Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday night that he has signed an order restoring the name of the special operations forces base in North Carolina back to Fort Bragg. The Biden administration had previously changed the name to Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national initiative to remove names of military bases named after Confederate leaders. Hegseth proudly declared, “That’s right. Bragg is back!” in a video announcing the renaming.
The Pentagon chief signed the memo just before landing in Stuttgart, Germany, and spent time with US soldiers doing PT on Tuesday. He will also attend a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels this week. The new name honors Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for valor during the Battle of the Bulge, circumventing a WW2 era law preventing the US government from issuing new names inspired by Confederate soldiers.
“This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation,” a Pentagon statement said. Hegseth has been a vocal advocate for changing the base names back, emphasizing the importance of legacy and honoring generations of service members who have been connected to the base. He has criticized renaming efforts as “a sham,” “garbage,” and “crap,” and believes that reverting to the original names is essential to preserving history and tradition.
In a prior media interview, Hegseth expressed his personal connection to Fort Bragg, stating, “We should change it back. We should change it back, because legacy matters. My uncle served at Bragg. I served at Bragg. It breaks a generational link.” The decision to restore the original name of Fort Bragg not only pays tribute to the base’s rich history but also ensures that iconic references like Rambo: First Blood will once again be recognizable to future generations.