New names for nine bases recommended

WASHINGTON >> Fort Bragg would become Fort Liberty. Fort Gordon would be Fort Eisenhower. And, for the first time, Army bases would be named after Black soldiers and women. An independent commission on Tuesday recommended new names for nine Army posts that now commemorate Confederate officers.

Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, is the only base that wouldn't be named after a person. Two others would be named after Black soldiers, and three would include women's names. Fort Gordon in Georgia would get the most well-known name — commemorating President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who led allied forces in Europe in World War II.

Other proposed renamings would honor lesser-known heroes, including several who received the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award. Fort Polk, in Louisiana, would be renamed Fort Johnson, after Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black Medal of Honor recipient who served in the Army in World War I.

Fort Pickett in Virginia, would be named after Tech Sgt. Van Barfoot, a Medal of Honor recipient who served in World War II, and Fort Rucker in Alabama, would be named Fort Novosel, after Chief Warrant Officer Michael Novosel, a Medal of Honor recipient who served in World War II and Vietnam.

Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia would be renamed Fort Walker, after Mary Edwards Walker, a doctor who treated soldiers in the Civil War and Medal of Honor recipient.

Fort Hood, Texas, would be renamed Fort Cavazos, in honor of Gen. Richard Cavazos, who served in the Korean War.

Fort Benning, Georgia, would be named after a married couple: Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, who served in Vietnam, and his wife Julia, who led a change in notifications of military casualties.

And Fort Lee, Virginia, would get a hyphenated name — Fort Gregg-Adams — and would commemorate someone who remains alive today: Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg, known as a logistics leader. Lt. Col. Charity Adams led the first female Black unit of the Army deployed in World War II.