The Naming Commission has released the list of names which may be used to rename nine Department of Defense installations and one U.S. Navy ship.
Two Georgia posts — Fort Gordon and Fort Benning — are among those that may be renamed. The others are Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, N.C. Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Polk, La.; and Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia. The lone ship is the U.S.S. Maury.
The commission, officially named the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America, visited the installations last year for listening sessions with military commanders and community leaders to gain feedback on their process, preferences for new names and an understanding of local sensitivities. Commission members visited Fort Gordon July 19 and 20, 2021.
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In addition to the local visits, the commission accepted public comments and suggestions via its website. More than 34,000 suggestions were received including 3,670 unique names. The list is posted to the commission’s website: www.thenamingcommission.gov/names
Among the 87 names on the list released March 17 are Omar Bradley, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Colin Powell, Audie Murphy, Alvin York, George Marshall, Harriet Tubman and Hal and Julia Moore, made famous by the book and movie “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young.”
“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.”
Commissioners are planning a series of virtual listening session with those same groups before deciding the final recommendations.
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In addition to Howard, the other members of the commission are Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, U.S. Army, Retired, Vice-Chair, Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, U.S. Army, Retired, Jerry Buchannan, Gen. Robert Neller, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, Lawrence Romo and Dr. Kori Schake. The only elected official on the commission is Georgia Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA8).
Fort Gordon was founded as Camp Gordon. It is named for John Brown Gordon, a major general in the Confederate Army who later served as governor of Georgia and as a U.S. senator. Fort Benning is named after Henry L. Benning, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. He was also a judge on the Georgia Supreme Court.
The commission must give its final report to the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee by Oct. 1, 2022. The names must be changed by 2024. Commission members must also determine the cost of removing the offending names as well as any symbols, monuments or other objects related to the Confederacy.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
