Positive Steps. Renaming Military Bases

Picture from West Point POA

My family has served in most every military conflict in the history of the United States.
Revolutionary War
War of 1812
Civil War
World War I
World War II
Korea
Vietnam
Cold War
Afghanistan
My husband was the first professional soldier in our family
I do have several long serving Navy men.
My daughter was in the Air Force
My son in law a Marine
and
My son is active duty finishing three years at West Point
a university that he attended.

Two weeks ago my son and I got into a discussion about changing names of places.
We both decided we really needed to read up on the people places were named after.

When "we served" as a family, we only lived on one post the entire time.
We lived on Early Street
on Fort Riley Kansas.
 Fort Riley is the home of Buffalo Soldiers
Proudly, strongly.

The "top part" of Fort Riley had been established in the early 1960's
All of the streets were named after Confederate Generals.
I knew that.
I thought nothing of it.
We lived on Early Street.

Early
Early did not approve of withdrawing from the Union,
but strongly approved of slavery.
He fought campaigns to take Washington DC
After the war, with Lincoln dead, he returned from Cuba and waged a
merciless campaign against Grant.
He, basically, rewrote history, the one that is still taught today
that the south was wronged by the north
and that Lee was a hero of states rights
and the war had little to do with slavery.

So this man helped to rewrite the history that children would be taught from the late 1800's through today. I know because American History was my major for three years
and I was taught this version of the war.
Hummm

Fort Hood
Hood was a fierce and wreckless general - Gettysburg, Western Campaign, and others.
Thousands of dead soldiers.
He felt that "Negros were subhuman"
He worked on making Sherman into a butcher after the war.
Sherman was fighting Hood's evil tactics during battles.
Hood's accounts, not Sherman's, live on in history.

Fort Bragg
Sugar plantation owner with many slaves
He was known to both sides as one of the worst leaders in the war.
What a joke that the most prolific fighting machines come from a fort named after this guy in 1918.
My husband is most upset about the renaming of this post
but naming this important post this name is like
naming the inheriting son after the man who tried to steal the wife.

The list goes on and on.

Keeping in mind that most of these men had all attended West Point
at or near the same time as Grant.

Some say naming was in concession for land
"given" to the Army for their posts
Really?

Time to rename some places.
We do not learn about these men in school
History needs to return to "the Union fought and won over slavery".

What a mess.

The only thing I can see remaining of the Confederacy is the cemetery part of Arlington.
Arlington was Lee's plantation
The house was surrounded by Union bodies
All head stone meet the rising sun
Except the 450ish Confederate soldiers
They are buried in a circle.
They face only each other
for they fought only on their own terms and
chose not to stand with the union.
That, to me, is fitting.

Some suggestions for the new names:
Fort Powell
Fort Woodrow Keeble
Fort Grant
Fort Sheridan
Fort Gonsalves
Fort Ruben Rivers
Fort Edward Carter
Fort Robert Pinn
A building at West Point needs to be renamed
The norm is to name after a graduate
How about.Versace Hall?

It is time!

Life lessons

Lessons re learned in the last twelve weeks:

If church was not a community, but only a place to worship,
    before something happens,
     it will not change when something happens.
      No community/ no Communion.
Those who shame the most are often the first to do what they shame others for.
We are part of the "old people" group.
Hair DOES grow.
This President is much like my father
   threaten the stick, but don't actually use it.
   Children move faster to be more independent and vocal.
ALWAYS be kind to those who give you service.
Drop Amazon.
     Billionaires who do not give back should be left to die in their money.
Be careful for big cities.
Life is very short.
      If you are not comfortable where you are
      change
Human touch is essential for sanity.
Only listen to doctors for two week sprints.

Muted and listening