President Trump’s Defense of American History Is Linked to His Defense of America’s Present

A nation that does not respect its history will quickly become a nation that rewrites its history. This was the message that President

Trump delivered clearly and strongly during his epochal speech yesterday at Fort Bragg.

During the speech, President Trump issued a clarion warning to the rioters and terrorists that have come perilously close to murdering police officers in Los Angeles.

The President said,

“Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness here at home, like what is happening in California. As Commander in Chief, I will not let that happen. It's never going to happen. What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country. We're not going to let that happen. Remember, millions of people were allowed to come into our country totally unchecked and unvetted by stupid people or radical left people or sick people. But regardless, the open border policy is the dumbest policy yet. I would say even dumber than men playing in women's sports, transgender for everyone, even dumber than that.”

This is implicitly related to the left’s war on American culture, which by definition is both a war on American identity and American history.

The previous, corrupt administration was at the forefront of erasing American culture through the erasure of American history. President Trump declared this era over by announcing that the familiar names of multiple military bases will be fully restored. Let’s look at the importance of each.

Fort Pickett

Major General George Pickett played a key role in securing an American victory during the Battle of Chapultepec, which was part of the Mexican-American War—the war that helped us realize what President Monroe called our Manifest Destiny.

During the Battle of Gettysburg, which was won by the Union, Pickett led his infamous charge during his time as an officer in the Army of the CSA.

Fort Hood

When the Civil War began, General John Bell Hood was part of the Union Army. After the Battle of Fort Sumter, he joined the Confederate Army, as he had taken up residence in Texas. He fought in multiple battles throughout the War and later wrote a detailed history of his experience in Advance and Retreat: Personal Experiences in the United States and Confederate States Armies.

Fort Gordon

General John B. Gordon had a distinguished career in the CSA’s Army before entering politics as a United States Senator after the war. He later became the Governor of Georgia.

Fort Rucker

Colonel Edmund Rucker enlisted in the CSA’s Army during the early stages of the Civil War and rapidly rose through the ranks. Following the war, he became an industrialist who lived until the age of 88, dying in 1924.

Fort Polk

Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk was both a fighter and clergyman, earning him the nickname “Bishop Polk” during the Civil War. After fighting for the Confederate Army in multiple battles of the War, he was killed in action during the Atlanta Campaign.

Fort A.P. Hill

General Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. had a distinguished military career, fighting in both the Mexican-American and Seminole Wars as a member of the United States Army. During the Civil War, he fought for the Confederate States of America. He died due to injuries sustained during the Third Battle of Petersburg.

Robert E. Lee

General Robert E. Lee is one of the most respected military officers in history. His name is known throughout the world as such. His father, Henry “Light-Horse” Harry Lee III, fought in the Revolutionary War before becoming the Governor of Virginia.

Robert E. Lee is celebrated as a scholar, gentleman, and supreme military tactician and strategist. He was respected throughout the country for his long and distinguished military career prior to the Civil War.

During the war, he led the Army of the Confederate States of America and, in doing so, won respect from both sides due to his honorable leadership.

It is vitally important that we never erase the names of warriors whose stories are inseparable from the story of the United States itself. To forget their names and their stories is to forget our own identity.

The Communists who want to erase our history might seem as though they want to relitigate the Civil War. In reality, they know almost nothing of the War nor the men who fought it. For them, the long-put-to-rest conflict between the Northern and Southern states is just an excuse (one of many) used in their attempt to remake America in their hateful globalist image.

The proof lies in the fact that they equally attack names such as Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington. While the sons who fought for the Union and the sons who fought for the Confederacy reconciled long ago, radical leftism is incompatible with Americanism.

Leftism breeds the anarchy seen in Los Angeles, while patriotism built our great cities and won great battles. President Trump knows this all too well, which is why he should be universally applauded for restoring the historically beloved names of important military bases and facilities.