“Change is often necessary, but not often easy,” Secretary of the Army said.
The U.S. Army’s Fort Gordon officially became Fort Eisenhower on Friday during a renaming ceremony in Augusta, Georgia.
Fort Gordon is the last of nine military posts to receive new names as part of the Department of Defense’s initiative to redesignate Army bases named after Confederate soldiers. Many of the new names honor Civil War veterans, Medal of Honor recipients and leaders who have made significant contributions to the United States Army.
According to the U.S. Army, Camp Gordon was originally named after Confederate Lt. Gen. John Brown Gordon.
The installation is being renamed after General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States and the leader of liberation in Europe in World War II, according to the Department of Defense.
“Rising from second lieutenant to commander-in-chief, Eisenhower’s extensive, innovative, and effective military experience and leadership shaped our modern world,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon Commanding General, in a statement to ABC News.
Stanton spoke about Eisenhower during the redesignation ceremony, calling him an incredible soldier, visionary, and world leader.
“He championed peace, prosperity, the advancement of civil rights and desegregation,” Stanton said. “He championed information advantage before there was any doctrine.”
Eisenhower, in addition to his military service and presidency, had a deep admiration for Augusta. According to a release from the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence, Eisenhower found solace in the community of Augusta throughout his presidential years.
Susan Eisenhower, Eisenhower’s granddaughter and founder of Eisenhower Group Inc., spoke during the ceremony about her grandfather, his love of the U.S. and the Augusta community.
“This is where the past and the future can now comfortably reside,” said Susan Eisenhower, after expressing gratitude for those involved in supporting the renaming effort.
Stanton said during the ceremony that changing the name of U.S. posts ensures our nation remains “a champion of liberty, equality and freedom.”
Secretary of the Army, Christine E. Wormuth, spoke during the ceremony about its significance and the culmination of the Department of Defense Naming Commission’s initiative to distance the U.S. Army from Confederate symbols following civil unrest in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers.
“It was a moment of unrest and significant division in our country, and both political parties overwhelmingly agreed that names on certain military installations, and the legacies of those names, were only deepening our social and political divides,” Wormuth said.
Wormuth expressed gratitude to all of the leaders who helped the nine redesignations happen.
“Change is often necessary, but not often easy,” Wormuth said.
Source: ABC News
