FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Fort Bragg's new suggested name has now been shared: Fort Liberty.
NBC affiliate WRAL first reported sources close to the process told them about the proposed new name. The Naming Commission confirmed the proposed name in a virtual roundtable discussion on Tuesday, along with the proposed new names for other military bases on the U.S. homefront.
The renaming of Fort Bragg and the eight other bases generated controversy in 2021. That was when Congress voted to change the names of nine military installations named after Confederate figures, which included Fort Bragg. The North Carolina base currently is named after General Braxton Bragg, who was a Confederate general.
Most of the proposed names on the list would see bases renamed after women and Black soldiers for the first time. Up until 2015, military leaders have insisted the bases' names did not glorify the rebel cause but instead were means of reconciliation with southern states.
The push to rename the bases came in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn. in May 2020. The Pentagon and Congress called for a comprehensive renaming not just of military bases, but also street names, buildings, memorials, and other federal assets that shared names with Confederate figureheads.
During the virtual roundtable with news media Tuesday, commission members said community members had plenty of say in the proposed names for the bases. One member said several thousand names were suggested, but feedback from residents near each base factored into the final determinations.
The proposed name changes must be sent to Congress by Oct. 1, 2022, along with an estimation of the cost to change relevant federal assets to feature the new names. This includes things like base signage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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