President Donald Trump speaks to soldiers at Ft. Bragg to celebrate the Armys 250th birthday. (Photo: Greg Childress)
In a build up to a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised soldiers at Ft. Bragg for their fearlessness in keeping the nation safe and promised the name of America’s largest military base will never change again.
Trump also broke news, telling soldiers and civilians attending the celebration that he will restore the names of all bases that were named for Confederate generals but changed by Congress near the end of his first administration.
“Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?” Trump asked soldiers in the crowd. “Fort Bragg is in. That’s the name. And Fort Bragg it shall always remain. That’s never going to be happening again.”
Fort Bragg, which was named to honor the confederate general Braxton Bragg, had been renamed Fort Liberty and some signs leading to the military installation still carry that name. The names of the bases names for Confederate leaders were changed to reflect a more inclusive and representative America.
Trump said the original names will be restored to Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Picket in Virginia, Fort Polk in Louisiana and Fort Rucker in Alabama.
“We won a lot of battles out of those forts and it’s not time to change,” said Trump, who planned to make the announcement Saturday but said he couldn’t wait. “I’m superstitious.”
Tuesday’s celebration under mostly cloudy skies and intermittent showers was well attended. Soldiers began to fill the grandstands hours before Trump’s appearance. Patriotic music blared from speakers while visitors feasted on food from nearby food trucks, giving the event a county fair feel. Occasionally, military helicopters whizzed overhead, drawing the attention of both children and adults.
The crowd cheered almost uncontrollably when Trump finally arrived, fresh from viewing military readiness exercises that included howitzer live fires and a jump by more nearly 600 paratroopers.
“This week, we remember that we only have a country because we first had an army,” Trump said. “The army was first.”
Trump’s visit comes as he faces criticism for deploying Marines and the National Guard in Los Angeles to quell protests over ICE raids on immigrants in that city.
Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll (Photo: Geg Childress)The visit also comes days ahead of Saturday’s military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and to celebrate the 79th birthday of the president. Army officials estimate 200,000 attendees for the military parade in Washington, D.C. Trump has faced criticism for what some call an ostentatious display, with some of the criticism coming from within the Republican Party.
Veterans voice concerns about Trump’s deep cuts to VA
As Ft. Bragg readied for Trump’s visit, retired Army major and Democratic congressional candidate Richard Ojeda issued a statement calling out the former president’s record of what he called “betrayal toward veterans and military families.”
“As a proud veteran, I am disgusted to hear that Donald Trump will be standing on the sacred ground of Fort Bragg, shaking hands, taking photos, and pretending to care about those who wear the uniform,” Ojeda said. “Trump has no business showing his face at Fort Bragg, not after proposing 80,000 job cuts from the Department of Veterans Affairs and slashing services for those who have earned and bled for the healthcare they deserve.”
Ojeda’s comments come amid concerns about steep staffing cuts at Veterans Administration hospitals. VA staff and supporters contend proposed cuts will hinder the ability to adequately care for veterans. More than 80,000 positions — just over 17% of the roughly 470,000 people it employs — could be eliminated as part of a major restructuring of the federal government’s second largest department.
Veterans across the state have criticized the Trump administration’s cuts to the VA. At a recent “Voices for Veterans” event in Fayetteville, a panel of veterans, VA employees and elected officials agreed that America has a moral obligation to care for members of the military after they have completed their service.
The Trump administration is thinking about numbers and not people when it proposes such deep cuts to the VA, said VA nurse Ann Marie Patterson-Powell, a member of the panel.
“They’re not looking at the human side of it. Patterson-Powell said. “We promised those who signed up and left their families, their homes — everything behind — to serve the country. We said, ‘If you do this for me, we’re going to take care of you when you come back.’”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has defended the Trump administration’s planned staffing cuts, saying, “We’re going to maintain VA’s mission-essential jobs like doctors, nurses and claims processors, while phasing out non-mission essential roles like DEI officers.”
Defending the use of Marines in LA immigration crackdown
Turning from the celebration of the Army’s birthday, Trump attacked California Gov. Gavin Newson, blaming him and other Democratic leaders for the civil unrest in Los Angeles, which stems from the president’s immigration policy.
The president claimed the city would have burned to the ground had he not ordered California’s National Guard and several hundred Marines to Los Angeles to “protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob.”
“It [Los Angeles] would be burning to day just like their houses were burning a number of of months ago,” Trump said, referring to the fires in Southern California earlier this year that destroyed more than 16,000 homes and structures.
Without providing proof, Trump said the “agitators” in Los Angeles are “professionals” and are well-funded.
“What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, public law an order and our national sovereignty carried out by rioters … with aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country and we’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said.
Trump warned would-be protesters that he would not tolerate any disruptions at Saturday’s celebration in the nation’s Capitol.
Pete Hegseth (Photo: Greg Childress)Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Fayetteville as well and spoke briefly ahead of Trump, pledging to rebuild the military by restoring the “warrior ethos.”
“We’re not a college or a university,” said Hegseth, who has degrees from Princeton and Harvard. “We’re not interested in your woke garbage and your political correctness.”
Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll boasted that the Army has hit recruiting goals four months ahead of schedule, signaling what he has previously said is a renewed sense of patriotism and purpose among America’s youth.
“It is undeniable that young men and women [are] joining the Army in greater numbers,” Driscoll said.
The U.S. Army has reported signing 61,000 recruits four months ahead of schedule. This year’s goal was more than 10% higher than the 55,000 recruits targeted in fiscal 2024, demonstrating a surge in interest and enthusiasm for Army service, the Army said.
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