Fort may get Henry Johnson name
Panel says Louisiana base should be renamed for World War I hero from Albany
A Louisiana fort should be renamed for Albany World War I hero Henry Johnson, according to an independent commission that on Tuesday recommended new names for Army posts that currently commemorate Confederate officers.
Under the proposal, Fort Polk would be renamed Fort Johnson for the Black Medal of Honor recipient who lived in Albany. Long overlooked for his heroism, Johnson has in recent years earned continuing recognition, including a recently installed display of artifacts at Albany’s City Hall that runs through next month.
Johnson, who came to the area with his family when he was a teenager, according to a history provided by the city, enlisted in the military in June 1917. But because the U.S. Army refused to allow Black soldiers to participate in combat, his 369th Infantry Regiment, the “Harlem Hellfighters,” fought under a French command.
The following May he fought off a German attack and saved a fellow soldier’s life using a rifle, a knife and grenades. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre from France. He died in 1929.
Johnson was awarded a Purple Heart in 1996, the Distinguished Service Cross in 2002 and the Medal of Honor in 2015 from President Barack Obama. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Fort Polk is named for Leonidas Polk, a
Confederate general and Episcopal bishop who died in 1864.
Created in 2020, the Naming Commission first met in March 2021 and began taking name recommendations from the public in September, according to the Associated Press. Overall, the commission received more than 34,000 potential names, which it said included about 3,670 unique ones that could possibly be used. That list was later narrowed to about 100 before the final nine were chosen to be recommended to Congress.
At the time, the commission said its mandate was to select names that “appropriately reflected the courage, values, sacrifices and demographics of the men and women in our armed forces, with consideration given to the local or regional significance of names and their potential to inspire and motivate service members,” the Associated Press reported.
A final report is due to Congress by Oct. 1 and will include the costs of removing and changing the names. Under the law, the secretary of defense is expected to implement the commission’s plan no later than Jan. 1, 2024, the AP reported.
Other recommendations:
A Fort Benning, Ga. — rename as Fort Moore after Lt. Gen. Hal and Julia Moore.
A Fort Bragg, N.C. — rename as Fort Liberty after the value of liberty.
A Fort Gordon, Ga. — rename as Fort Eisenhower after Gen. Dwight Eisenhower.
A Fort A.P. Hill, Va. — rename as Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker.
A Fort Hood, Texas — rename as
Fort Cavazos after Gen. Richard
Cavazos.
A Fort Lee, Va. — rename as Fort Gregg-adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams.
A Fort Pickett, Va. — rename as
Fort Barfoot after Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot.
Fort Rucker, Ala. — rename as Fort Novosel after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr.