Most at meeting oppose renaming Camp Beauregard but name in 2023

Melinda Martinez, Alexandria Town Talk
·4 min read

Why the name change? The Louisiana National Guard hosted a town hall meeting Thursday to discuss renaming Camp Beauregard. Most of the small crowd wanted to know why, which is slated for next year, is necessary.

Col. Dirk D. Erickson, post commander at Camp Beauregard opened the meeting by telling the audience that the Naming Commission, a federal commission led by retired Adm. Michelle Howard mandated that all installations that had a "nexus to a Confederate general be renamed."

Camp Beauregard is named after Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard, a Confederate general from Louisiana.

The federal commission recommended name changes for nine military bases, including Fort Polk, but did not recommend a name change for Camp Beauregard since it is owned by the Louisiana National Guard.

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But even though they are not a federal installation, Erickson said they are 75-80 percent federally funded.

"They have not made any threats that they would take our funding," said Erickson. "They have not said that they would not do it, but we just don't know in this day and age."

To err on the side of caution, Erickson said, the Louisiana National Guard thinks it's prudent to make the shift so they can continue and be ready for state and federal missions.

Why the name change? That's the question most of the small crowd wanted answered at the town hall meeting hosted by he Louisiana National Guard hosted Thursday evening to discuss renaming Camp Beauregard. Most were opposed to the name change, but even so, the name will change.
Why the name change? That's the question most of the small crowd wanted answered at the town hall meeting hosted by he Louisiana National Guard hosted Thursday evening to discuss renaming Camp Beauregard. Most were opposed to the name change, but even so, the name will change.

What was the feedback?

This meeting was held to gather more names from the public in addition to the ones gathered in an online survey held in May.

"The South lost the war. We should have never named these bases after Southern generals or officers," said Cornelius White Jr., a former military police officer who was stationed here. He thinks they should have been named after white or Black troops who served in the Union Army.

Some oppose making the move at all.

"I think it needs to stay the same. Why change it?," said Carol Ann Thompson of Alexandria. "All it's going to do is cost money."

"It's all I've known all my days," said Len Wiggins of Dry Prong, a retired Louisiana National Guard supply sergeant who was with the 199th Support Battalion. He also expressed concerns about the expense of a name change and said history shouldn't be taken away.

Some thought that if the name had to be changed, it should be to a name with ties to Central Louisiana.

Even though she didn't think the post needs to be renamed, Thompson made a recommendation that one of the names considered should be Col. Leslie Prestridge.

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"He was the colonel out here for several years. He was born and raised in Tioga and graduated from Tioga High School," she said. "He was the commander out here for many years, and I recommend his name because he's from here and served at this post."

Chris Roy, who served in the Louisiana National Guard, suggested that the base be named after Gen. Omar Bradley who was stationed at the base during the Louisiana Maneuvers and for whom the Bradley Fighting Vehicle is named.

Other suggestions included naming it after Zachary Taylor, the only president from Louisiana, the Routiere Camp to honor the Routiere Brothers who served in World War II, Camp Geaux Ready, Camp Louisiana Beauregard or just Camp Louisiana.

Those proposals will be taken into consideration with 95 others gathered during an online survey held in May. They will be sent to a committee made up of military, local and state officials. Each member will choose five from the list. The committee will deliberate that down to 5 or 6 then make recommendations to the Adjutant General, Major Gen. D. Keith Waddell, who will then take the recommendations to Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The planned date for the name change is October 2023.

Camp Beauregard history

Camp Beauregard is the largest National Guard post in Louisiana, serving as headquarters for several units, and hosts many others for combat and emergency-response training.

For more than 50 years, it has been the home of the Officer Candidate School. The Youth Challenge program based at Camp Beauregard helps troubled young people turn their lives around.

Camp Beauregard is more than 100 years old and can be traced back to the Louisiana Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. The school's superintendent, William Tecumseh Sherman, resigned to join the Union military and the school ceased operations. Later, the school became Louisiana State University and moved to Baton Rouge.

The site was abandoned until 1905, when it was chosen to host training for the Louisiana State National Guard. It was renamed Camp Stafford, after the guard's adjutant general, Maj. General David T. Stafford.

In 1917 it was renamed Camp Beauregard. The camp was designated a Louisiana National Guard facility in 1921.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Most oppose name change but Camp Beauregard will be renamed in 2023