Fort Bragg officially renamed Fort Liberty

June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Fort Bragg in North Carolina is now officially known as Fort Liberty, after redesignation ceremony Friday, part of the army's move to rebrand several of its facilities named after Confederate Civil War figures.

"Today, Fort Bragg was redesignated as Fort Liberty" the army said in a statement on Twitter.

"The name liberty honors the heroism, sacrifices and values of the US Army Soldiers, civilians, and families who live and serve there."

Originally known as Camp Bragg, the installment was established as an artillery training site in 1918 and named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

Troops unveiled a new base sign Friday morning.

"It's the people that made Fort Bragg what it is, not the name Bragg. And all of us have come through Bragg, and the whole idea was to make Bragg not only to do the, you know, our nation's bidding in times of war, but also to make Bragg a better place for the next generation of then-Braggmenites that will come through here, command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Allen, a veteran of the Iraq war, said during the ceremony..

"So, I think that the name Liberty is very fitting to what we've been doing or have done all these years."

The base is not the first to undergo a name change.

In early May, the Department of Defense redesignated the now-former Fort Hood in Texas named after a Confederate general. The facility is now known as Fort Cavazos after the U.S. Army's first Hispanic four-star general.

Other bases are being named for former Black soldiers, U.S. presidents and pioneering women. Overall, nine bases are being rebranded.

The Defense Department last May received a list of new names generated by a commission. Those recommendations include renaming Fort Gordon in Georgia after former president and general Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The House allocated $1 million in 2020 to change the names of facilities named after Confederate figures.