Naming Bases

From a Twitter user named Irv, who appears to be a Black soldier in the U.S. military:

There’s a big misconception about the reason for Army bases being named after Confederates. It was not a way to heal after the Civil War. Those bases didn’t get those names until the 20th century at the start of WW1 and WW2.

As the Army expanded for the world wars, they built camps, which needed names. The Army generally decided to name the camps after local military ‘heroes’ the local populations would be comfortable with. So, Ft Hood, TX is for John Bell Hood, Braxton Bragg was from N.C., etc.

Think of the time though. Jim Crow laws, the second Klan, and the Lost Cause narrative were all on the rise. Those names were NOT a way to bring Americans together; they were a nod to keeping us apart.

What’s more, some of these pro-slavery insurrectionists were incompetent. Hood, Bragg, and Pickett, for example, are some of the worst generals on either side of the Civil War. Why does the Army continue to honor them?

Instead, why don’t we celebrate our greats? Grant was the victor over Lee and became a President! What about a Ft Audie Murphy or Roy Benavidez in TX? Matthew Ridgway did more than Braxton Bragg ever did.

This is personal. I’ve been a soldier for more than 25 years and these names have offended me since I learned who they were. This moment is about recognizing that being a bystander is the same as being part of the problem. We can do much better.

The names of things matter (though of course they aren't the only thing that matters). Every street being named after white men — usually land speculators in my neck of the woods — frames a place from the moment a person is born into it or moves to it. Military bases being named for loser Confederate generals is insulting and illogical and tells a backwards version of who belongs there and who doesn't. They should all be changed to names that represent our country's aspirations instead of its worst failing.