The U.S. Army redesignated Fort Gordon in Georgia on Friday, the last of nine bases to receive new names based on a Congressional mandate to scrub Confederate references from the military.
Fort Gordon, originally named for Confederate lieutenant general and former Georgia governor John B. Gordon, became Fort Eisenhower to commemorate former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1957 while president, according to his official biography. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had approved the change in October 2022 in response to conclusions from a body created by Congress in the wake of George Floyd’s death to find and replace allusions to the pro-slavery Confederacy.
“Rising from second lieutenant to commander-in-chief, Eisenhower’s extensive, innovative, and effective military experience and leadership shaped our modern world,” U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, said in a statement. “His dedication to ensuring equal rights for Soldiers and citizens alike continues to be an example and inspiration for the present and future soldiers of the Army he so faithfully served and decisively led. General Eisenhower epitomizes those values we continue to instill in our Soldiers today.”
Fort Eisenhower was established in 1941 as a training camp for several Army divisions and today hosts the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, a history provided by the installation states. (RELATED: ‘Will Not Unite But Only Divide’: Americans Decry Arlington National Cemetery’s Plan To Remove Confederate Memorial)
“It is with great pride that we rename this installation in honor of one of our great generals and presidents,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said during a ceremony at the base Friday morning.
Other Army bases were renamed after minorities who reached high-ranking positions or demonstrated valor in combat following recommendations from stakeholders and the community. The Army decided to rename Fort Gordon after Eisenhower; the Army Cyber Center of Excellence said Eisenhower “found solace” in Augusta during his time as president from 1953-1961 in the statement.
Gordon became one of the most effective leaders under Gen. Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army, despite having no prior military experience, according to the American Battlefield Trust. He was wounded five times in the Battle of Antietam, but survived and went on to serve as a U.S. senator and the governor of Georgia.
The renaming process for each of the nine bases — Forts Bragg, Benning, A. P. Hill, Hood, Lee, Pickett, Polk, Rucker and Gordon — began in January for an estimated cost of $39 million. Congress’ Naming Commission, created in 2021 after overriding former President Donald Trump’s veto of the effort, gave the services until January 2024 to implement the recommended changes.
Congress instructed the DOD to identify and root out any symbols, buildings, equipment or other assets that might appear to commemorate the Confederacy in 2021, according to a statement. The Naming Commission presented its third and final report to Congress in September 2022, detailing hundreds of items across the services, including names, insignia and other assets that would need altering for an estimated cost of $62 million, The Washington Post reported.
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