4th Appellate District, Division 3
Eileen C. Moore
Associate Justice
California Courts of Appeal
Three years ago, I wrote an article entitled: "A holiday present for all of us... no more Confederate names of military bases." Let's look at what has happened in the last 11 months, and you can decide for yourself whether you received a holiday present this year.
On Oct. 7, 2022, then Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin ordered implementation of the findings of the Naming Commission, established by Congress in 2021. The commission took inventory of all the military's contemporary references to the Confederacy. It found nine Army bases and several buildings commemorating rebel officers, in addition to a monument honoring Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Using the word "haphazard," the Commission reported that the naming of these Department of Defense assets had to do with faulty memories about the Civil War in the late 19th and early 20th century, rather than with any historical acts actually committed by their namesakes. The report says that White Southerners advocated for names they had been raised to revere, such as Benning, Hood, Lee, Pickett, Polk, A.P. Hill, Rucker, Gordon, and Bragg. According to its findings, in preparing for World War I and World War II, while hastily naming bases, the Army often deferred to local sensitivities and regional connections of a namesake. In the case of the nine bases, the Commission voted unanimously on each of the names it recommended for renaming.
Now, let's take the bases one by one to see what's happened after the Naming Commission made its recommendations.
Fort Benning renamed Fort Moore renamed Fort Benning
Fort Benning was originally named after Henry Lewis Benning, a former Confederate general. Prior to his military service, he served as a justice on the Georgia Supreme Court, where he authored Padelford v. Savannah (1854) 14 Ga. 438. In that opinion, he stated: "The Supreme Court of Georgia is co-equal and co-ordinate with the Supreme Court of the U.S. and therefore the latter cannot give the former an order, or make for it a precedent." In 1860, Benning led a walkout of the Georgia delegation to the Democratic National Convention when the national party refused a plank supporting slavery into its platform.
If you watched the film "We Were Soldiers Once. . . And Young," based on a book by General Hal Moore and war correspondent Joe Galloway, you already know why Fort Benning, in Georgia, was renamed Fort Moore. Moore's troops, who were sent to Vietnam from Fort Benning, greatly respected him. He was like a father to them. Lieutenant General Hal Moore commanded the forces in the first major battle in Vietnam, the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in November 1965. An American battalion was ambushed and in such close quarters with the enemy that the U.S. was unable to use air and artillery support. The Americans suffered an over-50% casualty rate. Galloway would later write it was the battle that convinced Ho Chi Minh he could win.
The renaming of the base to Fort Moore included tribute, not only to General Moore, but to his wife Julia Moore as well. At the time of the Ia Drang campaign, the Army had not yet set up an adequate system of notifying the next of kin of battlefield fatalities. Telegrams were given to taxicab drivers for delivery. Julia Moore took it upon herself to accompany the cab drivers who delivered the telegrams and assisted in the death notifications, grieving with the widows and families of men killed in battle. She attended the funerals of those who fell under her husband's command. She was instrumental in prompting the Army to immediately set up notification teams consisting of a uniformed officer and a chaplain.
The installation is now named after Army Corporal Fred G. Benning, who the Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense) says "served with extraordinary heroism during World War I with the United States Army, and in recognition of the installation's storied history of service to the United States of America."
During World War I, Benning was cited for his heroism on Oct. 9, 1918, near France, when he took command of his platoon after his commander was killed and the senior noncommissioned officers were disabled. Under heavy fire, he led his unit of twenty men to their assigned position.
Fort Hood renamed Fort Cavazos renamed Fort Hood
Fort Hood was originally named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. In a letter Hood wrote to General Sherman on Sept. 12, 1864, Hood described his strong belief that "Negroes" were an inferior race. In that same letter, Hood wrote: "I believe, for all the true men, aye, and women and children, in my country, we will fight you to the death. Better die a thousand deaths than submit to live under you or your Government and your Negro allies." Within a year, Hood surrendered.
Fort Hood is in Texas, where General Richard E. Cavazos was born. It was renamed Fort Cavazos after Cavazos, the Army's first Hispanic general and first Hispanic four-star general. Cavazos was one of the most decorated soldiers to ever serve in the United States Army. His actions as a soldier are quintessential examples of dedication, bravery and leadership. For his service in Korea, Cavazos was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross by President Dwight Eisenhower. For his service in Vietnam, then-Lieutenant Colonel Cavazos received a second Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic leadership in a 1967 battle. For his service throughout decades, President Joseph Biden posthumously awarded General Cavazos the Medal of Honor.
This year, the base was renamed after Colonel Robert B. Hood, born in Kansas, for his extraordinary heroism during World War I. Amid intense shelling near Thiaucourt, France, Captain Hood directed artillery fire while under machine-gun fire. Hood was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. He continued his military service, including surviving the Pearl Harbor attack while stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and later commanded an artillery training unit at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, during World War II.
