Fayetteville Today

Fort Bragg, as well as eight other U.S. military bases, is up for renaming this year. The Naming Commission is reviewing name changes for bases with names rooted in the Confederacy.

“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,” retired Admiral Michelle Howard said to CBS17. “We also are considering the local and regional significance of names and their potential to inspire and motivate our service members.”

The commission has to submit proposed name changes to the House and Senate Armed Services committees by October 1, according to CBS17.

Fort Bragg was named after General Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina man who fought during the Mexican-American War and served with the Confederacy during the Civil War. The base got its start in 1918 as Camp Bragg. It was designed as a training spot for soldiers as World War I was winding down, and it was one of few to stay as a military installation after the war.

The other eight installations with names tied to the Confederacy are Fort Hood in Texas; Fort Polk in Louisiana; Fort Rucker in Alabama; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon, both in Georgia; and Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee, and Fort Pickett, all in Virginia, CBS17 said.

The Naming Commission received more than 34,000 submissions for a new name and has narrowed them down to less than 100, according to CBS17. The names that made the cut are available here. The commission did not say when a new name would officially be chosen after the October 1 submission deadline.