Renaming U.S. Military Bases

Prior to today, I had never given much thought as to the ins and outs, the hows and whys, of the naming of U.S. military bases. The only U.S. Army base of whose name I had knowledge was Fort McPherson in Atlanta Georgia. I had been watching a documentary on the Battle of Atlanta when I first learned of the Union General James Birdseye McPherson who died during the battle and would later have the fort named in his honor.

I was completely surprised to learn that there are 10 Army bases around the country named for Confederate military officers, including the military base where I was born, Fort Benning.

Fort Benning was named for Henry L. Benning who was active in Southern U.S. politics and an ardent secessionist, bitterly opposing abolition and the emancipation of slaves. From his biography, I learned that Benning was about as despicable as a human could be. It is really an absolute disgrace to have anything - much less a military base - named for him.

Sadly, President Trump opposes efforts to remove Confederate commanders' names from military bases. The President could go a long way toward healing some of the pain arising now in the United States. Frankly, the bases should have been renamed years ago - long before Trump became President.

Understanding U.S. politics and the need for votes years ago, I know why these bases were named as they were. It was all about votes - Southern Democrat votes. But, just as I can't see an American military base being named after Erwin Rommel,Saddam Hussein, or Ho Chi Minh, I can't see the naming of a U.S. military after any Confederate General.

The President should be calling for the renaming, not defending the current names.