MILITARY MATTERS: Army Installation Renamed Fort Liberty in NC

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Nearly a month after Fort Benning became Fort Moore, another of the nine U.S. Army installations gets a new name, but not for a specific person.

A 15-gun salute from cannons topped off this ceremony, the last step in the re-designation of Fort Bragg, now called Fort Liberty.

It has been a grueling process with members of the community and veterans haggling over what the name should be.

We’re told, during one of the meetings, Patti Wlliott - a gold star mother whose son was killed in action - stood up and suggested the new name, telling the committee that her son died for liberty.

“Can I just point out something? The thing about it is, like he said, the thousands and thousands of soldiers who’ve come before, the legacy that they built, but it’s also the thousands yet to come, and with a name like liberty, you’re honoring all of them,” Elliott said.

She and many others attended the ceremony which lasted about 30 minutes. General Chris Donahue, now the commander of Fort Liberty, makes no apology for its shortness.

“We don’t do lavish and everything else. We do war-fighting and we take care of our people. That’s what Fort Liberty is, always has been, always will be: people and war-fighting,” LTG Donahue said.

Fort Liberty is the only army installation not being renamed after a person or a couple like Fort Moore, named after Hal and Julia Moore.