The Defense Department announced Monday night the North Carolina military installation known as Fort Liberty will be renamed to honor a World War II hero, maintaining the historic Bragg name while breaking ties with its Confederate past.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed the order aboard a C-17 flight to Germany, directing the base be renamed Fort Roland L. Bragg after a Private First Class who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart during the Battle of the Bulge.
“During these hellish conditions and amidst ferocious fighting, PFC. Bragg saved a fellow soldier’s life by commandeering an enemy ambulance and driving it 20 miles to transport a fellow wounded warrior to an allied hospital in Belgium,” according to the Defense Department memo.
“This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation,” Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement.
The massive installation, home to about 50,000 troops and 14,000 civilians, was originally named in 1918 for Confederate General Braxton Bragg, a slave owner that lost numerous key Civil War battles.
It became Fort Liberty in June 2023 during a Defense Department initiative to remove Confederate names from military bases, costing taxpayers approximately $6.37 million.
“That’s right. Bragg is back,” Hegseth said after signing the directive, which orders the Army to “take all the steps necessary and appropriate actions to implement this decision in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.”
The base, which spans Cumberland, Hoke, Harnett, Moore, and Scotland counties, houses the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and United States Special Operations Command. About 80 highway signs across North Carolina still displayed the Fort Bragg name after last year’s change to Fort Liberty.
Bragg is back! I just signed a memorandum reversing the naming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. pic.twitter.com/EGgZNHK72x
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) February 11, 2025