Renaming of Fort Johnson military base...

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (NEWS10) — A U.S. military base named in honor of an Albany hero could be renamed. Pres. Donald Trump spoke at Fort Bragg on Tuesday ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Army. During his speech, he announced his intent to rename several military bases.

Fort Johnson in Louisiana is named after Sgt. William Henry Johnson, an Albany native and Medal of Honor recipient. The fort will be getting back its original name of Fort Polk. It was previously named after Confederate general Leonidas Polk. The name was changed in 2023 during the Biden administration.

Many have expressed outrage by the name changes. New York State Senators Patricia Fahy and Jake Ashby and Assemblymembers John T. McDonald, III, and Gabriella A. Romero released a joint statement, saying in-part:

“In yet another attempt to revise our nation’s proud history, the implications of reverting to a name with such proximity to the original inspired by the Confederacy is an insult to Black Americans who have served this nation honorably. Sgt. Henry Johnson’s legacy deserves full recognition. He embodied the very ideals of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism that our military installations should reflect. To erase and omit his name dishonors his memory and continues this administration’s pattern of sidelining Black contributions to our nation’s history.”

The U.S. Army also issued a statement saying the fort is being renamed “in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk for his gallantry in action as commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group.”

Fort Bragg, which was changed to Fort Liberty by the Biden administration, was the first to have its original name restored after the Army found another person with the same last name. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was with Trump at Fort Bragg, signed an order restoring the name in February.

To restore the original names of the additional seven bases, the Army found service members with the same last names to honor. Those bases are Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Pickett and Fort Robert E. Lee in Virginia, Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama.

The decision strips names chosen in 2023 to honor top leaders, such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as well as Black soldiers and women. No women are included in the new Army list.

Sgt. Johnson was known for fighting off German soldiers in hand-to-hand combat during World War I to save a fellow American. He posthumously earned the Medal of Honor in 2015.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.