How do you feel about renaming the bases named for confederate generals ?

CPT Ronald Scherick — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 09:05:10 -0400

I grew up in New York and If I was alive back then I would have fought to save the union and abolish slavery. Having said that I went to school in W.Va. for 8 years and served in the army in VA. at Ft LEE. I have incite into both sides . My time at Ft Lee is a part of my life whose memories I cherish. When these places were named the country was still in healing and to the southern families their leaders were as important to them as George Washington was to the original Americans who fought for their freedom . In mending the country after the civil war the south was allowed to honor their history. You do not have to like it but you cant change history just by changing the names. We have learned from our past and come a long way to write the wrong of slavery . Racism will never be totally eliminated some people will always hate to make themselves feel superior to others. There is still antisemitism and it has been around since ancient times . I would like to hear how you feel and if you served in the bases that are at risk of a name change how do you feel about it.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2020 9:54 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 09:54:49 -0400

There is a significant dollar figure associated with renaming all these bases. We're talking 10s , if not hundreds, of millions of dollars. Is it really worth it? I would be willing to bet that 95+% of the population doesn't even know these bases are named for Confederate Generals.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2020 10:40 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 10:40:40 -0400

We had a Confederate memorial here at Linn Park in Birmingham that was defaced and removed in response to the George Floyd incident. The obelisk was funded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1900, and erected in 1905. On the north side, it had been inscribed, in part, with to the Confederate Soldier & Sailor. Until 1 June 2020, it had been up for 115 years.

As much as I can, I understand the derision that such monuments cause. But it was a memorial for fallen professional soldiers. Take it down. Fine. Downtown Birmingham was probably a bad place for it anyway. But trying to destroy it dishonors the troops it was erected to remember.

Response by SSG Dennis R. made Jun 12 at 2020 1:44 PM

SSG Dennis R. — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 13:44:14 -0400

It is long overdue. They were traitors to this nation.
Replace the statues with those worth remembering. Rename the bases for those who served with honor to the United States, not the Confederacy.
I was stationed in W. Germany for 7 years. Nowhere is there a monument to the Nazis.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jun 12 at 2020 1:55 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 13:55:10 -0400

I am concerned about the reason the Army Installations are being renamed. It appears to be a version of political correctness pushed by the Left to erase parts of US History. If we edit our history to take out parts that are now shameful or at best unsavory, then we miss the opportunity to learn from these events. Thus we are likely to repeat the errors of the past.

I do think the Army has many service members worthy of having an installation named after them. Senior leaders from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam along with Medal of Honor winners provide an ample number of potential names. In addition I offer GEN Ann Dunwoody as the new namesake for Ft Lee, VA. Ft Lee is important in the logistics arena. GEN Dunwoody was the first female Army General (O-10) and the first female O-10 in the US Armed Forces. She was commander Army Materiel Command, Commander Combined Army Support Command, and Commander Military Traffic Management Command (later the Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command). Her distinguished career in Army Logistics makes her a great namesake for an installation centered on logistics.

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Jun 12 at 2020 10:48 PM

SFC Kelly Fuerhoff — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 22:48:01 -0400

First off - no one knows how they would have been in another time period. You would not be the same person you are today. You would have been raised in a different environment, different culture, different parents...

I know we all like to think we'd do the right thing in another lifetime but no one knows what we would do - unless you invite time travel.

I think it wasn't until 3 years ago the first time I heard this come up (it has come up before) that I found out they were named after Confederate generals. Most people don't know. It's strange out of ALL the military heroes we have in US history that they couldn't come up with names of people not from the Confederacy but meh.

Base names change. These joint bases - names changed. Offutt Air Force Base - before it was the Air Force and called Offutt it was called Fort Crook.

It wouldn't be the end of the world if they change the names but we know how slow change is in the Army. I doubt it happens any time soon.

Response by Sgt Jude Eschete made Jun 13 at 2020 3:48 AM

Sgt Jude Eschete — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 03:48:13 -0400

Being from Louisiana, the Confederacy was a 4-5 year period where southern splintered off to fight a war over the rights to own another human being. A war in which they lost. A war with more American casualties than any other conflict in our history. The Union was being nice when they let the Confederacy honor their leaders.

The people who are holding on to the Confederate "Heritage" (I wouldn't call 4-5 years a heritage), continue to dehumanize minorities and enact violence on them. So apparently being nice wasn't enough. America loves symbolism, so renaming bases and taking down confederate statues sends a message, hate isn't accepted, it's time to move on from a failed attempt to separate based on owning another human, and you're either a part of the solution or you are a part of the problem.

