Secretary of Defense OK's base renaming of Fort Gordon, others

Abraham Kenmore, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Thursday accepted the recommendations of a commission set up to rename military assets honoring confederates. Among the assets are nine army bases, including Fort Gordon and Fort Benning.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Thursday accepted the recommendations of a commission set up to rename military assets honoring confederates. Among the assets are nine army bases, including Fort Gordon and Fort Benning.
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Fort Gordon is one step closer to being Fort Eisenhower.

On Thursday,  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a memo accepting the recommendations of a congressionally authorized commission to rename U.S. Military assets honoring Confederate soldiers. This included nine army forts, including Fort Gordon and Fort Benning. In May, the commission recommended naming Fort Gordon Fort Eisenhower and changing Fort Benning to Fort Moore.

Read: Memo on Implementation of the Naming Commission's Recommendations

Also: Fort Gordon should be renamed Fort Eisenhower, commission says

"In the words of Admiral Michelle M. Howard, the Naming Commission's chair, the commission's goal was to inspire Service members and military communities 'with names or values that have meaning,' Austin wrote in the memo. "The Department's implementation of the Commission's recommendations will do just that - and will give proud new names that are rooted in their local communities and that honor American heroes whose valor, courage, and patriotism exemplify the very best of the United States military."

Previously: Commission recommending name change for Fort Gordon to Fort Eisenhower completes work

And: Golfing at the National, shopping at the PX: Ike and Mamie Eisenhower loved Augusta

The Naming Commission was created by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to rename any military assets that commemorate the Confederacy or those who served in the Confederacy. It includes a 90 day waiting period to implement the recommendations, and Austin wrote that he wanted the recommendations implemented "as soon as possible ... and no later than January 1, 2024."

Austin also wrote that some changes not subject to the waiting period, including the Department of Defense's memorialization and naming process, will be implemented sooner.

"The Commission has chosen names that echo with honor, patriotism, and history - names that will inspire generations of Service members to defend our democracy and our Constitution," Austin wrote.

The military installations to be renamed including Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Rucker in Alabama, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Forts A.P. Hill, Lee and Pickett in Virginia along with the Georgia bases.

Fort Hood will be renamed as Fort Cavazos, after Gen. Richard Cavazos; Fort Rucker will be renamed Fort Novosel, after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr.; Fort Polk will be renamed Fort Johnson, after Sgt. William Henry Johnson; Fort A.P. Hill will be renamed Fort Walker, after Dr. Mary Walker; Fort Lee will be renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, after Lt. Gen. Arthur Greggs and Lt. Col. Charity Adams; and Fort Pickett will be renamed Fort Barfoot, after Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot. Fort Bragg will be renamed Fort Liberty – the only installation not named for a person.

A full list of all military assets included in the final report is posted here: https://www.thenamingcommission.gov/inventory

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Fort Gordon: Renaming for bases honoring confederates approved