related names from military bases, recommended the name "Liberty" from the beginning. It had received more than 34,000 suggestions from the public, and it included 3,670 unique names for consideration.
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Along with the base's name, its street names will also be changed to reflect notable service members. All the name changes will be completed by Dec. 31.
All name changes will cost roughly $62.4 million, according to retired Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, who was the vice chairman of the Naming Commission.