Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) says he supports the push to rename military bases named after Confederate generals.
During an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Lankford was asked if it is time to rename the ten bases named after Confederate generals. He said, “I do actually.”
Additionally, Lankford said there should be a study to “look at where did the name come from, what do we need to be able to take a serious look at it, and then to be able to transition” to a new name for those bases.
“There are lots of great leaders, military leaders, that are around the country that are modern leaders that we can continue to be able to honor and continue to be able to put names forward,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Republican Sen. James Lankford tells @GStephanopoulos that it’s time to stop naming military bases after Confederate leaders, saying there are “lots of great” modern military leaders that we can honor.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 14, 2020
President Trump is against renaming Army bases. https://t.co/31ntAhvi0W pic.twitter.com/1mSBT11w4X
“I see it like schools, every school has a name, and you want those children in that school to be able to learn about the founder of that school or person the school is named after,” Lankford said.
He continued:
“You would have that on a military base as well. So, if you have a military base that is named after someone that actually rebelled against the United States government, then you would want to be able to go back and look at that name. That should be a pretty basic principle.”
His comments come after President Donald Trump said he would “not even consider” renaming the military bases named after Confederate generals, as IJR reported.
“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom. The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars,” the president wrote in a tweet.
It has been suggested that we should rename as many as 10 of our Legendary Military Bases, such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, etc. These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2020
…Our history as the Greatest Nation in the World will not be tampered with. Respect our Military!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2020
He added, “Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”