Donald Trump the Megathread part II - Mod Warning added to OP 10/1/26

Frankly, I think that's what the Biden administration should have done in the first place and this whole renaming thing has been a political $$$%%show from both parties since Day 1. There wasn't exactly a major clamor in the miltary for the changes and names like Bragg and Benning have become central to Army culture on their own merit, not because of their original namesakes. Generations of troops grew up with the Benning School for Boys being the home of infantry. Most folks continue to use the old names anyway as otherwise the conversation tends to be "they are going to go to...umm.. whatever the hell they're calling Rucker these days".

That said, there hasn't been a clamoring to name them back either, so I'm not sure quite who they are trying to please barring the old-timers. They should have left it alone. Except for Liberty, that rename back to Bragg was pretty much approved of. Most everyone I know felt that Hal Moore was being poorly done by when the current administration got put back to Benning recently. On the other hand, is anyone really going to complain about Gary Gordon being a namesake despite his happening to have the same name as a Confederate officer?

I would observe that Private Bragg has about as much claim to have a base named after him as Doris Miller has to have an aircraft carrier named after him. Miller and Smalls should have been new-build destroyers, pursuant to the standard naming conventions, but the Biden administration obviously felt differently and does anyone want to put money on the naming in 2021 not being a case of pandering to the BLM movement? They really want to rename Chancellorsville 2/3 the way through its service life? Fine, pick a battlefield just as all the other cruisers are named after. It's not as if the US miltary is short on available names.

I'm hoping, just for the sake of the money, that the old signs are still in the back somewhere. I was on Cavasos yesterday, the city outside still has Fort Hood Road as the main drag leading to the base. There was some debate in Killeeen as to whether they wanted to change it, but they decided no because (a) it would cost too much money, and (b) they were kindof used to the name anyway. At least the local civilians will be happy enough.

None of the above applies to the proposed renaming of Harvey Melk which is just pure pettiness without any argument of merit at all.

IMO the entire bloody thing is lunacy, and the current moves should be taken in that context. My position is identical to that I stated on this very thread 700 pages ago, before Trump came back into office and his administration started renaming things back again.