ORLANDO, Fla. – The name of an Oviedo soldier killed in Iraq is up for consideration in an updated list of potential new names for nine Army bases in the U.S.
The Naming Commission, a congressional group that recommends names for Department of Defense items, narrowed its list Thursday to fewer than 100 names being considered for the Army installations currently named for Confederate generals.
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Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe was serving in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded next to the vehicle he used while on patrol. He ran back into the vehicle to save trapped soldiers inside. He suffered burns to about 70% of his body and died from his injuries on Nov. 8, 2005, at 35 years old.
“It’s important that the names we recommend for these installations appropriately reflect the courage, values and sacrifices of our diverse military men and women,” retired Navy Adm. Michelle Howard, the chair of the commission, said in a release. “We also are considering the local and regional significance of names and their potential to inspire and motivate our service members.”
President Joe Biden awarded a Medal of Honor to Cashe posthumously during a ceremony in December 2021. He was the first Black service member awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The installations up for renaming are as follows:
- Fort Hood in Texas
- Fort Bragg in North Carolina
- Fort Rucker in Alabama
- Fort Polk in Louisiana
- Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia
- Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia
U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy sent a letter to The Naming Commission last month to request they consider renaming Fort Benning to Fort Cashe. In Murphy’s letter, she wrote Cashe was, “beloved in life and revered in death, a hero in the purest sense of the term. I believe he would be an honorable and unifying choice, and hope you will consider recommending him in your report to Congress.”
The Naming Commission will select final names for recommendation to submit to Congress by Oct. 1 this year.