Undermining America By Undermining Its History

Shortly after Trump took office, he kept an important promise Trump had made on the campaign trail: bringing back the historic names of iconic US military bases which had been changed during coercive civil unrest of the 2020 Antifa/BLM upheaval. The first base SECDEF Hegseth renamed to the original was perhaps the most famous post in the nation, Ft. Bragg. To keep within the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA required the removal of base names associated with the Confederacy), Hegseth honored Private Roland Bragg, a World War II recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart, as the base namesake.

George Floyd civil unrest of 2020

Later, other military heroes with the same last names as previous base names were found and bases were renamed “back”. This decision was praised by veterans, particularly those with family history associated with the bases. Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming support of this, Democrats and liberal media personalities hammered Hegseth for bringing back the traditional names. In the end, this is about undermining America through history revision and we must fight back.

First, the decision to rename bases came from the same motivation that drove all the other attacks on American history during the George Floyd civil unrest of 2020. According to the Small Wars Journal from the time: “Calls to rename military bases and other military assets began in earnest after the 2020 murder of George Floyd…. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act called for a commission to identify military assets that commemorate the Confederacy. As a result of the commission’s report to Congress, the services are moving to rename nine Army posts, two Navy ships, and remove or modify a host of monuments and tributes to the Confederacy.” (Small Wars Journal, Oct. 17, 2022)

Those pushing this provision of the 2021 NDAA went against the clear majority of Americans of the time, of which 56% opposed the renaming and only 42% supported it (The Hill, June 19, 2020)

Ironically, “Fort Eisenhower” became a new post name at the time Ft. Robert E. Lee was also renamed. Ironic considering General Dwight Eisenhower’s respect for Robert E. Lee. The following is from a 1960 Eisenhower letter: “General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. 

General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation

"He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was a poised and inspiring leader, true to the high trust reposed in him by millions of his fellow citizens… Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his faith in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history…” (Civil War Profiles, Aug. 10, 2014)

Maury Hall at the Naval Academy was renamed for former President Jimmy Carter due to a Confederate connection (USNI News, Feb. 17, 2023)

This is what President Carter asserted about Lee in the 1970s: “Robert E. Lee was a man who understood the values of a region which he represented. He was never filled with hatred. He never felt a sense of superiority. He led the southern cause with pride, yes, but with a sense of reluctance as well. He fought his battles courageously.” (The American Presidency Project, Jan. 20, 1978)

The bases in question were named by the people of the region in which the bases were located due to the local respect for those personalities. James McPherson, the nation’s most renowned author and historian of the American Civil War spent years researching the motivations of Confederates. He personally read over 25,000 letters and hundreds of diaries and determined the overwhelming motivation for southern soldiers was “their homes, their families, and for liberty from the Northern States and patriotic beliefs... since the war was fought primarily in the South the preservation of their home front became a prime motivator for Confederate soldiers.” (Civil War Era NC, James McPherson, What They Fought For)

Our national history was the real target and not the alleged evil of former Confederates

It’s important to note that in 2020-21 the attacks on US historic memorials quickly moved from Confederate connections to founding fathers and has continued to move forwards. By 2021, that included removal of a statue of Thomas Jefferson which had stood in New York City Hall for 187 years (The Guardian, Nov. 23, 2021)

Our national history was the real target and not the alleged evil of former Confederates.

At this point, the bases are renamed back to what multi-generational military families, like mine, fondly remember. My grandfather, father and I went to US Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning, and my father and I went to Ranger school there. I was stationed there for years and two of my three children were born there. my active-duty son has also served there. “Ft. Benning” has an almost sacred connection to families like ours. These base names are a part of our American history, and now honor US Army heroes who happen to have the same last names as the bases. Who could be against this.. unless it was never about slavery or a Confederate connection.

In Joshua 4, God commands the Israelites to place the twelve memorial stones where He parted the Jordan river for them. God tells them it is for the future when descendants ask “What do these stones mean to you?” and they will learn their history. We have the same duty to keep our memorial stones in place to prevent the destruction of our history by those seeking to destroy who we are.

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