Fort Bragg gets new name, dropping Confederate namesake

Fort Bragg in North Carolina is now known as Fort Liberty. 

Officials at the military base said hundreds of people, including veterans, dignitaries and military families, attended the redesignation ceremony Friday morning. 

Established in 1918, Fort Bragg was named after Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general and known slave owner from North Carolina. 

The Department of Defense created a Naming Commission in 2021 to identify and recommend the removal of anything that "commemorates the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederacy."

The move followed a wave of racial justice protests in 2020.

While Confederate memorials come down, Confederate holidays continue

While Confederate memorials come down, Confederate holidays continue

Pushes to take down Confederate monuments have increased, but at the same time, some states are pushing to further recognize the Confederacy.

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The DOD began implementing the recommendations in 2023. It has until January 1, 2024, to complete the recommendations. 

Fort Liberty is one of nine Army bases that will have a new name by the end of the year.

Liberty was chosen "in honor of the most essential value of the United States and its military."

Fort Liberty is home to the Airborne and Special Operations Forces. Approximately 283,000 people live on the base, the military says. 

One of the biggest bases in the world, it reportedly cost $8 million to change its name. 

Fort Polk will be the next military installation to undergo a name change. It will be renamed for New York National Guard Sgt. Henry Johnson.

According to the Army, Johnson became a hero in World War I after fighting off Germans with a knife and saving a fellow solider from capture. 

Statue of Confederate Robert E. Lee taken down in Virginia

Statue of Confederate Robert E. Lee taken down in Virginia

The Northam administration has said it would seek public input on the statue's future.

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