WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Defense has directed the Army to rename Fort Liberty in North Carolina back to Fort Bragg, honoring World War II hero Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, according to a memorandum issued by the Secretary of Defense.
Pfc. Bragg, born in 1923 in Sabattus, Maine, served with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, and was stationed at Fort Bragg during World War II. He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry during the Battle of the Bulge, where he saved a wounded soldier’s life by commandeering an enemy ambulance and driving 20 miles to an allied hospital in Belgium. He also received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in combat.
“For nearly a century under the designation of Camp Bragg and subsequently Fort Bragg, tens of thousands of Soldiers trained and deployed to crises and conflicts around the world in defense of our nation,” the memorandum states, emphasizing the base’s historic role in military readiness.
The directive instructs the Secretary of the Army to take all necessary steps to implement the change, including coordinating with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on timelines and resource requirements.
The decision marks a significant reversal following the 2023 renaming of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty as part of a broader effort to remove Confederate-associated names from U.S. military installations.