Congressional Commission Unveils Proposal to Rename Bases Honoring Confederates

The congressional naming commission which was set up to remove Confederate names from military bases has unveiled proposals to rename nine bases on Tuesday.

The proposed names include women, African-American, Native American and Latino service members, a nod to the diverse ranks the US military has benefited from over the years. The commission, however, also recommended renaming a few of the bases after White men.

The renaming of bases with Confederate monikers became a hot button political issue in the final months of the Trump administration, when then-President Donald Trump blasted the idea, accusing others of wanting to "throw those names away."

Trump had vetoed the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which included the Naming Commission, but in the waning days of his administration, Congress delivered its first and only veto override during his tenure, approving the legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support.

The naming commission solicited suggestions for possible new names to the US Army bases through a public website. They received more than 34,000 submissions for possible names to rename the bases, Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, US Army, Retired, Vice Chair of the Naming Commission said during a roundtable on Tuesday.

From the 34,000 suggestions, the commission narrowed the list to 3,670 names as possible contenders, then down to 87, and finally to the list of recommendations they released today.

"Every name either originated from or resonated with the local communities. The feedback we received assisted us in narrowing the options and proved vital in helping us reach our final recommendations," Seidule said.