Base to be renamed for Black Army pioneers
Fort Lee, which is slated to become Fort Gregg-Adams on Thursday, will be named for Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams.
Fort Lee in Virginia, named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, is to be renamed in honor of two African-American officers, NBC News reports.
On Thursday, Fort Lee will become Fort Gregg-Adams — named for Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams.
In January 2021, the congressional Naming Commission was established to remove names and signs associated with the Confederacy and Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War. According to the U.S. Army, 94-year-old Gregg will become the first living person in its modern history with an Army installation named after him.
Following the completion of officer candidate school in 1949, Gregg’s first assignment was at Fort Lee the following year, according to NBC News. His logistics military career spanned 35 years and he faced endless challenges from the desegregating armed forces as he rose in the ranks. When Gregg retired in 1981, he was the highest-ranking Black officer in the U.S. military.
Speaking to WTVR CBS 6, Gregg described his time in the army as “a great career.”
Adams commanded a postal battalion overseas during World War II. She was the first Black woman to become an officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps, theGrio previously reported. During the height of the war, she led the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which dispersed 17 million pieces of mail and correspondence for soldiers across England and France.
Adams was eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel, the highest rank a woman could attain in the war, according to the Army.
The Naming Commission selected Gregg and Adams because of their inspirational leadership and noteworthy contributions to the Army. “Their tremendous accomplishments — from World War II through the Cold War — speak to the important history of this installation and to the courage, dignity, and devotion to duty that we strive to instill in every Soldier,” Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command and senior commander of Fort Lee, said in the statement.
According to the Army, Fort Lee is one of nine bases named after Confederate leaders that will be renamed following massive public support.
The redesignation ceremony will be live-streamed on Facebook.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!
