According to WNCN The Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina will now be known as Fort Liberty, according to the US Department of Defense. This choice was made via a careful Naming Commission Process, and it was made public on January 5.
In September 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III approved the renaming suggestions. The process-related tasks for the modification must be finished by the end of the year for the services and DOD entities.
The lone post out of 10 that required a new name but was not named after a person was suggested to be renamed to Fort Liberty by the Naming Commission in May. The national defense authorization act, passed by the US Congress, mandated the renaming of all 10 US military stations named for Confederate soldiers, necessitating this alteration.
Justin Moore of CBS 17 interviewed Andrew Barksdale, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, who said that the cost of replacing the signs may reach $2 million. This is due to the fact that numerous signage will need to be replaced, which will cost a considerable sum of money.
According to CBS17, the most recent anticipated cost of the name change to tax payers is $6,374,230.
Fort Bragg is prominently displayed on dozens of signs in Cumberland County that are located along local roadways and interstates.
“Obviously you can just drive on any major road in town, and you would see these signs. We would not be able to change them overnight or immediately, upon a name change of Fort Bragg. We would phase it in. We’ll have to hire some contracts. Name change to a military post is a big deal and that will affect a lot of highway signs,” Barksdale said.
This is an unusual situation. You know normally we are responsible for our own highway signs. But such a name change of this scale, we would expect to get some help from the federal government,” he also said.
The public has reacted differently to the decision to rename Fort Bragg as Fort Liberty. Some people think the name change is essential to reflect the nation’s contemporary principles, while others think it erases a significant period of history.
Despite of the responses, the decision to rename the military base has been made, and it will now be known as Fort Liberty. The name change procedure is anticipated to be finished by the end of the year, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation will have a major financial commitment.
