Georgia’s Fort Gordon was redesignated Fort Eisenhower on Friday, becoming the last of nine Army posts to be stripped of their former names after Confederate generals.
“Change is often necessary, but not always easy,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said during the dedication ceremony at the base in Augusta, Georgia.
The name change is part of the Pentagon’s effort to comply with recommendations made by the Congressionally mandated Appointments Commission last year.
The independent commission, created in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, was tasked with identifying military bases, buildings and streets on military property named after members of the Confederacy and recommending new identifiers.
“It was a time of significant unrest and division in our country, and both political parties overwhelmingly agreed that the names of certain military installations, and the legacy of those names, were only deepening our social and political divisions,” Wormuth said of the effort. for distancing the military from Confederate figures.
The base name changes will cost the Army $21 million. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
The Georgia base was previously named after Confederate Lieutenant General John Brown Gordon, who would later serve as governor and senator of the Peach State.
Brown was also a slave owner and was believed to be the head of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia.
The facility’s new name pays tribute to former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five-star Army general who led the invasion of Normandy in World War II.
With the exception of George Washington, Eisenhower is the only president to reenter the Armed Forces after leaving office.
“Eisenhower’s extensive military experience as a combined and allied commander, and as president of the United States, symbolizes the professionalism, excellence and joint nature of the base’s mission,” the Appointments Commission said in its recommendation.
Nine Army bases once named after Confederate figures have now been renamed.ZUMAPRESS.com
“This is where the past and the future can now comfortably reside,” Susan Eisenhower, the former president’s granddaughter, said during the renaming ceremony.
Fort Eisenhower is home to the US Army Signal Corps, Cyber Command and Cyber Center of Excellence.
The estimated cost of implementing all of the Nominating Commission’s recommendations is approximately $62.5 million, with the cost of the base name changes alone amounting to $21 million.
Previously, the Army renamed Fort Benning in Georgia to Fort Moore; Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Fort Liberty; Fort AP Hill in Virginia to Fort Walker; from Fort Hood in Texas to Fort Cavazos; Fort Lee in Virginia to Fort Gregg-Adams; Fort Pickett in Virginia to Fort Barfoot; Fort Polk in Louisiana to Fort Johnson; and Fort Rucker in Alabama to Fort Novosel.
The Army expects to complete redesignations of thousands of streets and structures by Jan. 1, 2024.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn