Renaming Fort Bragg: List of potential new names for post released

The home of the 82nd Airborne Division will no longer be called Fort Bragg but could be named for a Medal of Honor recipient with ties to the post, according to a list released Thursday by the national Naming Commission

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress mandates renaming Department of Defense property that commemorates individuals who served with the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

The commission was tasked by Congress to rename military installations bearing the names of Confederate soldiers.

According to Thursday’s news release, the commission is required to provide its recommendations to the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee by Oct. 1 in a naming plan for military bases and other assets that commemorate the Confederacy, including Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; and Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia.

Previous coverage: Fort Bragg renames Longstreet to disassociate from Confederate name

Residents weigh in: Fayetteville, Cumberland County residents weigh in on renaming Fort Bragg

Related: Wisconsin senator proposes renaming Fort Bragg after Union cousin of Confederate general

Camp Bragg was established in 1918 as a field artillery installation and named after North Carolina native Braxton Bragg, an artillery officer known for his role in the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico.

He later served as a Confederate general and is associated with being a slave owner and losing battles during the Civil War.

The Renaming Commission received input from Fayetteville residents in September about who they would like to see Fort Bragg renamed after.

As residents have had mixed opinions about whether Fort Bragg should be renamed at all, Grilley Mitchell, president of the Cumberland County Veterans Council, and Rep. Richard Hudson, whose district includes Fort Bragg, have suggested that Fort Bragg remove its association with Confederate Gen. Bragg and instead be renamed after his Union cousin, Edward S. Bragg Bragg, as a compromise.

Edward S. Bragg’s name is not on the list that was released Thursday.

“From day one I have said our community should decide the name of Fort Bragg, not a commission in Washington, D.C.," Hudson said in a statement Thursday. "I have pushed this commission to engage with the community more but do not think they have done that. Therefore I am concerned this list does not reflect views from our community and disappointed this commission has not engaged enough throughout this process.”

The list bears 87 names that include service members who served at Fort Bragg such as Medal of Honor recipients Sgt. 1st Class William Bryant, Sgt. 1st Class William Joel, Master Sgt. Gary Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart; 82nd Airborne Division Gens. Roscoe Robinson, James Gavin and Matthew Ridgway; and Capt. Kimberly Hampton, the Army’s first woman combat pilot killed in action on Jan. 2, 2004, in Iraq.

Renaming Bragg: Could Fort Bragg be renamed for a woman?

Community input: Fayetteville area residents weigh in on whether to change name of Fort Bragg

Realted coverage: Push to rename Fort Bragg, installations named after Confederate generals reemerges

The commission is required to have a plan by October that would detail a list of assets to be removed or renamed and the associated costs, and changes would go in effect by 2023.

“It’s important that the names we recommend for these installations appropriately reflect the courage, values and sacrifices of our diverse military men and women,” said retired Navy Adm. Michelle Howard, the chair of the Naming Commission. “We also are considering the local and regional significance of names and their potential to inspire and motivate our service members.”

The list of names the Commission is considering to rename all nine installations that are currently named after Confederate people are:

• John Aiso

• Alexander Augusta

• Vernon Baker

• Van Barfoot

• Powhatan Beaty

• Roy Benavidez

• Omar Bradley

• Ruby Bradley

• William Bryant

• Jose Calugas

• William Carney

• Alwyn Cashe

• Richard Cavazos

• Cornelius Charlton

• Charles Chibitty

• Ernest Childers

• Mary Clarke

• Mitchell Red Cloud

• Harold Cohen

• Felix Conde-Falcón

• Courage

• Bruce Crandall & Ed Freeman

• Benjamin Davis, Sr.

• Ernest Dervishian

• Desmond Doss

• Charity Earley

• Dwight Eisenhower

• Marcario García

• James Gavin

• Eduardo Gomez

• Gary Gordon & Randall Shughart

• Arthur Gregg

• Barney Hajiro

• Kimberly Hampton

• Anna Hays

• Rodolfo Hernández

• Robert Howard

• Lawrence Joel

• Henry Johnson

• Hazel Johnson-Brown

• Charles Kelly

• Mildred Kelly

• Charles Kettles

• Milton Lee

• José López

• John Magrath

• George Marshall

• Frank Merrill

• Jimmie Monteith

• Hal & Julia Moore

• Sadao Munemori

• Audie Murphy

• Michael Novosel, Sr.

• Elsie Ott

• John Page

• Emmett Paige, Jr.

• Frank Peregory

• Emily Perez

• Pascal Poolaw

• Colin Powell

• Ralph Puckett

• Matthew Ridgway

• Ruben Rivers

• Roscoe Robinson, Jr.

• Tibor "Ted" Rubin

• James Rudder

• Alejandro Ruiz

• Benjamin Salomon

• Ruppert Sargent

• Paul Smith

• Donn Starry

• Freddie Stowers

• Jon Swanson

• Central Texas

• Charles Thomas

• Hugh Thompson, Jr.

• Harriet Tubman

• Humberto Versace

• John Vessey, Jr.

• Francis Wai

• Mary Walker

• George Watson

• Homer Wise

• Rodney Yano

• Alvin York

• Charles Young

• Rodger Young

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

Huge savings: $1 for 6 months

Subscribe today to support local journalism and enjoy unlimited digital access including videos, apps, sports news, and more. Special introductory offer for new subscribers only.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fort Bragg could soon be renamed for a Medal of Honor recipient, others