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Rounds: 'Makes Sense' To Rename Military Bases

US Senator Mike Rounds

US Senator Mike Rounds supports renaming military bases currently named after confederate generals.

Rounds is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which just passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act. That appropriates $740.5 billion dollars in national defense funding.

Tucked inside the bill is language that creates a commission to look at military base names of those who voluntarily fought for the confederacy.

“It makes sense to me that if you’re going to be assigned to a base, the base should be named for someone who fought for America, not someone who fought against the United States.”

President Donald Trump opposes that portion of the massive bill, but is stopping short of threatening a veto.

Rounds agrees with the president on not trying to rewrite history. But, he says bases should be named after American soldiers and generals more deserving of recognition.

The bill requires local input base renaming.

Lee Strubinger is SDPB’s Rapid City-based politics and public policy reporter. Lee is a two-time national Edward R. Murrow Award winning reporter. He holds a master’s in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois-Springfield.