Leonidas Polk was a slave-owning Confederate General who was killed in action during the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War. Today, more than 10,000 troops are stationed at Fort Polk, the Army base that bears his name in Louisiana.

But Fort Polk is just one of ten bases that carry the name of Confederate leaders, many of them iconic installations with names recognized by service members and civilians alike: Fort Benning, Fort Hood, and Fort Bragg just to name just a few.

Every single day, more than 100,000 members of the U.S. military — individuals of every race, color, and creed — work at military installations named after people who fought against the United States to preserve slavery. How in the world can we ask them to go to work every day in a place named after people who thought they and their ancestors were less than human?

But we want to know what you think. There’s a bill in front of Congress that would require Defense Secretary Mattis to change the names of any military base that is “currently named after any individual who took up arms against the United States during the American Civil War or any individual or entity that supported such efforts.” Tell us where you stand:

Take VoteVets’ poll and tell us if you support legislation that would change the names of military installations named after Confederates who fought to preserve slavery during the Civil War.

Thanks for joining us in making your voices heard.

All my best,

Will Fischer
Iraq War Veteran and Director of Government Relations
VoteVets