General Suggests Honorable Names for Military Bases to Replace “Trump Traitors”

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Submitted to VT by the Washington Post

Ty Seidule, retired U.S. Army brigadier general and professor emeritus of history at West Point, writes in Washington Post Opinions: Ten Army posts named during World Wars I and II honor men who fought for the Confederate States of America against the United States of America. These men committed treason to create a country dedicated to human enslavement. The posts must be renamed — as should another, in Virginia, given what its name honors. But whom should the Army honor?

The number of Army heroes over the course of the service’s 245-year existence is enormous. Here are just a few suggestions, drawing on soldiers who represent the strength, values and diversity of the Army’s storied history.

These 11 individuals displayed extraordinary courage, competence and commitment. There are hundreds and hundreds of other worthy soldiers who could be honored. Our nation would not miss the names currently on these installations — and the Army has so many heroes to choose from.



Full op-ed: https://wapo.st/3dcwb91

Excerpts:

Fort Hood (Tex.) to Fort Murphy

  • During World War II, Audie Murphy received every award for valor given by the U.S. Army, plus honors from France and Belgium. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for mounting a flaming tank destroyer and manning a .50-caliber machine gun, wounding or killing 50 German soldiers, by himself. Today, senior noncommissioned officers compete to join the Audie Murphy Club, a recognition of excellence.

Fort Polk (La.) to Fort Benavidez

  • After a terrible wound during his first tour of Vietnam, Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez volunteered to return in 1968 with his Special Forces unit. During “six hours in hell,” he saved the lives of eight fellow soldiers, for which he later received the Medal of Honor. At one point an enemy soldier stabbed Benavidez with a bayonet. Although grievously injured, Benavidez pulled the knife from his body, killed the man and continued his mission.

Fort Bragg (N.C.) to Fort Ridgway

  • Home of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne Division, this fort should honor Matthew Ridgway, who commanded both units during World War II. During the Korean War, Ridgway took command of the Eighth Army, which was reeling from Chinese assaults. In just two weeks, he had the Army back on the attack, defeating the enemy in battle after battle.

Fort Belvoir (Va.) to Fort Grant

  • Who is Belvoir? Trick question. The answer is not a who but a what. Belvoir was the name of a slave plantation owned by a British loyalist. It burned to the ground in 1783. Few people realize that the post was called Camp A.A. Humphreys, for a Union general, until 1935. The fort is located only 15 miles south of the White House, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the change to appease Rep. Howard W. Smith (D-Va.), an avowed white supremacist. This name should be changed to Fort Grant, after Ulysses S. Grant, the finest officer to ever wear a U.S. Army uniform.

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