With his most recent effort to restore the names of Army bases that formerly honored Confederate military personnel, President Donald Trump seems to be taking sides.
Following the statewide race protests in 2020, former president Joe Biden made the decision to rename nine Army installations after Confederate names. Following the recovery of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning to their initial titles earlier this year, Trump announced on Tuesday that the Department of Defense may revert seven of those bases to their unique names.
” We won a lot of fights out of those outposts,” he said. I’m religious, and there’s no time to change, I know? I like to carry it on,” he continued.
Trump did not mention that these “renamed” foundations had no longer recognize Confederate officers; instead, they would become renamed after painted veterans with the same title as their original recipients, including three troops who served in the Union during the Civil War.
Fort Lee would become named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt., he didn’t particularly specify. rather of Robert E. Lee, Fort Hill, which is not being referred to as AP Hill, is also in the same league.
Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act’s uncommon veto in December 2020, particularly challenging its necessity to rename military installations that honored Confederate generals. Despite his criticism, the legislation was passed into law and continues to be in consequence. In order to name those bases without completely reversing the naming process, the administration was forced to identify different veterans with the same titles.
” That’s kind of a sneaky means to get around it and get the names of the Army bases back.” I like it,” a Democratic strategist from Washington said under the condition of anonymity. It kind of serves as a large middle finger to the awakened individuals who implemented these changes.
A Michigan-based GOP strategist named Dennis Lennox also praised the staff who conducted the research and called the changing” smart.”
The renamings are probably the most inventive issue I’ve seen in a while, I thought. Lennox claimed that the researcher who conducted the research merited a significant raise. ” At the end of the day, the majority of people were almost certainly also using their original names to refer to the foundations. The only ones who did give consideration are the families of those whose names were used are” the only ones who will care.”
According to a U.S. Army spokesman, the list of renamed foundations and their successors is as follows:
First Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism during World War II, will receive the name Fort Pickett ( formerly Fort Barfoot ). Pickett burst forth and grenade two army positions while being pinned down by foe machine gun fire. He escaped from a travel station with other [prisoners of war ] after being captured, rejoined his system, and was then killed in action.
Col. Robert B. Hood, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, will be honored with the name Fort Hood ( formerly Fort Cavazos ). Hood for his unusual bravery in World War One. In the middle of fierce shooting in the Thiaucourt, France, the then-Capt. Under enfilading machine-gun fireplace, Hood directed weaponry fire. When his gun crew was lost to army fire, he quickly reorganized and returned fire within days, restoring fight ability.
In honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt., Fort Gordon ( previously Fort Eisenhower ) will be named Fort Gordon. Gary I. Gordon was praised for his bravery at the Somalia Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Gordon volunteered to stand up for the injured staff users at a plane crash site, and Gordon defended the captain from an advancing enemy army while he was protecting him after he had exhausted all of his weapons.
Fort Lee ( previously Fort Gregg-Adams ) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee is renowned for his bravery in the Spanish-American War. Lee deliberately disembarked during a maritime assault in Cuba to bring his wounded compatriots out of the battlefield while being shot by the enemy.
Fort Polk ( formerly Fort Johnson ) will be named in honor of Gen. James H. Polk, a Silver Star recipient, who fought for the 3rd Cavalry Group ( Mechanized ) in World War II’s operations across Europe. Col. Polk then spearheaded Third Army developments as part of Task Force Polk, leading surveillance and combat missions under fire. Afterward, he held the position of U.S. Army Europe’s commander in chief.
Fort Rucker ( previously Fort Novosel ) will be named in honor of Capt. Rucker, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross. Edward W. Rucker for unusual bravery in World War I. In a heroic aerial battle over France, then-1st Lt. Rucker and his brother pilots disrupted enemy activities and completed their goal against overwhelming odds, flying heavy behind army lines.
Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill ( formerly Fort Walker ) will be named in honor of First Sgt. Edward Hill, one of the Medal of Honor recipients. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson for unusual bravery during the American Civil War. Then-Capt. In support of the U.S. Army, Hill, Pinn, and Anderson jointly carried out important steps at Cold Harbor, Virginia, Chapin’s Land, Virginia, and Fort Fisher, North Carolina.
Palaces Bragg and Benning were renamed in the same way earlier this year after non-Confederate soldiers who shared the same title.
Even after the Army provided historical data for all the nominees, White House leaders declined to explain why the leader neglected to mention the outposts ‘ new successors. If the word had been included in the mayor’s prepared remarks, they were unable to respond.
Trump usually floats off-script during his official speeches, and a White House aide speculated that the information might have come across also” clunky” to fit the notes.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA ), a member of Biden’s commission to rename Confederate monuments, described Trump’s decision as” a slap in the face” and “political theater.”
According to McClellan, whose region includes Fort Lee, “it’s deeply disappointing,” the Progress-Index was informed. The Naming Commission chose the [previous ] names after a thorough and thoughtful selection.
BIDEN AUTOPEN USE IN DC WAS MORE WIDESPREADED THAN PERFECTLY KNOWN.
Hegseth reinstated the Fort Bragg brand earlier this year, but this time it no more honors Confederate General Braxton Bragg. Otherwise, the assembly now honors Pfc. First Class Roland L. Bragg, a painted World War II warrior who was honored for his heroism at the Battle of the Bulge with both the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking part Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, remarked that Hegseth had “violated the spirit of the law” in his response.
