To Admiral Michelle Howard and Brigadier General Ty Seidule, retired chair and vice chair of the Naming Commission, Murphy Letter to Base Naming Commission Regarding SFC Alwyn Cashe

Letter

February 2, 2022
Admiral Michelle Howard, Retired
Chair
The Naming Commission
Brigadier General Ty Seidule, Retired
Vice-Chair
The Naming Commission
Dear Chair Howard and Vice-Chair Seidule:
I write to respectfully request that the Naming Commission consider recommending that Fort
Benning in Georgia, or another appropriate military installation, be renamed after the late Army
Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe. SFC Cashe posthumously received the Medal of Honor on
December 16, 2021, for actions taken in Iraq on October 17, 2005.1
SFC Cashe served as a drill
sergeant, and later as a platoon sergeant in the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning.2
As you know, Section 370 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (P.L.
116-283, enacted January 1, 2021) required the Secretary of Defense to establish an eight-member
bipartisan commission to develop a plan to rename certain Department of Defense assets. The
commission must provide a written report to Congress, setting forth this plan, by October 1, 2022.
The Secretary of Defense must implement the plan by January 1, 2024.
The now-constituted commission--known as the Naming Commission--has indicated that at least
nine Army installations, including Fort Benning, are being considered for renaming.3
The
Commission has further indicated that the new names of renamed installations "should
1 SFC Cashe's Medal of Honor citation is available here. SFC Cashe was the seventh servicemember to
receive the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq, and the first African American to receive the Medal of
Honor in a post-Vietnam conflict.
2 See https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/cashe/. According to SFC Cashe's family, SFC Cashe
purchased a home in Columbus, Georgia prior to his final deployment to Iraq, and intended to reside there
upon his return. SFC Cashe's widow Tamara and his daughter Alexis currently reside in that home.
3 See https://www.thenamingcommission.gov/faqs.
2
appropriately reflect the courage, values and sacrifices of our diverse military men and women,
with consideration given to the local or regional significance of names and their potential to inspire
and motivate our service members." According to the Commission, it has "engaged with local
community stakeholders whenever possible to ensure their voices carry weight in the process," as
required by Section 370. Last year, the Commission solicited name recommendations from the
general public, receiving over 34,000 submissions.4
I understand from public reporting that SFC
Cashe's name was submitted through this process.5

I believe that renaming Fort Benning as Fort Cashe would fulfill the policy objectives Congress
sought to advance through Section 370, would "appropriately reflect the courage, values and
sacrifices" of the U.S. military, would be positively received by local stakeholders given SFC
Cashe's meaningful connection to the Fort Benning community, and would serve to "inspire and
motivate our service members." SFC Cashe is a legend in military circles, beloved in life and
revered in death, a hero in the purest sense of the term. I believe he would be an honorable and
unifying choice, and hope you will consider recommending him in your report to Congress.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Murphy
Member of Congress
cc: Members, The Naming Commission

Source