Army to restore previous names of seven military bases

The U.S. Army will revert the names of seven military bases back to their previous names, the branch said Tuesday. The names of the bases will now honor U.S. soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu. Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross, and one received the Silver Star. President Biden renamed the bases in 2023 due to their previous names’ association with the Civil War Confederacy.

President Donald Trump revealed the upcoming changes on Tuesday during remarks at Fort Bragg for the Army’s 250th anniversary. The Defense Department earlier this year also reversed Biden-era name changes for Fort Bragg and Fort Benning.

What are the changes?

• Fort A.P. Hill, changed to Fort Walker in 2023, will be named for three different Medal of Honor recipients: Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, who all fought for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. They displayed heroism during separate battles in Virginia and North Carolina, according to the Army.

• Fort Hood, formerly Fort Cavazos, will be named in honor of Col. Robert B. Hood, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for directing artillery fire under shelling in France during World War I.

• Fort Pickett, formerly Fort Barfoot, will be named for 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett. He destroyed enemy positions under heavy fire and escaped from a POW transport train to return to his unit during World War II. He was killed in action and received the Distinguished Service Cross, according to the Army.

• Fort Gordon, formerly Fort Eisenhower, will take the name of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, honoring his actions during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. He volunteered to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force, according to the Army.

• Fort Lee, formerly Fort Gregg-Adams, will be named for Pvt. Fitz Lee. He received the Medal of Honor for voluntarily disembarking from a vessel in Cuba to rescue wounded comrades during the Spanish-American War.

• Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk. He led the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) in operations across Europe in World War II and later served as commander in chief of U.S. Army Europe.

• Fort Rucker, formerly Fort Novosel, will take the name of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker. He flew behind enemy lines in World War I and engaged superior numbers of enemies in an aerial battle over France, according to the Army.

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