Latest news with #Krepp
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Family of former Fort Novosel namesake believes new order is a slap in the face: ‘I am just appalled'
Ft. Novosel, Ala. (WDHN) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration would work to change the names of seven Army bases, including Fort Novosel, that previously bore the names of Confederate Army officers. K. Denise Rucker Krepp, a cousin of Confederate Colonel Edmund Rucker, for whom Fort Novosel was previously named, believes the order from President Trump to restore the names of army bases is a step backward, despite the base being named in honor of a different Rucker. 'Rucker is not that important. My family committed treason,' Krepp said. 'We should not be looking to the past. Why are you doing this, and as a Rucker, I am just appalled.' Trump says he will reverse Fort Novosel name change After almost two years, with the base renamed to Fort Novosel, President Trump called for all Army bases that had their names changed in 2023 under the previous administration to revert to their original names. 'We won a lot of battles out of those forts, it's no time to change,' President Donald Trump said. 'It was a gut punch, it hurts, and it was quite sad. My family committed treason, lost a war, and an American base in the United States should have never been named in honor of one of my family members,' Krepp said. The base was renamed in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel Sr., a local Army aviator who served in three wars and saved 29 soldiers during a medevac mission. It will now be in honor of a Missouri native, Captain Edward Rucker, a distinguished service cross recipient pilot for extraordinary heroism in World War 1. Fort Novosel to be reverted to Fort Rucker with new namesake. Who is it? 'It's being named for him because of his last name, not about what he did — Novosel was a hero, and that's who it should be named after,' Krepp said. 'Heartbreaking to see the disrespect to Vietnam veterans. Novosel was a Vietnam veteran, and when you take his name off it's disrespectful to his family and everybody who fought,' She added. Krepp encourages people to do research on Novosel, and she says, despite the name change, she will still refer to it as Fort Novosel. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rucker family wants the home of Army Aviation to stay Fort Novosel: 'He is a hero'
FORT NOVOSEL, Ala (WDHN) — After almost two years since the home of Army Aviation was renamed to honor a local hero aviator, some state officials want to return and pay respects to a Confederate soldier. A move that those close to the situation call a mistake. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum reversing the name of a North Carolina base, Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, and the state Secretary Wes Allen shared his views on x, saying that Novosel should be restored to Fort Rucker. While it may be historic to some, the name has sparked controversy for others, including one of Colonel Rucker's family members. 'I believe that military installations should be named in honor of those who fought or fought for the United States, and my cousin, Colonel Edmund Rucker, did not do that. He took up arms against the United States,' said Rucker's cousin, K. Denise Rucker, krepp. Controversial name could come back to Fort Novosel Colonel Rucker, a Confederate officer during the Civil War, along with eight other army soldiers, had their names removed from bases in the South in 2023 under former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after concerns of the honorees being Confederate leaders and committed to slavery. Rucker served under Nathan Bedford Forrest, a slave trader and early leader of the Klu Klux Klan. Krepp says her family owned hundreds of slaves, if not thousands. She says she has been vocal about it for the last 10 years and was instrumental in the push to remove Confederate symbols and names on military bases. 'I thought it was proper and just for his name to be removed from a base in Alabama that was renamed in 2023 to Fort Novosel, paying respects to Enterprise native Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Novosel senior, an army aviator who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam where he saved 29 soldiers. 'Somebody that we can all gather around, and as I think about our young people, I can't think of a better example,' said Gill. 'Novosel is important to me. My dad and uncle were in Vietnam, and my uncle was severely shot up, and he lived because of individuals like Novosel. He is a hero. What does this say to his family? Trying to take it off Fort Novosel,' said Krepp. Concerns arise over possible state appointed police chiefs Commanding General Major Gill says changing the name on signage again would be a lot of work and money—it cost around $30 million to change the names of the nine army bases two years ago. 'That's why it's prohibitive. It's just more money and work, and we need to focus on the Army like warfighting and training our aviators.' Fort Novosel personnel say they haven't officially heard anything about changing the name back to Fort Rucker. However, Krepp says a good portion of the Rucker family is against changing it back and wants to move forward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