Racism has gone on for too long, and it's obvious that as long as we try to play the game of "tolerance" with the people using the Confederacy as a symbol of pride, they will continue to hurt American citizens with their intolerance.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2020 7:07 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 07:07:36 -0400

I'm not a fan of renaming bases. These bases were named for generals from that state, reuniting a nation that was reshaped by a war. These Generals were not disloyal to their countries as at the time the State was viewed as the sovereign and the Civil War changed that dynamic. The war was clearly fought over slavery but slavery was legal in the US before, during and after the war. The legal question answered by the war was "do states have the right to leave" unfortunately a million lives were lost to force states to stay under a government they no longer consented to be governed by. I wonder how long it would have taken for slavery to end and what path our nation would have taken if the US would have peacefully allowed the south to separate handing over Fort Sumter and other Sothern bases without firing a shot. Would it have speed up the end of slavery in the north? When would slavery have ended in the south? How different would our country be with a million lives saved.

Response by SFC Robert Walton made Jun 13 at 2020 9:47 AM

SFC Robert Walton — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:47:08 -0400

HAHAHAHA I have to react to this one. I think we should just leave history where it is at most folk have never followed enough of it to make a difference anyway. It was my understanding the States Named them and everyone was okay with that. Now many say OMG that's so offensive we must change it, when the people complaining would have never noticed until someone else brought it to their attention. Our collective time and money could be better use teaching History all of it AGAIN from the books and historical records. Then and only then let the states figure it out AGAIN. Maybe just maybe we could get a balance of North and South named FT's that most reflects the History of the Civil War. Maybe later rename one after the Holocaust. Right now you can't get the Federal Goberment to agree on anything. JMTC

Response by CSM Thomas Ray made Jun 13 at 2020 1:47 PM

CSM Thomas Ray — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:47:33 -0400

Most people that served on these bases have no idea who they were named after, it is more of follow the mob mentality

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2020 1:50 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:50:25 -0400

It is total BS. We need to learn from our history. Next the bible will be forbidden because slaves are told to obey their owners

Response by Sgt Jim Mullins made Jun 13 at 2020 4:22 PM

Sgt Jim Mullins — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 16:22:42 -0400

Leave the military bases and monuments alone. Soon there will be no history of the Civil War. Now people want to banish the Movie "Gone with the Wind". Might as well burn the books on slavery.

Response by SFC Quinn Chastant made Jun 14 at 2020 11:58 AM

SFC Quinn Chastant — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 11:58:47 -0400

I responded to this type of question in another forum and made my response specific to one individual facility, Camp Beauregard in LA. I replied with a history lesson on the P.G.T. Beauregard which included his post civil war position of support for civil rights and Suffrage for the former slaves. Even former Union General Rosencranz was suprised to a degree by that turn of events. Basically former USMA Superintendent Beauregrad reformed himself in a time when such reform was anathema for some former Confederate Officers. So when placed both in context of his performance as a Military Officer of the era, and his latter disposition towards civil rights and Suffrage, O stated perhaps his is one of the few which should be not be renamed under the currently driven political discussions.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 15 at 2020 11:29 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 11:29:58 -0400

it's all about consistency. If you're offended because a military base is named after a Confederate General but you drink Coke (which was invented by a Confederate LTC) you are a hypocrite. Either you're offended by the Confederacy or you're not. You don't get to pick and choose based on convenience or personal preference.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2020 9:16 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 09:16:14 -0400

I have other things to worry about...like my job and my kids.

Response by Sgt Jim Mullins made Jun 17 at 2020 10:53 AM

Sgt Jim Mullins — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 10:53:52 -0400

Leave the bases alone. In my ancestry,I have ancestors that fought for the Confederates and the Union. Also, I had ancestors that had slaves and did not have slaves. Its history, it had nothing to do with me. Banning the movie "Gone with Wind" is just stupid. When are we going to start burning books?? I agree with you, there will always be racism and it is wrong. Where/when I grew up, blacks and whites, were pretty much kept separate. The only black person I knew was a janitor at the high school. I enlisted in the marines in 1963 and met a lot people from all walks of life, Catholics, Jews, Orientals, Blacks, northerners etc., and found out people are just people regardless of race, religion, beliefs, etc.

Response by SPC Herold Bush made Jun 17 at 2020 12:05 PM

SPC Herold Bush — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 12:05:17 -0400

bragg - Fort alvin york or roy benavidez
York was in the 82nd Inf Division, forerunner to the 82nd Airborne
Benavidez was a Green Beret awarded MoH

hood - fort Eduardo C. Gomez
1st Cav MoH , cradle a .30 cal machine in his bare arms

rucker - fort doolittle / fort ed freeman both MoH Aviators

ap hill - fort Demas Craw, Pierpont Hamilton, William Wilbur. or Paul Ray Smith
AP was training ground for Operation Torch and use to be super center for Engineer Officer Candidate School Training
Craw, Hamilton and Wilbur awarded MoH during operation Torch
Smith was an engineer awarded MoH

lee - fort George Watson
home of the quartermaster corp, quartermaster awarded MoH , sacrificed himself well saving numerous comrades

pickett - fort EARLE D. GREGORY or FRANK D. PEREGORY
Pickett is a home of VA National Guard and WWII training site
Gregory and Peregory only two memebers of the VA NG to win MoH

gordon - fort Albert James Myer or Charles E. Kilbourne or york
home of signal corp, Myer and Kilbourne Signal Corp MoH
York trained here.

