Three Directions and a Warning for U.S. Army Base Re-Naming Initiatives
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By Chad Storlie
June 16, 2020
The ongoing and expanding protests about the continuing unfair treatment of African Americans and other minority groups within the United States have literally reached the gates of the United States Army. Since the founding of the country, U.S. Army bases have been named after white, traditional Generals whose legacy, at best, poorly reflects the continuously evolving nature and diversity of the United States population.
In a good start, the U.S. Army has pledged to review all ten of the U.S. Army bases named after Confederate General officers. The U.S. Army review of bases named after Confederate Generals is a good start but does not go far enough. Fort Carson, named after General "Kit" Carson was involved in the Trail of Tears that forcibly removed Apache tribes from their lands. Fort Leavenworth, named after a modest General from the War of 1812, is of little relevance today. The U.S. Army needs to rename all existing bases, depots, camps, and other installations to align the historical image of the Army with the Army's current soldier composition that focuses equally on all groups that contribute to the success of the U.S. Army. For the U.S. Army to review only bases named after Confederate's is a missed historical opportunity.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2020/06/16/three_directions_and_a_warning_for_us_army_base_re-naming_initiatives_115385.html
