- Nine bases named in honor of Confederate leaders could get new titles from a diverse cohort, including the wife of a service member and an African American WWI hero.
- Veterans of color expressed appreciation for the changes, but many hoped that it is a stepping stone for the military’s diversity efforts.
- Black and Latino service members make up 17% of active duty service members compared to 70% white active duty service members. Americans of Asian descent make up roughly 5% of active military personnel.
As a young military service member, Richard Kingsberry said he wasn’t aware that two of the bases where he served had been named after Confederate leaders Braxton Bragg and Robert E. Lee.
That realization would happen later, but it helped sparked him to join the effort to see names on military boats, installations and other places removed, saying that they sent the wrong message about the nation’s history and ideals.