Fort Lee renamed Fort Gregg-Adams renamed Fort Lee
Fort Lee was named after the Confederate States General in Chief, Robert E. Lee. He was a slave owner and considered himself a paternalistic master. While there are no historical records of eyewitnesses, there are various accounts of Lee personally whipping a slave. A few months ago, Lee's portrait was rehung at West Point.
Fort Lee in Virginia was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams after Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg and Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams.
Arthur J. Gregg enlisted in the racially segregated Army in 1946 and retired as Deputy Chief of Staff. When a young Lieutenant, Gregg, who was African American, arrived at Fort Lee in 1950. He served in two wars, Korea and Vietnam. In his final assignment, and by then a general and Deputy Chief of Staff, he was responsible for logistical support of the entire United States Army.
Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams was the first African American woman to be an officer in the segregated Women's Auxiliary Corps. Her war contributions are shown in the Tyler Perry movie Six Triple Eight. At the end of 1944, Adams was chosen to be the commanding officer of the first unit of WAC African Americans to go overseas. Her unit was the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Their mission, in Birmingham, England, was to organize and direct mail to U.S. servicemen which had gone undelivered for many months. The battalion was faced with air hangers full of undelivered post, which needed to be sorted and redirected. The women worked around the clock in three shifts, for eight hours per shift, seven days a week. They were tasked with clearing all the backlogged mail in six months, but they were able to accomplish their goal in three months. President Joseph Biden signed into law legislation to award the 6888th the Congressional Gold Medal.
The base was renamed Fort Lee after Private Fitz Lee. Private Lee was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions as a Buffalo Soldier during the Spanish American War in Cuba. On June 30, 1898, Lee and four others surprised the Spanish, managing to free wounded American soldiers. Four of the five, including Lee, were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions, and Lee's award was made while he was recovering from wounds he incurred during the action.
Fort A.P. Hill renamed Fort Walker renamed Fort A.P. Hill
Fort A.P. Hill was originally named after Ambrose Powell Hill, who served as a Confederate general during the Civil War. His father and uncle were slave owners.
Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia was renamed Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Edwards Walker. Dr. Walker received the Medal of Honor in 1865, during the Civil War for her efforts in treating the wounded in battle and across enemy lines. She attempted to join the Union Army at the outbreak of the war but was denied admission. Later, she was hired as the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army. Walker worked on the battlefield in tent hospitals in Virginia and Tennessee. She was captured by Confederate forces as a spy when she crossed the enemy line to treat wounded civilians, just after assisting a Confederate doctor perform a surgery. Walker was held in Castle Thunder Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Walker is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. The award was later rescinded after Congress tweaked the criteria in 1916 to include only those who had actual combat with the enemy. But she defiantly wore the Medal every day until her death in 1919. In 1976, President Jimmy Carter restored Walker's award posthumously.
The base's present name of Fort A.P. Hill is in honor of three Medal of Honor recipients. The full name of the base is Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Anderson Hill, 1st Sergeant Robert A. Pinn and Private Bruce Anderson. All three were Union soldiers who acted heroically, but separately, during the Civil War. Both Anderson and Pinn were Black men.
Fort Pickett renamed Fort Barfoot renamed Fort Pickett
Fort Pickett was named after Confederate General George E. Pickett. While he was raised on a plantation in Virginia, he is said to have personally disliked slavery. For a time, Pickett served as a law clerk for his uncle. He was accused of war crimes committed during the Civil War for executing 22 Union prisoners in 1864.
Fort Pickett in Virginia was renamed Fort Barfoot after Van Thomas Barfoot, a Choctaw Indian who was awarded the Medal of Honor. When he was a technical sergeant on May 23, 1944, Barfoot crawled off alone and made a direct hit into an enemy machine gun nest. He continued along the German defense line, and with his tommy gun killed two and captured three soldiers. By the time he was through, he had 17 prisoners. Later the same day, after he had reorganized his men on the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a counterattack. Using a bazooka, Barfoot stood in front of a German tank, and with his first shot, destroyed it. He then assisted two severely wounded men to safety.
The base was renamed Fort Pickett after 1st Lieutenant Vernon W. Pickett for his heroism during World War II. While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Lieutenant Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades. After being captured, he escaped from an enemy transport train with fellow prisoners of war and rejoined his unit before being killed in action. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Fort Polk renamed Fort Johnson renamed Fort Polk
Fort Polk was named after Leonidas Polk, a prominent Episcopal bishop who was a corps commander in the Confederate Army. Polk was the founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. He was a slaveholding planter in Maury County, Tennessee before moving to Louisiana.
Fort Polk in Louisiana was renamed Fort Johnson after Sergeant William Henry Johnson. Sergeant Johnson was in the first African American unit of the United States Army to engage in combat in World War I. On watch in the Argonne Forest on May 14, 1918, he fought off a German raid in hand-to-hand combat, killing multiple German soldiers and rescuing a fellow soldier from being taken prisoner while experiencing 21 wounds himself. On June 2, 2015, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a posthumous ceremony at the White House. Additionally, Johnson was one of the first Americans to be awarded the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme, France's highest award of valor.
