A celebration of legacy: Fort Gordon officially becomes Fort Eisenhower at renaming ceremony

President and five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower now officially has a military installation named for him.

A little after 10 a.m. Friday on Barton Field, Garrison Commander Col. Reggie Evans and Command Sgt. Major Aaron Rose folded the Fort Gordon flag and slipped it into a black cover, casing the colors. Then they unfurled the new Fort Eisenhower flag in front of service members, elected officials and special guests, including Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth and Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of the former president.

"Sixty two years ago, on a cold January day, President Eisenhower stood on this parade field, with large hometown Augusta crowd in attendance, to hold the most meaningful formation of his service. It was his last before retiring," said Gen. Paul Stanton, commanding general of the Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower, following the unveiling of the flag. "... Gen. Eisenhower, sir, we are on the same field, where it thrills our hearts to commemorate your legacy."

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The renaming process began with the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which created a congressionally authorized commission to rename military assets honoring the confederacy or Confederate veterans. The official renaming was announced a year ago, when U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a memo accepting the recommendations of the commission.

Fort Gordon, named for Confederate general and former Georgia governor John Brown Gordon, is the last of nine military installations to be renamed. Also on the list was the former Fort Benning, which has since been renamed to Fort Moore, after married couple Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Julia Moore.

"President Eisenhower chose to return to Augusta and this installation time and time again," Wormuth said in her remarks, before reflecting on the history of the base.

Soldiers from Camp Gordon fought in World War II under the command of Eisenhower to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation, Wormuth said. As in the early 1940s, when the installation was opened, the Army is once again orienting towards large scale combat, Wormuth said.

"Fort Eisenhower truly embodies our commitment to operating the most technologically sophisticated army in the world," she said.

Susan Eisenhower for her part reflected on her grandfather's connection to Augusta, where he came frequently to play golf and spend time with friends.

"Augusta and the state of Georgia provided considerable rest for them," Susan Eisenhower said. "My grandfather knew he must allow his brain to rest so he could process the complex factors of critical decision making. Hunting, golf, oil painting were indispensable parts of that reset."

Susan Eisenhower did note; however, that even on the Augusta National, Eisenhower occasionally was frustrated when his shots hit a particular tree (famously Eisenhower requested the inconvenient loblolly pine be removed).

Stanton also noted that Eisenhower's name was in some ways uniquely appropriate to the cyber focus of Fort Gordon. While no computer scientist, and indeed a skeptic of early punch card computers, Eisenhower was a supporter of innovation and science. He supported the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Advanced Research Projects Agency, which eventually created the internet.

"Just as Gen. Eisenhower found himself at the vanguard of new technology, concepts and world events that changed the character of war, we on Fort Eisenhower are ready to meet the vision of a data-centric Army," Stanton said.

How Fort Eisenhower was selected

At the official ceremony were Susan Eisenhower, Stanton, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Starrett and retired Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who was the chair of the congressionally appointed naming commission.

Howard said that the naming commission presented a group of civilian and military members of the community in Augusta with 10 possible names from a list of 90 possible names. Eisenhower was on the long list, but not the list of 10.

"I have never seen a group so aligned. They said, 'Look, you didn't give us this name, but we're picking it. It's on your list of 90, so this is what we want,'" Howard said. "And it just made absolute sense to us."

Stanton said the new name gave soldiers something toward which they can aspire.

"Here we transition from arguably a failed leader (Gordon) to visionary world leader who resonated with all the soldiers he led. On a world stage he was recognized and admired," Stanton said.

Community support

One particularly special guest at the ceremony was Master Sgt. Louis C. Graziano, who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He also witnessed Eisenhower accept the unconditional surrender of Germany, likely the last person alive who saw the event.

Other elected officials and community groups turned out for the ceremony. These included Congressional Rep. Rick W. Allen, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, members of Augusta's state legislative delegation and the Augusta Commission, as well as representatives from Sens. Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff and Gov. Brian Kemp.

"I love the new name, so we're excited about it," said Tom Clark, executive director of the Alliance for Fort Eisenhower, a community organization that supports the installation. "... No matter the name, this community will support the men and women who defend freedom and the American way of life. Period."

And that appreciation by the community would have be reciprocated by Eisenhower, his granddaughter said.

"If Dwight Eisenhower were here today, he would be full of heartfelt appreciation for the focus and dedication this community has placed on serving our country and keeping it safe," Susan Eisenhower said as she concluded her public remarks. "You who serve here at Fort Eisenhower are truly an inspiration for us all and I know how much Ike is glad to be back with the men and women of our nation's armed forces."

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This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Officially Fort Eisenhower, Fort Gordon renaming complete