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Bill Kirby Jr.: Gen. Braxton Bragg is an old soldier fading away into military history

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Old soldiers never die, Gen. Douglas MacArthur told Congress in his farewell address on April 19, 1951. Well, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, you might say, lived twice — during the American Civil War and by his namesake at Camp Bragg from Sept. 4, 1918, to Sept. 30, 1922, when it became Fort Bragg. And today, the military installation will, by an act of Congress, become known as Fort Liberty after a 9 a.m. redesignation ceremony at the main post parade field, according to the Fort Bragg Public Affairs Office and the soon-to-be Fort Liberty Public Affairs Office. The ceremony will include the casing of the Fort Bragg garrison colors, the uncasing of the Fort Liberty garrison colors, and Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue, the 18th Airborne Corps commanding general, as guest speaker. Others who will be at the ceremony, according to the PAO, will be Col. John M. Wilcox, garrison commander; Command Sgt. Maj. T.J. Holland, 18th Airborne Corps; and garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Gregory A. Seymour. The name transition is about eradicating the names of Confederate soldiers, including Bragg, who, according to some published history accounts, was said to be a racist and defender of slavery. Gen. Braxton Bragg, a native of Warrenton, died at age 59 on Sept. 27, 1876, and lived again though his namesake of Camp Bragg and Fort Bragg. But now the old general is fading away once and for all. I grew up as a youngster on Sharp and Searight drives on Fort Bragg when my daddy was stationed there as a chief warrant officer after his return from World War II and the Korean War. And Mama worked there for 35 years in dental clinics from Smoke Bomb Hill to Rohde, Davis and LaFlamme. She was on a first-name basis with privates to colonels to the late Brigadier Gen. Joseph P. Cleland. There are some fond memories, including the bartender at the NCO Club who always gave me a Coke with a cherry. I saw Hurricane Hazel come through in 1954. The military post always will be Fort Bragg for some of us, but today and for generations to come, by an act of Congress, it will be known as Fort Liberty.

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A rash of six homicides in the city from May 22 through May 31, according to the Fayetteville Police Department, included the shooting death of a 19-year-old who was found after a shooting just before midnight on May 26 in the 300 block of Bragg Boulevard near a bowling alley. For crying out loud, the victim was a young woman with a full life ahead. And on Wednesday, according to city police, a 3:23 a.m. shootout among four men in the 700 block of Rembrandt Drive in west Fayetteville claimed two more lives with a third in peril for a total of 22 city homicides in 2023. One of the victims was age 18 with a full life ahead of him, too.

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Congratulations to all of our community’s public and private high school graduates, as well as our college graduates at Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville Technical Community College and Methodist University. Now, go out make the most of yourselves and make a difference in the world whatever your aspirations and pursuits in life.

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“I’m extremely proud of the remarkable expansion of the Mini Grant program and the efforts of the Arts Council staff in transforming it into a service that benefits the entire community,” Rick Allen, chairman of the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County board of trustees, says in a news release about the council awarding $28,039 in mini grants to support cultural arts projects in the community. “This year alone, we’ve granted funds to 65 artists and nonprofit organizations from all over our city and county. The program will continue to improve even further in the coming year.”

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Good news for community animals as Cumberland County Animal Services will receive a $25,000 grant from Petco Love, a national nonprofit organization. “We are very excited to receive this lifesaving investment from Petco Love, as it will enable us to continue our shelter dog heartworm treatment program and purchase pet microchips to be used at community events,” Elaine Smith, director of Cumberland County Animal Services, says in a news release. The county, according to the release, takes in more than 7,000 animals annually and is the only open-admission animal shelter in the county. “Our investment in Cumberland County Animal Services is part of more than $15 million in investments recently announced by Petco Love to power local organizations across the country as part of our commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized,” Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love, says in the release.

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“My sister forwarded your piece remembering Dick Blount,” Mark Atkinson writes in an email about our May 28 column about the Fayetteville Observer newspaper photojournalist who retired in 1994 after 25 years. “I wrote for the Observer for 15 months in the late ’70s, after graduating from Wake Forest with a minor in journalism. I grew up in Fayetteville, and when I returned to work there, Bob Wilson was my boss. My mother had loaned me money while I was in college to buy my first camera. I was immediately in love but woefully unskilled. I graduated, went to the Observer to write and a year later enrolled at Randolph Tech to study photography. During my year at the Observer, I was encouraged by the photo crew — Ken Cooke, Bill Shaw, Johnny Horne, Steve Aldridge and, particularly, Dick Blount, whose own route to photography was rather circuitous. After two years at Randolph Tech, I took a job as a shooter at the (Raleigh) News & Observer. Fifteen months later, I was out on my own freelancing. In the early ’80s, I photographed Jeffrey MacDonald in prison in Bastrop, Texas, and remember the surreal conversations we had regarding what Fayetteville was like during the time of the murders. For several years, he sent me Christmas cards. I remember your work at The Fayetteville Times and was glad to see you tackling this fond piece on Dick. He had many friends and was loved and respected by both colleagues and acquaintances. One of the good guys for sure.” Theodore “Dick” Blount Jr. died at age 91 on May 21, 2023.

