Howdy y’all and buckle up for this weeks news 6 update for April 10th, 2023.

New Name Who Dis? Select Bases Get Name Revamp.

After a long period of hurry up and waiting, 9 military bases are going forward with name changes this spring and early summer. 

Fort Benning will be changed to Fort Moore, named after Lt. Gen Hal Moore and his wife, Julia. If the name sounds familiar it’s most likely because he wrote the book “We Were Soldiers once and young” about his time in Vietnam. It was adapted into the blockbuster hit “We Were Soldiers” in 2002. 

Fort Gordon will be changed to Fort Eisenhower to honor the five star WW2 general Dwight D. Eisenhower, also known as the 34th president of the United States. GA likes Ike!

Fort AP Hill will now be Fort Walker, the first base named after a female. She was the first female surgeon during the civil war and the only female Medal of Honor recipient.

Fort Hood will soon be Fort Cavazos, named after General Richard Cavazos, a Hispanic American whose actions in both the Vietnam and  Korean wars have put him in the history books as an American hero.

Fort Lee is getting two new namesakes, both of whom are African American. Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg rose from a private to a three star general while Lt. Col. Charity Adams led the first African American WAAC unit during WW2. 

Fort Pickett will now be Fort Barfoot, a Medal of Honor recipient who earned this honor during his time in the 45th Infantry Division in Italy in 1944.

Fort Polk is being renamed Fort Johnson for army Sgt William Henry Johnson, a Harlem hell fighter during WW1. In the Argonne Forest of France he fought off a German raid and received 21 wounds in the hand-to-hand fighting, receiving the Medal of Honor almost 100 years later.

Fort Rucker is named Fort Novosel, the first base to be named after a warrant officer. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel was an aviator during WW2 and Vietnam, saving 29 soldiers in the latter war, receiving a Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the medevac rescue. 

And finally, Fort Bragg will be Fort Liberty….after liberty. Not the most original of the base name changes but hey, who doesn’t like liberty? A higher percentage than those who like fort Bragg….so they might be onto something! I kid I kid. Go airborne and such. 

For more info go to Defense.gov .

Heroes Off the Clock

In a moment of join based togetherness, an army soldier and naval seaman helped save a motorcyclist in San Antonio, Texas.

In a road rage incident turned near fatal, a motorcycle ended up smashed into a guardrail on highway 90 in San Antonio.

Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class William Peeler happened to be driving home at the same time and immediately leaped into action, putting his medical know how to good use.

He grabbed a medical kit he drives with and tried to apply a tourniquet to the bleeding man. He was soon joined by army soldier Lance Burkeen, still in uniform. 

“We worked as a team to do everything we could to help this man,” Burkeen told CBS News last week. “My goal was to help stop the bleeding.”

They stayed with him, stopping the bleeding and treating his badly injured leg until help arrived.

“Trauma is trauma,” Peeler told Task & Purpose. “Whether it’s on the battlefield or on the side of the road.”

The injured man is now reported to be in stable condition, thanks to these two brave military men.

No matter what branch our military service members serve under, their response to anyone who needs them or mission they’re called to do is what makes them heroes.

Basic Needs Allowance to Broaden Eligibility 

The basic needs allowance is aiming to be raised to 150 percent above the poverty line, while congress has also been moving to make BNA tax exempt. 

Sitting at 130 percent above the poverty line before, the military only found about 85 families eligible. Upping the percentage will now make appropriate 2500 families eligible. 

Now up for debate is if BAH should be counted as income while considering eligibility, which right now it does count.

“DoD’s own surveys show that 24% of our service members experience food insecurity,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said. “Last year, I met with military families on Staten Island who spoke about the challenges they face in basically putting food on the table to feed their kids.

“However, very few service members are considered eligible for Basic Needs Allowance … since [the housing allowance] is included in family income calculations.”

As for the argument for tax exemption, Rep. Steve Womack said 

“Taxing support meant to help the most vulnerable undermines the purpose,”. “BNA should be treated like other military benefits outside of earned income, which is exactly what this bill prescribes.”

Military members “deserve to receive the full value of their military benefits,” said Rep. Dan Kildee. “The Basic Needs Allowance, which helps support thousands of service members and their families, is not income and should not be subject to income taxes.”

Big things are happening on the congressional floor, let’s hope it brings better food security to our most vulnerable families.

Find out more at militarytimes.com

Today in History

On April 10, 1912 the Titanic set off for its first, and only, Atlantic journey. Five days later the ill fated ocean liner met a water grave when it collided with an iceberg.

The vessel was not equipped to deal with a mass evacuation, as the designers spent a little too much time on the grand staircase and not enough time making sure there were enough lifeboats for all aboard. 

2,224 passengers perished on this maiden voyage, and soon became a tragic chapter of American history and lore.

It also led to the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, which, in turn led to a plethora of memes down the road.

Isn’t history funny? 

It’s been a bit more than 84 years since the sinking at this point, but it still captivates the American imagination like it was yesterday.

That’s it for me! I’m Emma tighe with News 6, signing out