Fort Bragg to drop Confederate namesake for Fort Liberty, part of US Army base rebranding

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM
Associated Press/Report for America

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Fort Bragg is shedding its Confederate namesake to become Fort Liberty in a ceremony some veterans view as a small but important step in making the U.S. Army more welcoming to Black service members. The change is part of a broad Department of Defense initiative to rename military installations bearing the name of confederate soldiers. It was prompted by the 2020 George Floyd protests. A naming commission estimates the cost of renaming the base will be about $6.37 million. The commission visited the base and met with and members of the surrounding community to solicit their input. The North Carolina base was originally named in 1918 for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.