FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The short-lived existence of Fort Liberty is set to an end Friday when the nation’s largest Army installation officially returns to its former name: Fort Bragg.
Christened a century ago in honor of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, the post in North Carolina was renamed in 2023 amid a drive to remove symbols of the Confederacy from public spaces.
But last month Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order reinstating the Bragg name, only this time it will honor Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient from Maine.
Pfc. Bragg’s relatives are expected to attend Friday’s renaming ceremony.
In a statement announcing the rededication, Lt. Gen. Greg Anderson said Roland Bragg “represented the best of the Greatest Generation.”
“Generations of Soldiers, Families, and Veterans have a deep connection to the name Fort Bragg, and united together we will redefine it for a new generation,” said Anderson, commanding general of Fort Bragg and the 18th Airborne Corps, which is based there.
When the redesignation was announced Feb. 10, some critics saw it as a cynical sop to President Donald Trump, who criticized the removal of Confederate names as “woke” and made restoring them part of his reelection campaign.
Hegseth signed the order during a flight to Europe and said in a video, “That’s right. Bragg is back.”
It took an act of Congress — overriding Trump’s 2020 veto — to remove Confederate names from military installations, including nine Army facilities. Although several lawmakers complained about the switch back to Bragg and its potential costs, it is unclear whether any lawmaker intends to challenge it.
The name changing continues.
Hegseth announced this week that Georgia’s Fort Moore would revert back to Fort Benning. Originally named for Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning, it will now honor Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross who served in France during World War I.
The Liberty-to-Bragg reversion was made without first consulting with Roland Bragg’s family, but his daughter was delighted by it.
Bragg, who served with the 17th Airborne Division, received the Silver Star and a Purple Heart for exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge. According to his 1999 obituary, he was briefly captured by the Germans.
While Braxton Bragg was a North Carolina native, Roland Bragg, of Nobleboro, Maine, had no known connection to the state or the post.
The Army said in 2023 that changing the name to Fort Liberty would cost $8 million. North Carolina’s Department of Transportation said last month that it anticipated replacing dozens of roads signs at a cost of over $200,000.
