Fort Bragg is back in name. What legacy are Republicans celebrating? | Opinion
It would seem Republicans only want to protect one kind of history.
Fresh off a rocky confirmation process, new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is using his first days to move the clock back on progress made during the Biden administration.
On Monday, the Pentagon announced that it would be restoring the name Fort Bragg to the North Carolina Army base near Fayetteville. In 2023, the base was renamed Fort Liberty so that it no longer honored a Confederate general.
Instead of going with the base’s initial namesake, slaveholder and dismal Gen. Braxton Bragg, the base is now named for Army Pfc. Roland Bragg, a World War II hero who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Even though the name is supposed to be completely new, Republicans are celebrating it as a return to form.
“Bragg is back!” Hegseth said in a video posted to X.
Ask yourself this, back to what?
We all know which Bragg Republicans are celebrating
While Republicans noted the namesake change, they couldn’t contain their excitement about being able to refer to the base as “Fort Bragg” once again.
“The effort led by radical woke Senator Elizabeth Warren to erase military history must be reversed, and President Trump is delivering again for the people of North Carolina,” the state GOP said in a statement.
I’m confused about how this is “delivering” for North Carolina, my home state. It isn’t like this is a cost-saving measure ‒ it was projected to cost more than $6 million to rename the building the first time, plus $500,000 to change out the highway signs.
It's clear, however, that this decision is part of a broader effort from President Donald Trump's administration to have authority over what we call things. The administration has also renamed the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," with Apple and Google updating their maps this week to reflect the change.
Meanwhile, nothing is being done to assist Americans struggling with rising costs. People are now stealing eggs because the price is so high.
What is it that Republicans are celebrating, exactly?
There does seem to be some disagreement on how to address the Confederacy.
The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute reported last year that 52% of Americans support efforts to preserve Confederate history; the percentage rose to 58% when only Americans from Southern states were considered.
This certainly seems to be how Hegseth feels. He previously called efforts to rename buildings “a sham,” “garbage” and “crap.” The renaming of Fort Bragg seemed to bother him specifically.
“We should change it back, because legacy matters,” Hegseth said on a podcast. “My uncle served at Bragg. I served at Bragg. It breaks a generational link.”
Again, I’m confused. What legacy? Braxton Bragg, the base’s original namesake, lost key battles in the Civil War. The Confederacy itself didn’t even last a full five years.
Names, while they can feel trivial, do matter. For the U.S. Defense secretary to go back to the base name that once belonged to someone who went to war against the U.S. government is a poor choice at best. At worst, it signifies exactly where the Trump administration is when it comes to racial justice.
Follow Paste BN columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno