Why the re-naming of our nation’s military bases is a travesty

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has approved new names for nine military bases. Fort Bragg, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort Picket, Fort Lee and Fort A.P. Hill will all have new names by Jan. 1, 2024. The changes were recommended by the Democrat-led “Naming Commission” that was created shortly after the 2020 death of black career criminal George Floyd.

Three points regarding this topic, right off the bat:

1) One cannot change what happened in the past in any way.

2) Those who choose to ignore history are bound to repeat it.

3). Why does one person have the authority to approve this travesty?

Each of these historic bases have hosted hundreds of thousands of soldiers of all races since their founding. And not once was the subject of the name of the base being allegedly racist ever discussed until two years ago. It’s always been considered an honor and a source of pride to serve at these iconic installations. Why were these alleged feelings of racism not present during previous administrations? Why now?

This veteran and the vast majority of veterans I suspect — white, black, yellow, red, chartreuse and purple alike — probably didn’t know and likely didn’t care who these bases were named for. What we cared about were the life experiences we had there, the leadership skills gained there, and the proud history of the soldiers and units who trained there.

Ft. Benning, Ga., for example, is home of the Army’s Infantry School, created by General George C. Marshall. Skills learned there by hundreds of thousands of troops, all later directed by Marshall’s Army Chief of Staff, were a huge part of helping our nation win World War II. In North Carolina, Ft. Bragg, home of the storied 82nd Airborne Division, is still the combat ready tip of the spear of America’s might, always ready for any emergency.

Wiping away the beloved names of these historic bases dishonors and disrespects the veterans who trained there and who were proud of it. Countless soldiers gave their lives while fighting alongside comrades and friends from those posts and it’s a genuine travesty to simply change their names because a few Democrat members of Congress suddenly decide the names above their front gates are somehow offensive.

Our nation will soon lose its way to the point of no return if we continue to allow the left-wing “woke” segment of society, and that includes members of Congress, to have their way. This includes in no small part the revisionist history teachings in our public schools and universities.

Real history and heritage are being systematically abolished by those who apparently hold no hope of ever understanding it. Why do people think that changing a name or taking down a statue is in any way going to change history? History and heritage are things to be cherished and passed on with respect and sentiment, not simply cast aside and ignored because some do not like what they think they represent. 

There’s also the question of the legality and protocol of changing the names of government properties named after Confederate generals.

Soldiers, sailors and marines of the Confederacy who fought in the Civil War were designated U.S. veterans by an Act of Congress in 1957, thus giving them rights equal to all other U.S. veterans. It also provided for payment of pensions to Confederate veterans and their widows in the same amounts as all other U.S. veterans, and directed the War Department to erect headstones for and recognize Confederate grave sites as U.S. war veteran grave sites.

As such, wouldn’t changing those base names then be a violation of the law or at least necessitate debate?

This irritated U.S. war veteran sure thinks so.