On Friday, President Joe Biden traveled to Fort Liberty in North Carolina to sign an executive order that will increase job opportunities for military and veteran spouses.
His plan will improve hiring and job retention for military spouses and expand childcare options. It is aimed to help and thank veteran and military spouses whose careers may have taken a backseat to their partners’ deployment.
Fort Liberty, previously known as Fort Bragg, is the largest U.S. Army base in the country, with an estimated 47,000 active-duty soldiers adding to the population. It was officially renamed last week by military officials.
At the Republican Party convention on Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida), who has recently launched his campaign for the 2024 presidential election, promised to restore the name of the base.
Fort Bragg originally honored Gen. Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina native who was known for owning slaves. He is often blamed for losing Civil War battles that greatly contributed to the downfall of the Confederacy.
“It’s an iconic name and an iconic base,” said DeSantis in a speech on Friday, “and we’re not gonna let political correctness run amok in North Carolina.”
Former vice president Mike Pence also criticized the army’s choice to rename the base.
“We will end the political correctness in the hallways of the Pentagon, and North Carolina will once again be home to Fort Bragg,” Pence said on Saturday.
The U.S. military has launched a widespread effort to confront racial injustice in light of events that have occurred during and since May 2020, when George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. Fort Liberty is one of nine bases that the military is working to rename.
As the 2024 presidential candidates start ramping up their campaigns, Republicans in the race are doing their best to appeal to the conservatives. For Pence and DeSantis, these efforts include the vow to restore Fort Liberty’s original name.
The Biden administration has declined to comment on DeSantis’ remarks.
