Fort Liberty to be renamed to Fort Roland L. Bragg
UPDATE (1:05 PM): The family of Army Private First Class (PFC) Roland L. Bragg is speaking out after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Fort Liberty will be renamed after him.
Bragg's daughter and son-in-law found out about the name change from a reporter at NBC affiliate WRAL as they had missed a call from an Army Lieutenant Colonel Monday night because they weren't sure what the call was about.
Bragg was a Private who was stationed at Fort Bragg.
He fought in World War II and was awarded a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.
His family said when he returned home from the war, he didn't talk much about it and led a modest life in Maine, helping his community thrive.
Bragg died about 25 years ago, and his daughter and son-in-law, Debra and Christopher Sokoll, were asked how they think he would feel today, knowing that the largest Army base in the world will be named in his honor.
"Be amazed. He'd be amazed. I think he'd be rather humble about it. I don't think he'd expect any...He wouldn't expect any special attention, no. He was, he wouldn't be the type of fellow who would expect that. He would just be very surprised about it," Debra and Christopher said.
The name change comes less than two years from when the government changed it to Fort Liberty, and was initiated during the Biden administration because of the history behind the original Fort Bragg namesake: Braxton Bragg, a Confederate General.
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Fort Liberty will soon be given a new name as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday he's renaming the military installation, whose previous name honored the Confederal General Braxton Bragg.
The move returns the Army base in North Carolina to being called Fort Bragg, but the name will now honor an enlisted Army soldier named Roland L. Bragg.
According to a Pentagon statement, Roland Bragg was awarded a Silver Star and the Purple Heart for combat during World War II.
"This change underscores the installation's legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation," the statement said.
