North Carolina base Fort Bragg rebrands as Fort Liberty

The North Carolina base was abuzz Friday morning as military leaders gathered to mark the transition with an elaborate ceremony.

Fort Bragg was established in 1918, and named after North Carolina native Braxton Bragg, who served as a Confederate general in the Civil War. It eventually became the home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces, and with nearly 40,000 inhabitants, is the largest military base in the world.

The US Army released a video on Twitter explaining that the name liberty "honors the heroism, sacrifices and values of the US Army soldiers, civilians, and families who live and serve" at Fort Bragg.

Reaction to the name change has been mixed, with some saying it'll take some time to get used to.

"At first it was a little strange to me," one soldier told ABC11, "but then after hearing all the stories, and after hearing everything that went into Fort Liberty, I think it's absolutely fantastic that the United States Army has an installation dedicated completely to a value rather than a single person."

Fort Liberty is the second base to be formally renamed, following Texas' Fort Hood, which become Fort Cavazos in May. It is the only one to bear the name of a value, with other installations set to be renamed after military figures who served in the 20th century.

The decision to rename the base was made in 2022 with the formation of the congressionally-mandated Naming Commission, tasked with modernizing nine Army bases that honored members of the Confederate Army.

As the Military Times reports, the Army predicted that the cost of renaming would be around $40 million, far more than the $1 million initially provided by the Department of Defense.