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“Hey Billy, just wanted to let you know I loved the story you did on Dick Blount,” Resie Shaw McDougald writes in an email about our tribute to the late Observer photojournalist. “He was quite a character and I always enjoyed talking to him. I ran into Mr. Blount several years ago at a birthday party at Victory Methodist Church. I spoke to him and told him I was Teresa Shaw. I could see him wondering where he knew me from. Finally, I said. ‘I’m Resie Shaw,’ and he immediately knew me. I’ll always be Resie, and you’ll always be Billy.” Resie Shaw McDougald is the daughter of the late Bill Shaw, former chief photographer for The Fayetteville Observer. We grew up across the street from one another.

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“Hey, Billy, I am working on a project for a very small book club that I am a member of in Maxton,” Jane McMillan Misenheimer writes in an email. “We only have eight members and each year we all give a program based on a theme that is chosen. This year, the theme is ‘Notable Women.’ My sister, Kirby, is helping me with it and we have chosen to do my program in October on Elizabeth MacRae. I think she is fascinating, and the more I read about her and watch her (TV) reruns, the more fascinated I am. And of course, she grew up in Fayetteville, right down the street from Grannie, my mother’s mother, in Haymount. My question to you is, first of all, is she still alive? If so, since I obviously cannot ask her myself, can you tell me a little bit about what you thought of her as a person and about your visit with her? I read your articles from 2017 and 2020 and I saw the picture of her kissing you on the cheek. Great picture, by the way. Anyway, I would appreciate anything you could tell me about her.” Indeed, Elizabeth MacRae, who played the late Jim Nabors’ girlfriend on “Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.,” is alive and well. She recently was inducted into the Community Concerts Performing Arts Hall of Fame. Her television credits of the 1960s include such iconic television shows as “Gunsmoke,” “Bonanza,” “The Fugitive,” and “Route 66,” and she portrayed Barney Fife’s girlfriend on the old “Andy Griffith Show.” Elizabeth MacRae is 87 and charming as ever, just like she was in her TV career.

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Seems like there are fundraising golf tournaments by the numbers in this community, and one worthy of any golfer’s consideration is the 36th annual Walker Family Golf Championship scheduled for a tee-off at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 19 at King’s Grant Golf & Country Club. It’s sponsored by the Fayetteville Rotary Club and played in honor of Joe Walker, a former club president who died in a vehicle accident at age 76 in 2015. The tournament, according to organizers, raises money for the annual Fayetteville Christmas Parade; leadership development for local high school students; and support for organizations such as Rick’s Place and Better Health of Cumberland County. Brian Drier and his son, Sutton, won the 2022 event with a 5-under team score of 64 in the tournament that raised more than $25,000 for Fayetteville Rotary Club projects. To help sponsor the event or to register as a player, send email inquiries to tim.richardson@firstcitizens.com or call 910-307-9110. You can’t play in a golf tournament in honor and in memory of a better man than Joe Walker.

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Brittany N. Cass resides in Carteret County, but her story affects all of us, including those of us who call Cumberland County home. “Despite all my injuries, I would not have survived if I had not been wearing my seat belt,” the wife and mother of three young children says in a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation. “I have long believed that seat belt use saves lives and prevents serious injuries, and this crash only reinforced that belief.” Cass recently was coming home from church on U.S. 70 when her vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with injuries that left her in a five-day coma. The driver of the other vehicle, the release says, was charged in the crash. “There are few things more tragic than a life cut short when that loss could have been prevented by a simple action like buckling up,” Mark Ezzell, director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, says in the release.  “Cass’ decision to wear her seat belt undoubtedly saved her life, and by sharing her story, she’s likely saving the lives of other people.” Cass received the May “Saved by the Belt​” Award from the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program. Brittany Cass’ story is worth sharing. When you put yourself inside a motor vehicle, buckle that seat belt first thing. It just takes a click, and a seat belt can save your life.

Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961

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