AUGUSTA — Fort Eisenhower will revert to its original name of Fort Gordon, although the Gordon honored will not be the Confederate soldier John Brown Gordon once recognized but Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, Medal of Honor recipient for valor shown during his service in Mogadishu.
The U.S. Army issued a news release June 10 after President Donald Trump announced the name reversions of Army installations that had been re-named under the Biden administration.
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act had started that process of scrubbing Department of Defense installations and equipment, including Naval ships, of any honorary link to the Confederate States of America or those who had voluntarily served with the CSA.
The garrison colors of Fort Gordon were furled and cased during the redesignation Oct. 27, 2023 when the base officially became Fort Eisenhower. The base will now undergo a second renaming, back to Fort Gordon.
According to the Army news release, “Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. Gordon volunteered to be inserted to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force, protecting the pilot after exhausting all his ammunition.”
Public Affairs for Fort Eisenhower issued a statement about the name reversion by the next morning.
“As we prepare to receive additional guidance from the Secretary of the Army, we appreciate the support and understanding of our Central Savannah River Area community that has been a stalwart proponent of the installation since its inception in the early 1940s,” the statement reads.
“Our mission remains unchanged in supporting national defense operations and training world-class, highly skilled Signal, Cyber, and EW professionals to fight and win America’s wars,” it continues. “We will provide more information as transition timelines are developed and approved.”
The other six Army installations that will revert to their old names but to new honorees, are Fort Pickett (which had been renamed to Fort Barfoot); Fort Hood (Cavazos), Fort Lee (Gregg-Adams), Fort Polk (Johnson), Fort Rucker (Novosel) and A.P. Hill (Walker).
Neither Raleigh’s Fort Bragg, renamed to Fort Liberty; nor Georgia’s Fort Benning, renamed to Fort Moore; were included in the Army’s new release for a name reversion, but President Trump in his announcement Tuesday specifically mentioned Fort Bragg, according to reporting by Raleigh’s NC Newsline.
“Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?” NC Newsline reports Trump asking soldiers gathered there at Fort Bragg ahead of the Army’s 250th anniversary. “Fort Bragg is in. That’s the name. And Fort Bragg it shall always remain. That’s never going to be happening again.”