The U.S. military in the age of Democratic rule continues to be influenced by left-wing ideologues who continue to wage war on our culture and history.
According to Fox News, Fairchild Air Force Base in the state of Washington has announced that parts of the base that are named after Col. George Wright, a decorated U.S. Army and Union Army vet accused of ‘brutality’ against Native Americans, are being renamed.
“We are renaming Ft Wright Village and Ft Wright Oval in base housing to Lilac Village and Willow Loop,” Fairchild Air Force Base announced in a Facebook post on Monday, the outlet reported. “This change is the result of long consideration by Fairchild leadership, in accordance with an Air Force directive to evaluate historically divisive names on installations.”
‘Historically divisive,’ of course, is a subjective determination; leftist culture warriors have arbitrarily decided that historical events that happened 150 years ago are still relevant today when in fact, they really aren’t since times change.
Fox News adds:
The announcement comes as the military has expanded its effort to rename bases and units that are historically controversial, most notably the names of bases named after leaders of the Confederate Army. But Wright, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War, has found himself in the crosshairs because of his actions during battles with Native American tribes earlier in his career.
Wright was highly decorated for his actions throughout his career. In 1844, he was promoted for meritorious service in battle against the Seminole tribe in Florida. He was later wounded in the Mexican-American war at the Battle of Molino del Rey, eventually earning another promotion for his service.
Wright became known far and wide for his military service on the young country’s West Coast. There, he gained fame for an 1858 campaign following an American army defeat at the Battle of Tohotonimme, where several Native American tribes were victorious.
Troops under Wright’s command routed the tribes at the Battle of Four Lakes and the Battle of Spokane Plains, “earning him a legendary status that led to bases and streets being named in his honor,” Fox News reported.
However, some tactics he used during those battles have been latched onto by modern leftists and deemed ‘controversial.’
“According to Spokane Historical, Wright ordered the slaughter of 600 Native American horses after the Battle of Four Lakes in an attempt to prevent their troops from being able to use them in combat. He also burned native crops and food stores and reportedly hung native forces he suspected of having fought against him after short interrogations,” Fox News reported.
Killing horses during those times would be akin to destroying an enemy’s modern armor or transport columns since Native tribes used horses in battle. Burning crops and food stores then were the same as attacking an enemy’s logistical support chain today. As to the rest of Wright’s actions, it’s clear that what was acceptable and tolerated during his time is not acceptable or tolerated now; but nevertheless, in the 1850s he was tasked by the government to defend its territorial interests and that’s what he did — he did it well.
Some historians understand that what Wright was merely a product of his era. That includes Rudy Alexander, a former Spokane Falls Community College history professor, who defended the Army officer’s actions in 1994 during an effort then to rename Fort George Wright Drive in Spokane.
“Wright was a superior military officer and a product of his time,” Alexander said then, according to the Spokesman-Review. “He and the fort are two separate issues and neither should be diminished in an attempt to sanitize history.”
But it didn’t matter, as Fox News notes:
Fort George Wright Drive was finally renamed to Whistalks Way in 2020 after a long battle, setting the stage for the renaming of other landmarks honoring the Army officer.
As for today’s renaming, Fairchild Air Force Base officials have claimed that Wright’s actions are “still felt today,” which is nonsense.
“We considered the significant historical impact Col. George Wright, a 19th century Army officer, had within our local community,” the officials said, according to Fox News. “His brutal acts have a lasting effect that are still felt today by our friends and neighbors, the tribes of Spokane and Eastern Washington.”
