A congressionally-mandated commission spent the past year traveling to military installations, meeting with interested groups and sifting through thousands of recommendations as part of an effort to rename posts, ships, buildings, streets and anything else the Defense Department has named in honor of the Confederacy.
All told, the commission is looking at 757 things, according to a database posted Wednesday.
“We will update the inventory list in collaboration with the Department of Defense, including its sub-agencies and the military branches, as we continue to identify assets within our area of consideration,” retired Adm. Michelle Howard, chair of the Naming Commission, said in a press release. “This work is vital to understand the scope and estimated cost of renaming or removing Confederate-named assets, and will enable us to provide the most accurate report possible to Congress.”
The list’s debut follows a March 17 announcement that the commission would recommend nine Army posts for renaming. They include: Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; and Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia.
Along with Virginia’s Fort Pickett’s name, according to the list, there are about three dozen roads, quarters and a fire station there that are named after Confederates. At Alabama’s Fort Rucker, there are more than 50 signs that may need to be replaced.
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At Fort Benning, Georgia, there are four Ranger memorials that would have to come down because they commemorate Confederate soldiers.
The cruiser Chancellorsville, named for a Confederate victory, is on the list, as is the oceanographic survey ship Maury, named after a Confederate navy officer.
Ten streets, pieces of artwork and memorials also will be up for renaming or removal at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York ― Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s alma mater. At the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the superintendent’s house, named for Confederate admiral Franklin Buchanan, would get a rebrand, as would the street it’s on and nearby Maury Hall, named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, who headed water defenses for the Confederate Navy.
Some of the proposed changes cover installations as far flung as Germany and Japan, including three Yokohama-based Army landing craft named after Confederate battle victories: Mechanicsville, Malvern Hill and Harpers Ferry.
The commission’s final recommendations to Congress, which will include pricing estimates to change signage and other materials, is due Oct. 1.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.