These 9 Fort Bragg roads will be renamed

FORT BRAGG — While Fort Bragg with be redesignated as Fort Liberty in June, nine streets on post will also get new names during the next few months, according to a news release.

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act mandates renaming Department of Defense assets that commemorate the confederacy.

The Fayetteville Observer first reported that Reilly Road will be renamed after former 18^th Airborne Corps Command Sgt. Maj. Rock Merritt, and Bragg Boulevard will be renamed.

The street names selected were based on input from units on the installation, and new signs will be in place no later than Dec 31, the news release stated.

“The redesignation of the streets, and the name Liberty honors the heroism, sacrifices, and values of the soldiers, service members, civilians, and families who live on and serve alongside this installation,” the news release stated. “We view this as the next chapter in the post’s history and look forward to honoring the stories of the military heroes of every generation and walk of life.”

More: These are the stories of Fort Bragg's Medal of Honor recipients

Here’s a look at all nine roads and who they will be renamed after.

Bragg Boulevard

Mirroring Fort Bragg's new name, Bragg Boulevard on post will become Liberty Boulevard.

Reilly Road

Reilly Road to become Rock Merritt Avenue. Kenneth “Rock” Merritt was a World War II and Vietnam veteran who jumped into Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, and served during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. Merritt served as the 18^th Airborne Corps’ top senior enlisted adviser twice — first selected for the spot from 1962 to 1966 and again between 1973 to 1977.  He died March 10, 2021.

Randolph Street

Randolph Street to become R. Miller Street. Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, 24, was killed Jan. 25, 2008, while serving as a weapons sergeant with the 3^rd Special Forces Group in Afghanistan. While conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol through the Gowardesh Valley, Miller and his unit were attacked by insurgents. Charging enemy fire to provide protective fire for his team, Miller was mortally wounded. He is credited with saving the lives of seven members of his own team and 15 Afghanistan national army soldiers during the battle.

Armistead Street

Armistead Street to become Stiner Road. Gen. Carl Stiner was the former commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command, 18^th Airborne Corps and 82^nd Airborne Division. He was involved in the capture of the terrorists in the 1985 Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking, the Panama invasion and the capture of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, as well as special operations activities during Operation Desert Storm.

Alexander Street

Alexander Street to become Gandara Street. Pvt. Joe Gandara was a paratrooper with D Company, 2nd Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division when he was killed June 9, 1944, in France.  Gandara’s detachment came under enemy fire from a Nazi force that pinned the men to the ground for four hours. He advanced along, firing his machine gun from his hip and destroying three hostile machine guns before he was fatally wounded.

Pelham Street

Pelham Street to become Conde-Falcon Road. Staff Sgt. Felix Conde-Falcon was a member of D Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division when he was killed April 4, 1969, in Vietnam. After artillery and airstrikes, Conde-Falcon led his platoon in a charge to clear an enemy bunker while under fire. Conde-Falcon destroyed two other bunkers and came under fire when rejoining his platoon. Conde-Falcon killed the enemy inside the nearest fortification until he ran out of ammunition.

During an attempt to secure another bunker, he was shot and killed.

More: Fort Bragg renames Longstreet to disassociate from Confederate name

Jackson Street

Jackson Street to become Merriweather Road. Staff Sgt. Daniel Merriweather, 25, of Collierville, Tennessee, was killed by a roadside bomb Jan. 13, 2010, near Kandahar, Afghanistan, after his Humvee was attacked by enemy forces. Merriweather served with the 503rd Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade.

Donelson Street

Donelson Street to become Benavidez Street. Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, served with the 18^th Airborne Corps and 82^nd Airborne Division and earned the Medal of Honor for his 1968 actions while serving with the 5^th Special Forces Group in Vietnam.  Benavidez was wounded multiple times May 2, 1968, during an extraction attempt.

Under enemy fire, he recovered classified documents and the body of a dead team member and aided the wounded aboard a crashed helicopter. Despite his wounds, Benavidez helped move soldiers toward another extrication aircraft that arrived, killing two enemy soldiers in the process.

He is credited with saving the lives of at least eight men. Benavidez died Nov. 29, 1998.

More: Who are Fort Bragg’s buildings and roads named after?

Mosby Street

Mosby Street to become Shachnow Lane. Originally from Lithuania, Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow was the only general officer in the Army to have survived the Holocaust. He was held as a Jewish prisoner for more than three years at the Kovno concentration camp when he was a child during World War II. Shachnow enlisted in the U.S. military in 1955 and served for more than 39 years, including 32 in the Special Forces community. He deployed twice to the jungles of Vietnam and was the top U.S. Army officer in Berlin at the end of the Cold War. His top posts included leadership of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and U.S. Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg and U.S. Army-Berlin in Germany. Shachnow died Sept. 28, 2018.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rrily@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fort Bragg officials renaming nine roads on post