The Pentagon will change the name of the North Carolina military base Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Trump.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday signed an order to restore the name of the sprawling Army base to Fort Bragg after it was renamed Fort Liberty in June 2023.
“That’s right. Bragg is back,” said Hegseth after signing the memo.
The name of the military installation was changed in 2023 as part of a broad Department of Defense initiative, motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests, to rename military installations bearing the name of Confederate soldiers.
The base was originally named in 1918 for Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles that contributed to the Confederacy’s downfall.
The new name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.
“During these hellish conditions and amidst ferocious fighting, PFC. Bragg saved a fellow soldier’s life by commandeering an enemy ambulance and driving it 20 miles to transport a fellow wounded warrior to an allied hospital in Belguim,” the memo states.
“The directive honors the personal courage and selfless service of all those who have trained to fight and win our nation’s wars, including PFC. Bragg, and is in keeping with the installation’s esteemed and storied history,” the memo said.
In addition to the North Carolina base, several other Army posts were renamed, including Fort Benning, home to the Army’s infantry school, to Fort Moore, after the late Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, a Vietnam War commander, and Fort Hood to Fort Cavazos, named after Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a four-star general who fought in both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