The base's renaming to Fort Polk was in honor of General James H. Polk, a Silver Star recipient from World War II. He served in both Europe during World War II and in Korea during the Korean War. During the Cold War, he went back to Europe and commanded an armored division in Germany. He received numerous medals, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Fort Rucker renamed Fort Novosel renamed Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker was named after Confederate General Edmund W. Rucker. The title "General" was merely honorary for Rucker, who entered the Civil War as a Private. He rose in rank to become an acting Brigadier General, but his commission was never confirmed by the Confederate Congress. One of his duties was to force into service men who did not want to join the Confederacy.
Fort Rucker in Alabama was renamed Fort Novosel after Michael J. Novosel, Sr. Novosel was the son of Croatian immigrants. He joined the Army ten months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, Novosel flew B-29 bombers in the war against Japan. He returned to active duty in the Air Force in 1953 during the Korean War. By then he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After flying as a civilian pilot, he decided to return to the military, but the Air Force did not need more officers. So, Novosel gave up his rank and served in the Army as a Warrant Officer with the special forces, beginning in 1963. He flew 2,543 missions during his two tours in Vietnam, extracting 5,589 wounded personnel, among them his own son. On the morning of Oct. 2, 1969, Novosel set out to evacuate a group of South Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounded by several thousand North Vietnamese light infantry near the Cambodian border. Radio communication was lost and the soldiers had expended their ammunition. Without air cover or fire support, Novosel flew at low altitude under continuous enemy fire. He skimmed the ground with his helicopter while his medic and crew chief pulled the wounded men on board. He completed 15 hazardous extractions, was wounded in a barrage of enemy fire, and momentarily lost control of his helicopter, but when it was over, he had rescued 29 men. In 1971, President Richard Nixon awarded Novosel the Medal of Honor.
Fort Novosel was renamed Fort Rucker after World War I Captain Edward W. Rucker, a native of Missouri. Rucker and fellow aviators disrupted the enemy in an aerial battle over France.
Fort Gordon renamed Fort Eisenhower renamed Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon was named after Confederate General John Brown Gordon. His father owned slaves and Gordon owned one slave, a 14-year-old girl. Gordon was a lawyer.
Fort Gordon in Georgia was renamed Fort Eisenhower after General of the Army and 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. During World War II, Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, and achieved the five-star rank of General of the Army. He planned and supervised the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942-1943 and the invasion of Normandy [D-Day] from the Western Front in 1944-1945.
The base was renamed Fort Gordon in honor of Master Sargent Gary I. Gordon for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. He defended wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site.
Fort Bragg renamed Fort Liberty renamed Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg was originally named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg. General Bragg commanded the Army of Mississippi in the Civil War. Wikipedia says: "Bragg is generally considered one of the worst generals of the Civil War. Most of the battles he engaged in ended in defeat." He was a slave owner prior to the Civil War.
Fort Bragg in North Carolina was renamed Fort Liberty to commemorate the American value of liberty.
The base was renamed Fort Bragg after Roland L. Bragg, a native of Maine. During the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, Private First Class Bragg was taken prisoner and managed to secure a German uniform and commandeer a German ambulance. With wounded American paratroopers in the rear of the ambulance, he drove it back to the American line under heavy fire. For his actions, he received a Silver Star.
Conclusion
Since all of these bases once again bear their original names, it is obvious some people feel strongly that the traditional names are important. Traditions connect us to our past, and provide stability in a changing world, so it's understandable why the old familiar names may be preferred by some.
It was difficult to find much information about the persons who the bases are now named after. However, it certainly appears they all served our country with valor and honor.
Nonetheless, there are reasons to have concerns about the most recent renamings.
Despite the fact the present namesakes include no Confederate soldiers or slave owners, the names themselves connote this country's history of slavery and must be hurtful to many.
For that short period of time that we had four bases named after soldiers who served valiantly in Vietnam, it was heartening because Vietnam veterans have been treated disgracefully in so many ways. Generals Moore, Cavazos, and Gregg and Warrant Officer Novosel all served in Vietnam. The bases that bore their names are now named after soldiers who served in the Spanish-America War and World War I. Now gone are base names honoring soldiers who fought in Vietnam.
It was refreshing to have military bases named after women. But the base-naming tributes to Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker and Julia Moore are now gone as well.
As to Fort Barfoot, named after a Choctaw Indian, that name is also gone. The Choctaw tribe has made significant contributions to the United States military since the War of 1812. Congress awarded the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I a gold medal in 2008. In 2013, Oklahoma named a state highway the WWI Choctaw Code Talkers Highway. And the percentage of Native Americans who have served in all of our wars has far outpaced their percentage of our population. Over 25% of all Native American men served in World War I, and more than that served in Vietnam. To remove the name of the one Native American, Van Thomas Barfoot, from a military base is another sorrow for our native people.