polk - fort Donald P. Sloat or Milton L. Olive III
Vietnam training center Sloat trained at Ft Polk Vietnam MoH
Olive (part of base already named for him) Vietnam MoH

benning - fort Roy Benavidez or Gary Gordon
Benavidez Green Beret
Gary Gordon Delta MoH Somali

beaugarud - fort Ronald J. Shurer or Sherman ....
Ok Shurer is just a badass no connection
Sherman was first Superintendent of the school that became beaugarud

that was pretty easy and each is historical accurate and has significance to that base

Response by CPL Sheila Lewis made Jun 17 at 2020 1:14 PM

CPL Sheila Lewis — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 13:14:55 -0400

A competent Military is vital in today's world and the bases are ok as they are. What needs to change is the hate too many people have.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 17 at 2020 3:57 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 15:57:46 -0400

Robert E. Lee was one of the least (morally) bad Confederate generals, was a competent wartime leader, and in his favor he made a concerted effort to heal the wounds of the Civil War after it was over. However, he was still a slave owner who fought against the US Army to defend the "peculiar institution." Most of the other ones were not only traitors but horrible human beings and lousy military leaders to boot (Pickett, Bragg, Hood). General Lee believed that there should not be any Confederate memorials, and that the conflict was best left in the past.

The naming of military installations in the Southern states as well as the erection of Confederate memorials mostly happened during the early 20th century as an initiative of the Daughters of the Confederacy. It was more about making a statement in favor Jim Crow during that time period than anything to do with the Civil War or heritage. The South absolutely did not fight for freedom or States' Rights. The Confederacy was a single-issue country, and that issue was chattel slavery. The military posts were built as the nation was preparing for World War I and had massively expanding training facilities all over the country, but especially in the South where the training year is much longer. Local politicians, when not busy restricting the rights of Black Americans via Jim Crow segregation laws or just engaging in outright lynchings worked with the Daughters of the Confederacy to name the new installations after local military notables. Thus, Braxton Bragg, North Carolinian; Leonidas Polk, Louisianan; John Bell Hood, Texan. There are better candidates in every case. Think MSG Roy Benavidez (MOH recipient - Korea) instead of FT Hood, GEN James Gavin (CDR 82d ABN, made all 4 combat jumps with the Division in WW2) for FT Bragg, GEN Russel Honore (CG in charge of Hurricane Katrina response) for FT Polk. All of them real Americans who served their country and didn't commit treason in defense of slavery.

Response by SPC John Tacetta made Jun 17 at 2020 5:02 PM

SPC John Tacetta — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 17:02:07 -0400

I was conflicted at first because of my nostalgia for training and serving on these posts. As a young grunt I really never gave any consideration to the history - they were just names of places that I didn't even associate with a person. But upon careful consideration my mind has turned and I now believe that renaming these posts is truly the right thing to do. They never should have been so named in the first place and really are an insult to the Union soldiers that died in the Civil War and the black community at large. To the victor go the spoils.

Response by SSgt Abraham Santiago made Jun 17 at 2020 8:28 PM

SSgt Abraham Santiago — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:28:09 -0400

CPT. Scherick I am opposed to this idea of a name change and also destroying our state and national monuments and statutes. I was born in New York and raised in New Jersey. Removing monuments and removing Confederate flags does not change our history. I'm proud to fly the American flag alongside the Confederate flag or any historical flag that reflects our history. We are Americans and that link is what makes us who we are. We memorialize the dead because they were Americans who died in a battle and they were given that honor to be buried and acknowledged. Hate and prejudice has been around for thousands of years, it is part of our DNA.

Response by AN Edwin Vaclavik made Jun 17 at 2020 8:37 PM

AN Edwin Vaclavik — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:37:09 -0400

I dont

Response by TSgt Robert Veach made Jun 17 at 2020 11:36 PM

TSgt Robert Veach — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 23:36:05 -0400

in destroying our history, you are telling future generations "it never happened" so you are replacing a lie with a lie? People who want this are morons and uneducated, they are only thinking of themselves and can care less about anyone else, this is what Americans have become, and because of it they are not welcome anywhere in the world ( I have traveled all around the world for 50 years and I see it every where I go) Because of the current state of affairs in the U.S. I never tell anyone that I am an American.

Response by Sgt Jim Mullins made Jun 19 at 2020 9:21 AM

Sgt Jim Mullins — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 09:21:08 -0400

Love your post. I grew up in WV, near Bluefield, WV. Not sure who I would have fought for in the Civil War. In the area where I grew up, people fought for both sides in the Civil War. After the war, they came home and some continued to kill each other. I do ancestry on my family. I have one family member that fought for the confederacy, and was shot for desertion at Fredericksburg, Va. The family version was, he was near his home and went to visit his wife. A letter as been passed down that he wrote before his execution.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2021 3:11 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 03:11:11 -0400

It is not only a part of southern history. It is a part of American History. I am against changing the names for some woke, cancel, culture ..................BS