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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the U.S. Army to change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, but with a twist.
Hegseth signed a memo aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 before landing in Stuttgart, Germany, ordering the renaming of the North Carolina base to Fort Roland L. Bragg, not the Confederate general that was the previous namesake.
“That’s right. Bragg is back,” said Hegseth after signing the memo.
The entrance to Fort Liberty in North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
The military installation is one of the largest in the world and is home to the Army’s famed 82nd Airborne Division and the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
“The directive honors the personal courage and selfless service of all those who have trained to fight and win our nation’s wars, including PFC. Bragg, and is in keeping with the installation’s esteemed and storied history,” the memo said.
In addition to the North Carolina base, several other Army posts were renamed, including Fort Benning, home to the Army’s infantry school, to Fort Moore, after the late Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, a Vietnam War commander, and Fort Hood to Fort Cavazos, named after Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a four-star general who fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Fort Liberty is the name given to replace Fort Bragg in North Carolina. On Monday, Defense Secretary ordered Fort Liberty to be renamed back to Fort Bragg. (Getty Images)
At the time the Army was renaming several bases, Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule said at a commission meeting that Fort Liberty was chosen as the new name because “liberty remains the greatest American value.”