US Army open to considering removal of Confederate leaders' names from bases

[BobLoblaw]

I'd like to see all the confederate commemorations done away with just to hear what Mr. "The south will rise again" comes up with next.

[alohadoug]

Agree on updating them. Been plenty of greater heroes and contributors since the current named group.

I used to buy in to the honoring heritage line of defense for other monuments until late in life learning that the vast majority were not erected shortly post Civil War but erected 1900's - 1920's as Jim Crow was implemented but continuing into the 1950's also. Suspicious timing.

I pissed off some guys the otehr day by referring to those statues as "Participation Trophys." I thought one of them was going to have stroke trying to argue his way around it (I didn't say anything else). He finally gave up and agreed.

Having been stationed or TDY at a couple of the installations mentioned, it didn't even really occur to me that they were named for Confederate Generals. But in actually thinking about it, I have no issues moving on from those names. And yes, I'm a History guy (undergrad and working on grad degree in history) but sometimes, certain people no longer need to be honored like this.

Except Ft Hood. Fuck Ft. Hood.

[BehindBlueI's]

You shouldn't name things after losers and traitors.

I can understand at a certain point in time trying to take some of each side to knit the country back together. The goal was a whole nation, not a nation and an occupied country. I have no idea if these bases were named for that reason or some other, and honestly have no idea who Hood is or was. Actually, the only base I think I know anything about the person behind the name is Leonard Wood. Army doctor who rose through the ranks, leader alongside Teddy Roosevelt of the Rough Riders, MoH recipient.

[Trooper224]

I can understand at a certain point in time trying to take some of each side to knit the country back together. The goal was a whole nation, not a nation and an occupied country. I have no idea if these bases were named for that reason or some other, and honestly have no idea who Hood is or was. Actually, the only base I think I know anything about the person behind the name is Leonard Wood. Army doctor who rose through the ranks, leader alongside Teddy Roosevelt of the Rough Riders, MoH recipient.

I'm all for dropping the names altogether. Just go down the list and designate them numerically: Base 1, Base 2, etc.

[ccmdfd]

I'm all for dropping the names altogether. Just go down the list and designate them numerically: Base 1, Base 2, etc.

You may be on to something there.

Or perhaps name them for the town they are in, but you'd have some duplicates.

[BehindBlueI's]

You may be on to something there.

Or perhaps name them for the town they are in, but you'd have some duplicates.

Let the troops vote in names.

Camp Marry A. Stripper

Ft. Giant Fucking Mosquito

[JTQ]

Or perhaps name them for the town they are in, but you'd have some duplicates.

I think most military installations were originally named for their location and subsequently renamed for some individual.

[trailrunner]

Let the troops vote in names.

Camp Marry A. Stripper

Ft. Giant Fucking Mosquito

Some bases already have nicknames:

Fort Leonard Woods => Fort Lost in the Woods
Fort Huachuca => Fort Hoochiemama
Fort Eustis => Fort Useless

The lab I worked at managed several test ranges at Fort A. P. Hill, and I spent a lot of time down there doing field tests. The first time I heard about it, someone said that we were "going to the hill." In the DC area, that usually means Capitol Hill, but not in this case.

[Yung]

Some bases already have nicknames:

Yes. I was stationed at Fort Bliss.

[ford.304]

Agree on updating them. Been plenty of greater heroes and contributors since the current named group.

I used to buy in to the honoring heritage line of defense for other monuments until late in life learning that the vast majority were not erected shortly post Civil War but erected 1900's - 1920's as Jim Crow was implemented but continuing into the 1950's also. Suspicious timing.

You know, I'm still undecided on this line of thinking. The US WWII monument didn't go up until 60 years after the war. I know in the case of a lot of local monuments to more recent wars, it wasn't until old veterans retiring or getting into the higher reaches of local politics that anyone started to think they should maybe put up a statue.

Not to mention that the end of Reconstruction, while absolutely horrible for blacks, was also essentially the end of Northern "occupation." I can see not really being in a good position to put up a statue to your local rebel hero while the guy who *beat* your local hero is standing behind you with a big stick.

Jim Crow laws and renewed violence and suppression of black rights were the biggest thing to come out of reconstruction, but they weren't the only things going on...

Regarding bases specifically... I have a general preference to not rename old things to match modern morals. But I certainly wouldn't name anything new after any of those guys.