CityViewNC.com | 43
NEW NAME, SAME MISSION
By now, it's a familiar story of how one voice
can make a difference.
A Gold Star mother speaks out at a forum on
the plan to change the name of Fort Bragg, a
Fayetteville institution and national treasure.
"My son didn't die for Bragg," said Patti Elliott.
"My son died for liberty."
As did thousands of other American soldiers
who have passed through the gates of the
military installation that's the world's largest
by population, having opened in 1918 as Camp
Bragg.
And on June 2, 2023, the new name became
official: Fort Liberty.
Patti Elliott's son, Army Spc. Daniel Lucas
Elliott, died in combat.
"It would not surprise him in the least, that
I had my say and stood up for what I believe,"
Elliott said. "But I hope that he's incredibly proud.
That's what I hope — he's sitting up there (in
heaven) saying, 'That's my mama.'"
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding
general of the 18th Airborne Corps, praised Patti
Elliott during the redesignation ceremony.
"She had the intestinal fortitude, the guts, to
challenge everybody to raise our conscious,"
Donahue said. "This post is more than a name. In
fact, Liberty has always been here.
"This community and all of us were given a
mission, and we accomplished it. … We're in the
United States Army. We do what we're told to do,
and we make it better."
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue oversees the Fort Liberty Redesignation Ceremony on June 2, 2023.
Beside him is Gold Star mother Patti Elliott. Photos by Tony Wooten
