Fort Bragg is back: Army renames NC base to honor WWII hero

Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has been officially rededicated to its original name, honoring a World War II hero instead of an Army officer from the Mexican-American War who later became a Confederate general. Under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Army held a ceremony at the 260,000-person-strong base outside Fayetteville to reverse the change to “Fort Liberty” and to honor the bravery of PFC Roland L. Bragg.

Descendants of Roland L. Bragg, who passed away in 1999, were present at the ceremony as Lt. Gen. Gregory Anderson offered remarks on the late veteran’s service and ushered in the renaming. The base had previously been named after CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg.

“Fort Bragg is not just any base. It is our nation’s premier force projection platform, a culture of toughness and warfighting, and a way of life,” said Anderson, the commanding officer of the 18th Airborne Corps at the base. “We refer to Fort Bragg as the center of the universe, the beating heart of our Army’s ability to deploy anywhere across the globe, to respond to crises, deter conflict, and fight and win our nation’s wars.”

Roland Bragg’s granddaughter also spoke at the event, sharing anecdotes about her grandfather’s quiet and loving nature. She recounted how he never publicized his military service and was a beloved patriarch of his family, known for grilling pancakes in various shapes for his grandchildren.

During World War II, Bragg was taken prisoner by the Germans in 1943 but managed to negotiate his and his fellow prisoners’ release by tricking a Nazi officer. He then commandeered a Nazi ambulance and drove it through enemy fire to American lines, believing he was the only survivor until he received a letter from a fellow veteran years later.

For about four years, Fort Bragg had been known as “Fort Liberty” as part of a series of base renaming efforts to remove Confederate ties. In 2021, a commission created by the National Defense Authorization Bill, led by Rep. Adam Smith, stripped Braxton Bragg’s name from the base in a successful veto override of then-President Donald Trump.

Rep. Richard Hudson, who represents the base, expressed support for the name change, emphasizing the importance of community input in such decisions. He stated that renaming the base to honor Roland Bragg pays tribute to the brave soldiers who have served there and their families.

Fort Moore in Georgia is set to be redesignated as Fort Benning, named after a World War I recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross. Other bases like Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee, Fort Hood, and Fort Rucker have also undergone renaming to remove Confederate ties.

Hegseth hinted at more changes to come, aligning with the administration’s views on base renaming. “I never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn’t Fort Liberty. It’s Fort Bragg,” he stated.

The ceremony at Fort Bragg marks a significant moment in honoring the sacrifices and bravery of American service members, ensuring that their legacy lives on in the names of the bases where they served.