Editor’s note: This article was published as part of a content-sharing agreement between Army Times and The Fayetteville Observer. Military Times has edited the story for style and clarity.
In his first visit to Fayetteville in his bid to seek another term in the White House, former President Donald Trump told a crowd of more than 5,000 at the Crown Arena on Friday night that he would restore the name of the world’s most populated U.S. military installation.
Formerly known as Fort Bragg and named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, the home of the Army airborne and Special Forces was renamed Fort Liberty last June.
“We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg. … So, this is no time to be changing names. … We’re going to do everything we can to get it back. We’re going to bring our country back,” Trump told the crowd that roared with applause and chanted, “Fight, fight, fight!”
Ahead of Trump’s remarks, Sanford resident Chelsea Ruston said she is a military spouse and does not think renaming the installation was worth the money.
Ruston said she came out to support Trump.
“He cares for America, everything to make America great again, closing our borders. … I liked gas prices better (when he was in office). I liked that inflation was down and interest rates,” she said.
Trump’s visit to Fayetteville was a town hall, which lasted a little more than an hour, and included questions from several North Carolina residents.
Topics included what Trump and others have said was a lack of response to those affected by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, and illegal immigration, but the majority of the questions centered on military topics.
Dwight Francisco, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, who had presented Trump with a Purple Heart that Francisco had been awarded, said he was moved to see Trump stand up after being grazed in the ear by a bullet during an assassination attempt at a June rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Francisco also claimed that the homelessness rate of veterans under Trump’s administration was about 7% and has increased to 14%, asking Trump what he would do to help homeless veterans.
Trump said it upset him to see homeless veterans in front of hotels, while “illegal immigrants, many who are killers, drug dealers and terrorists” can walk into the same hotel and sleep there.
He said he would support border policies written during his last term and he would empower local law enforcement to arrest people illegally in the country who have committed crimes and claimed that 350,000 migrant children are missing under the current administration.
He also said the U.S. is sitting on “liquid gold” and said the money from drilling oil and gas would be used “to take care of our veterans properly.”
Trump was asked by John, who said he was a former Green Beret kicked out of the military over a COVID-19-vaccine mandate, what he would do to hold military leaders accountable over the former Department of Defense mandate for service members that Congress overturned.
Trump said there should have never been a vaccine mandate and that he would take care of the accountability.
“We lost a lot of great people — a lot of people were forced into doing things they didn’t want to do,” he said.
Austin, an active-duty service member at Fort Liberty, told the crowd he was at Friday night’s forum in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Army or Department of Defense.
Austin asked Trump about Iran launching missiles toward Israel last week and what Trump’s thoughts were on the Iron Dome Missile System used to protect Israel and if America should have a similar system.
“We have to be totally prepared, and we have to be absolutely prepared … hit the nuclear and worry about the rest later,” Trump responded.
Trump said that World War III could start before the election and referenced the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
He said the attacks between Israel and Iran and between Russia and Ukraine wouldn’t have happened if he were president.
He said there were no attacks during his four years in the White House.
“We defeated ISIS. I rebuilt the military, and we have great generals,” he said.
Asked by a Marine veteran who said he is also a “Latino for Trump” about what he would do for accountability over the 2021 withdrawal in Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of 13 service members, Trump called the withdrawal an “embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”
Trump said that during his last few months in office troops were getting out of the Middle East and about 5,000 service members were in Afghanistan.
He said the U.S. should have never given up Bagram Air Base and said that no service members were killed during his last 18 months in office.
“Then we had the election, these guys took over, and it all started up again,” Trump said. “We lost 13 and left $85 billion worth of equipment behind. We left Americans behind. Everything was wrong.”
Trump said he would fire the generals involved. Former U.S. Central Command commander, Marine Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, has since retired.
The last question of the night was asked by former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, who sat on stage during the town hall along with Francisco and John, the former Green Beret.
Lohmeier said he was relieved of his command and lost his pension after he criticized DOD training on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“These trainings are still dividing our troops,” Lohmeier claimed.
He asked Trump if he would fire the “few woke generals” who are a problem.
Trump said he’d appoint Lohmeier to a task force to look into the matter if elected president.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com.
