Calls To Rename U.S. Military Bases Are Getting Louder
Written by Site Hub on June 15, 2020
There are 10 U.S. military bases named after confederate generals in the south that have been a subject of controversy for decades.
Calls for renaming the bases have escalated after the death of George Floyd.
The bases were built before and through World War II, and were named in the Jim Crow era.
Efforts to change the names have stalled out in the past, with the Army goring as far to say a move like that would be “controversial and divisive.”
On Sunday, Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said:
“I think the time has come. I think that there is the opportunity not only to name some of these places for some of our great generals of the 20th century but also individuals such as African American and other minority Medal of Honor recipients and so on.”
President Trump recently tweeted his thoughts on the matter, saying:
“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage,”
The Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday voted to require the Pentagon to remove Confederate names, monuments and symbols from military bases and equipment within three years.
Senator James Lankford says he supports the renaming of the bases.
“I see it like schools, every school has a name, and you want those children in that school to be able to learn about … the person that school is named after and to be able to have them as a role model. You would have that on a military base as well… So if you have a military base that is named after someone that actually rebelled against the United States government, then you’d want to be able to go back and look at that name. It should be a pretty basic principle.”
Source:
Huffpost
