More than 100 years ago in 1918, Camp Bragg was built. The installation later became Fort Bragg and grew to be the largest military installation in the world by population. On Friday, the base was officially renamed Fort Liberty, leaving behind its century-old name that honored Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.
The name change was controversial, disliked by some and welcomed by others who wanted to shed the legacy of slavery in the United States, CityView previously reported.
Regardless of these views, the new name became official at a ceremony in front of the eternal flame on base Friday. During the ceremony, Army officials cased the old Fort Bragg garrison colors and uncased the new ones for Fort Liberty.
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue spoke to a large crowd, including business leaders, politicians, Gold Star families, and other Fayetteville area residents who came to commemorate the renaming.
“We were given a mission to redesignate our installation — no small task with its history,” Donahue said. “We seized this opportunity to make ourselves better and to seek excellence. That is what we always have done and always will do.”
A defense bill passed by Congress in 2021 mandated that nine military installations across the country that had names linked to the Confederacy be renamed. What was Fort Bragg was among them.
While the other eight installations opted to rename their bases after people, the local renaming commission in Cumberland County picked “Liberty.” It was Patti Elliott — a Gold Star mother whose son, Army Spc. Daniel Lucas Elliott, died in combat — who spoke up during the renaming process and said that her son did not die for any one person but for liberty.
“She had the intestinal fortitude, the guts, to challenge everybody to raise our conscious,” Donahue said. “This post is more than a name. In fact, Liberty has always been here. She made us look into our history. She made us look around. Fayetteville in 1775 signed one of the first accords declaring our willingness to fight for liberty and freedom from Great Britain. Liberty has always been ingrained in this area.”
In a media roundtable after the ceremony, Elliott said she felt the name “Liberty” was the best way to honor all Army soldiers.
“I’m just an ordinary person put in an extraordinary circumstance and given the opportunity to make a difference,” Elliott said. “I felt that it was important to do something that honored every single one of the thousands and thousands of soldiers who have come through Fort Bragg before and who are yet to come to make us the greatest army that ever was, the greatest military force in the world. So, I’m just honored to have been a small part of that.”
Retired Gen. Dan McNeill spoke at the roundtable as well and addressed the issues some may have with the name change. He spoke about his familial ties to the base such as his brother-in-law being born there in 1948.
“My brother-in-law will always have been born at Fort Bragg. But if he comes to see me today, we will drive on Fort Liberty,” McNeill said.
Donahue said he would tell people who take issue with the change that soldiers do what they are commanded to do.
“This community and all of us were given a mission, and we accomplished it. We were told what to do,” Donahue said. “We’re in the United States Army. We do what we’re told to do, and we make it better.”
Elliott said she hopes her son is smiling down on the new name from heaven.
“It would not surprise him in the least, that I had my say and stood up for what I believe,” Elliott said. “But I hope that he’s incredibly proud. That’s what I hope — he’s sitting up there saying, ‘That’s my mama.’”
Ben Sessoms covers Fayetteville and education for CityView. He can be reached at bsessoms@cityviewnc.com.
