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The Army Was Open to Replacing Confederate Base Names. Then Trump Said No.
AT WAR
The Army Was Open to Replacing Confederate Base Names. Then Trump Said No.
{snip}
By John Ismay
June 10, 2020
Monuments and memorials bearing the names of men who fought to preserve slavery and uphold white supremacy are facing a reckoning, as demonstrations against police brutality have erupted across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. ... The protests have also reignited a debate within the military community over 10 Army bases named after Confederate leaders, which as recently as February the service said it had no intention of changing, according to the military website Task & Purpose.
The service backtracked on that position, as a Pentagon official said Monday that Secretary of Defense Mark P. Esper and Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy were “open to a bipartisan discussion on the topic” of removing Confederate names from the bases. The announcement, first reported by Politico, came as each of the services have started to contend with many longstanding practices and allegations of racial bias that have gone unaddressed.
The Pentagon official said Esper and McCarthy wanted Congress, the White House and other government officials to weigh in, according to CNN, shifting the responsibility onto lawmakers.
President Trump on Wednesday was quick to shut down any bipartisan discussions, tweeting, “my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”
{snip the tweets}
What is the process for renaming bases?
The decision to name (or rename) installations falls to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs — an office currently held by retired Army officer Casey Wardynski. In the mid-2000s, Wardynski developed a video game called “America’s Army” while serving on the faculty at West Point. Army guidance directs that installation names be relevant to their surrounding areas.
The Army had no comment on the president’s declaration when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon. There is no requirement for politicians or the White House to approve Army base name changes, though it’s unclear if the service will still consider the move following the president’s tweets.
Where do military bases get their names?
Since the Revolutionary War, military bases have been named for commanders, high-ranking officers and even the engineers who supervised their construction. Until World War I, base names often, but not always, reflected local influences or historically significant soldiers local to the area.
{snip}
The Army Was Open to Replacing Confederate Base Names. Then Trump Said No.
{snip}
By John Ismay
June 10, 2020
Monuments and memorials bearing the names of men who fought to preserve slavery and uphold white supremacy are facing a reckoning, as demonstrations against police brutality have erupted across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. ... The protests have also reignited a debate within the military community over 10 Army bases named after Confederate leaders, which as recently as February the service said it had no intention of changing, according to the military website Task & Purpose.
The service backtracked on that position, as a Pentagon official said Monday that Secretary of Defense Mark P. Esper and Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy were “open to a bipartisan discussion on the topic” of removing Confederate names from the bases. The announcement, first reported by Politico, came as each of the services have started to contend with many longstanding practices and allegations of racial bias that have gone unaddressed.
The Pentagon official said Esper and McCarthy wanted Congress, the White House and other government officials to weigh in, according to CNN, shifting the responsibility onto lawmakers.
President Trump on Wednesday was quick to shut down any bipartisan discussions, tweeting, “my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”
{snip the tweets}
What is the process for renaming bases?
The decision to name (or rename) installations falls to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs — an office currently held by retired Army officer Casey Wardynski. In the mid-2000s, Wardynski developed a video game called “America’s Army” while serving on the faculty at West Point. Army guidance directs that installation names be relevant to their surrounding areas.
The Army had no comment on the president’s declaration when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon. There is no requirement for politicians or the White House to approve Army base name changes, though it’s unclear if the service will still consider the move following the president’s tweets.
Where do military bases get their names?
Since the Revolutionary War, military bases have been named for commanders, high-ranking officers and even the engineers who supervised their construction. Until World War I, base names often, but not always, reflected local influences or historically significant soldiers local to the area.
{snip}
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
From what we keep hearing, the issues Trump's weighing on on seem to be those we never heard presidents weigh in on before - meanwhile, he's ignoring the big issues in this country, a nationwide pandemic and nationwide unrest. 
