Editing Fort Bragg (section)

=== Name changes ===
[[File:Fort Liberty renamed 2 June 2023, sign at main gate.webp|thumb|right|Fort Liberty, main gate sign (All-American gate), June 2023]]

On 1 January 2021, the [[United States Senate]] passed a [[veto override]] of the [[William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021]]. This new law helped in establishing the [[The Naming Commission|Naming commission]] which would select new names for Department of Defense properties named in honor of [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] officials. In the law, Congress determined that those who chose to side with the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate Army]] during the American Civil War were unworthy of being namesakes. In March 2022, the commission published a list of 87<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2022/03/heres-list-87-potential-new-names-confederate-named-army-posts/363306/|title=Here's the List of 87 Potential New Names for Confederate-Named Army Posts|website=Defense One|last=Kenney|first=Caitlin|date=17 March 2022|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220317200038/https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2022/03/heres-list-87-potential-new-names-confederate-named-army-posts/363306/|archive-date=17 March 2022|access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref> potential names for nine Army installations, including Fort Bragg.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Vanden Brook |first1=Tom |author-link1=Tom Vanden Brook |last2=Brown |first2=Matthew |date=23 December 2020 |title=Trump vetoes national defense bill, though Congress has votes to override |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/23/trump-vetoes-national-defense-bill-congress-has-votes-override/3902331001/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225070948/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/23/trump-vetoes-national-defense-bill-congress-has-votes-override/3902331001/ |archive-date=25 December 2020 |access-date=26 October 2022 |website=USA Today }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Brien |first=Connor |date=5 January 2021 |title=The Pentagon has 3 years to strip Confederate names from bases. Here's what comes next |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/05/pentagon-confederate-name-bases-455180 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105212731/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/05/pentagon-confederate-name-bases-455180 |archive-date=5 January 2021 |access-date=26 October 2022 |website=Politico }}</ref>

In May 2022, the commission officially recommended that Fort Bragg be renamed to '''Fort Liberty'''. The commission gave the Pentagon until October to accept the name change; [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Lloyd Austin]] did so on 6 October 2022. According to a memorandum published by [[the Pentagon]] at the time, the new name changes cost the Department of Defense $62.5 million. In particular, the change to Fort Liberty was calculated to cost the Department of Defense $6,374,230, making it the most expensive name change.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 August 2022 |title=Fort Bragg name change to Fort Liberty likely to cost more than $6M, new report finds |url=https://abc11.com/fort-bragg-liberty-nc-north-carolina/12109784/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808194137/https://abc11.com/fort-bragg-liberty-nc-north-carolina/12109784/ |archive-date=8 August 2022 |access-date=12 June 2023 |work=[[WTVD]]}}</ref><ref name="Commission website">{{Cite web|title=The Naming Commission|url=https://www.thenamingcommission.gov/|url-status=dead|access-date=12 June 2023|website=The Naming Commission|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224090734/https://www.thenamingcommission.gov/|archive-date=24 February 2023}}</ref> In accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act, the local garrison had until early 2024 to complete the name change.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Forgey |first=Quint |date=24 May 2024 |title=Commission recommends 9 new names for Army bases that honor Confederates |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/24/commission-recommends-nine-new-names-for-army-bases-that-honor-confederates-00034799 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524192852/https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/24/commission-recommends-nine-new-names-for-army-bases-that-honor-confederates-00034799 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |access-date=26 October 2022 |website=Politico }}</ref> On 2 June 2023, Fort Liberty officially adopted its new name in a public ceremony.<ref name="pbs2jun">{{Cite web |last=Schoenbaum |first=Hannah |date=June 2, 2023 |title=Fort Bragg becomes Fort Liberty in Army's most prominent move to erase Confederate names from bases |url=https://apnews.com/article/army-base-renaming-fort-bragg-liberty-dcfe8bd9eeaa8373d2338bf99a4cac69 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602083253/https://apnews.com/article/army-base-renaming-fort-bragg-liberty-dcfe8bd9eeaa8373d2338bf99a4cac69 |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=November 12, 2024|publisher=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref>

On 10 February 2025, Secretary of Defense [[Pete Hegseth]] issued a memorandum directing the U.S. Army to rename Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, but this time in honor of Private First Class [[Roland L. Bragg]], a person other than the original namesake. Bragg was stationed at Fort Bragg during [[World War II]] and later fought with distinction in the European theater. He received the [[Silver Star]] for gallantry and the [[Purple Heart]] for wounds sustained, during the [[Battle of the Bulge]]. He was recognized for having saved a fellow soldier's life by commandeering an enemy ambulance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blackburn |first=Piper Hudspeth |date=February 10, 2025 |title=Defense Secretary Hegseth brings back Fort Bragg name, with a different namesake |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/10/politics/hegseth-fort-bragg/index.html |access-date=February 11, 2025 |website=CNN}}</ref> Bragg's name was one of thousands submitted by the public before officials decided to name the base Fort Liberty instead of naming it after an individual.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Watson |first=Eleanor |date=February 10, 2025 |title=Pentagon to restore Fort Liberty's name to Fort Bragg |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fort-bragg-name-change-fort-liberty/ |access-date=February 11, 2025 |website=CBS News }}</ref> The renaming took effect on 14 February 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=F. T. |title=It's official: Fort Bragg announces renaming 'effective immediately' |url=https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/2025/02/14/goodbye-fort-liberty-fort-bragg-renaming-effective-immediately/78624293007/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=The Fayetteville Observer |language=en-US}}</ref>