Tillis opposes renaming Fort Bragg as some push to get rid of Confederate bases
A new push to remove the names of Confederate generals from U.S. military installations, including Fayetteville’s Fort Bragg Army base, advanced in a U.S. Senate committee over the objections of Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The Republican-led Senate Armed Service Committee approved an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that would require the renaming of those bases within three years, according to reports. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, proposed the amendment.
Tillis, a Republican, voted against the amendment in a committee voice vote, meaning no recorded tally.
“Senator Tillis has made it clear he opposes Senator Warren’s amendment and he opposes renaming Fort Bragg,” Tillis spokesman Daniel Keylin said in an emailed statement.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) must still pass the whole Senate and the House and be signed by President Donald Trump, who said Wednesday he is against renaming the military bases.
“My administration will not even consider the renaming of these magnificent and fabled military institutions. Our history as the greatest nation in the world will not be tampered with. Respect our military!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Warren’s amendment would also apply to names, symbols, displays, monuments and paraphernalia on ships, barracks and other military property, she wrote.
The Army said it was open to changing the names earlier this week.
The newest debate over Confederate monuments and statues, military installations and other honors comes during nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody. Several Confederate monuments have been removed by authorities or taken down by protesters in recent weeks.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday called for the removal of statues of Confederates from the U.S. Capitol.
There are 10 military bases named after Confederate generals, including Fort Bragg which is named after Braxton Bragg. Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the world by population (more than 45,000) and home to the famed 82nd Airborne Division and the US Army Special Operations Command.
Bragg is often considered one of the worst generals of the Civil War and was blamed for the South losing by some at the time.
“Braxton Bragg was probably the worst commanding general in the Confederate army. Interesting general to name a fort after,” Sen. Roy Blount, a Missouri Republican, told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday, according to CNN.
In his 2016 book “Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy,” author Earl Hess offers a more balanced account of Bragg.
“Bragg was not responsible for the Confederate defeat, nor was he a monster or an imbecile,” Hess writes in his preface. “It is true that he had some glaring weaknesses, but he also had some admirable strengths.”
Tillis is the chairman of the Armed Services subcommittee on personnel. The bill includes a 3% pay raise for service members, more accountability on housing and aid to schools with military children, measures that Tillis supported.
The quality of military housing has been a consistent priority for Tillis in the Senate.
“While liberal Democrats overshadow the NDAA with political theater, Senator Tillis delivered more results for our service members and military families, including another pay raise and additional reforms that will improve their quality of life, healthcare, and job and educational opportunities,” Keylin said in his statement.
Tillis, who is also on the Veterans Affairs Committee, is running for re-election in 2020.
Cal Cunningham, his Democratic opponent, is a former Army reservist who trained at Fort Bragg and served with units from the base in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has trained special operations forces in recent years, according to his campaign website.
“As someone who served with the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 1st Special Forces Command, the Special Warfare Center and School, and currently serves with a Reserve Unit, all headquartered at Fort Bragg, there’s no shortage of American heroes for whom this installation could be named,” said Cunningham, who said he wants to serve on the Armed Services Committee and Veterans Affairs Committee if elected. “The first step to any changes should be seeking input from North Carolinians, including stakeholders in our military communities, and I’m committed to having those discussions.”
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This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Tillis opposes renaming Fort Bragg as some push to get rid of Confederate bases."
