La. National Guard looks to rename Camp Beauregard

Recently, the Naming Commission, a federal commission led by retired Adm. Michelle Howard recommended name changes for nine military bases including Fort Polk but did not recommend a name change for Camp Beauregard since it is owned by the Louisiana National Guard.

Even so, the Louisiana National Guard is seeking public input to rename the base located in Pineville.

Both bases are named after Confederate generals. Fort Polk is named after Gen. Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana, and Camp Beauregard was named after Gen. Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard.

"I'm in a place where I believe more recent heroes can be found to name the forts after," said Jackson Sleet of Alexandria who went through basic training at Fort Polk in the late 1960s.

He suggested that the bases could be named after World War II generals like Gen. George S. Patton, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower who also served as the 34th president or Gen. Omar B

Sleet served in the Honor Guard at funerals for fallen solider of all races who died in service to the U.S. He recalled one of a 19-year-old Black infantry soldier.

"There are Black soldiers who died in battle," he said. "I would be proactive in renaming all the forts in the South. They're all named after Confederate generals."

One of his ancestors was a colonel and a cartographer in the Confederate Army and also one of the first White Magnolias which he said was a predecessor to the Ku Klux Klan. He never appreciated that part of his history.

Sleet said he grew up in a biracial community and believes that with the diverse makeup of the Armed Forces, that military bases should be named after someone who was not an insurrectionist of the Constitution of the United States of which he believes in.

He also thinks this is an opportunity for Louisiana, which is being more involved in the Civil Rights Trail, to show it can be more loving and accepting.

As Boy Scout in his youth, Sleet said they would camp at Camp Beauregard where there was a facility where they could do such activities.

"I pray the nation practice more love and tolerance and let go of anger a

The Louisiana National Guard formed a committee made up of military, local and state officials to review names then make recommendations to the Adjutant General, Major Gen. D. Keith Waddell.

Nominations will be accepted for 90 days from May 1. Recommendations can be submitted to Camp Beauregard Headquarters, Bldg. 1451, 15th Street, Camp Beauregard, Pineville, La., 71360 or by visiting the Camp Beauregard Renaming webpage geauxguard.la.gov

Camp Beauregard history

Camp Beauregard is the largest National Guard post in Louisiana serving as the headquarters for several units and hosts many others for combat and emergency-response training.

For over 50 years, it has been the home of the Officer Candidate School. The Youth Challenge program based at Camp Beauregard helps troubled young people turn their lives around.

Camp Beauregard is over 100 years old and can be traced back to the Louisiana Seminary of Learning and Military Academy. The school's superintendent, William Tecumseh Sherman, resigned to join the Union military and the school ceased operations. Later on, the school became Louisiana State University and moved to Baton Rouge.

The site was abandoned until 1905 when it was chosen to host training for the Louisiana State National Guard. It was renamed Camp Stafford, after the guard's adjutant general Major General David T. Stafford.

In 1917 it was renamed Camp Beauregard after Pierre Gustav Toutant Beauregard, a Confederate general from Louisiana. The camp was designated a Louisiana National Guard facility in 1921.

More: Confederate names on military bases: Other views

Confederate monuments: What the men honored by statues did and believed

Camp Beauregard along with Camp Livingston, Camp Claiborne and Camp Polk all played pivotal roles in the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1940-41 which trained soldiers for World War II. The maneuvers were the largest exercises held by the military. Esler Field was built to support operations during the maneuvers,

The base was deactivated after WWII but later reactivated in the 1970s as a major training facility. The guard supports the regular Army in its operations around the world. and helps with disasters that strike close to home like hurricanes or floods through the Joint Operations Command whi acts as a central emergency operations center.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Camp Beauregard renaming: La. National Guard wants public input