Fort Liberty in Fayetteville will once again be known as Fort Bragg, but it won’t be for Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum Monday night while flying aboard a C-17 from Joint Base Andrews to Stuttgart, Germany explaining that the new name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.

The DOD press release said the change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation. 

During a campaign stop in Fayetteville in October, President Donald Trump said he would change the name back if he was re-elected.

Hegseth, a National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, has described the renaming efforts as “a sham,” “garbage,” and “crap” because they eroded military tradition and were part of what he characterized as a politically motivated progressive agenda infiltrating American institutions.

North Carolina Republican US Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd both agreed with the decision. Tillis said on X, “Fort Bragg is Fort Bragg again. The ‘Center of the Universe’ will now be named in honor of PFC Roland L. Bragg who fought courageously in the Battle of the Bulge, helping secure the Allied victory over the Nazis.”

The North Carolina military installation was one of seven military bases across the country whose names had changed in January 2023. The others include Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, which will be known as Fort Walker; Fort Hood, Texas – Fort Cavazos; Fort Lee, Virginia – Fort Gregg-Adams; Fort Pickett, Virginia – Fort Barfoot; Fort Polk – Fort Johnson; Fort Rucker – Fort Novosel, and Fort Gordon, Georgia, to be named Fort Eisenhower, after General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Fort Bragg was named in 1918 after Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg of Warrenton, NC who served in the Mexican-American War and later as a Confederate general in the Civil War.

The change from Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty became official in June 2023. An uproar over the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 led to calls across the country to rename military ships, bases, and assets that had Confederate origins to their names. 

Former Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a memo accepting the recommendations of The Naming Commission on Oct. 5, 2022.

According to a press release issued by the DOD in January 2023, the complete report included the commission’s plan to remove the names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America. 

Congress established the commission in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which President Trump vetoed during his first term in office in part due to the commission’s existence. Bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate overrode his veto.

Implementing all of the recommendations was estimated to cost $62.5 million.

The cost to rename all assets at Fort Bragg – including many streets, buildings, uniforms, the USASOC Memorial Wall, the Parade Field, Hendrick Stadium Memorial Wall, and the 82nd Airborne Museum – is estimated to be $6.3 million, the most expensive of the ten military bases changing their names due to ties with the Confederacy.

In addition, highway signs announcing the Army base name change were estimated to cost $500,000, according to North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). 

There is no word on what cost would be involved to change the name back.