Congressman Anthony Brown's Statement On New Names For Army Bases

Statement

Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) released the following statement on the Department of Defense Naming Commission's release of a list of new names for military bases and property honoring leaders of the Confederacy:

"I learned to fly helicopters at Ft. Rucker. I deployed to Iraq from Ft. Bragg, and I earned my jump wings at Ft. Benning. All these bases honored men who wouldn't want me or other Black Americans serving in uniform, let alone in Congress. We cannot ask today's servicemen and women to defend our country, while housing and training them and their families on installations celebrating those who betrayed our country in order to enslave others and preserve white supremacy.

"The names chosen by the Department of Defense's Naming Commission represent heroes who served our country honorably, defended our union and upheld our shared values. Our country's story and that of our military are diverse, with men and women from different races and backgrounds coming together to serve something larger than themselves. That's our true power, heritage and history, which we should honor.

"This is a significant step forward and I look forward to seeing these recommendations acted on with all due urgency. This is about more than names and symbolism, who our military chooses to honor sets a path forward for other necessary reforms to make our armed services more inclusive, diverse and just. Today's announcement is another step forward in this effort. It's long past time to see this change."

Congressman Brown and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) championed a provision in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act to redesignate military bases and Department of Defense property honoring leaders of the Confederacy. A bipartisan supermajority overrode President Trump's veto of the measure.

See the full list of potential names: here

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