Who was Roland Bragg? A World War II veteran and a “humble” and “good man,” his proud daughter told ABC11.
FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (WTVD) — When Debra Sokoll first heard Fort Liberty would be renamed after her father, Pfc. Roland Bragg, she didn’t believe it.
“Jennifer called me up the other night from Florida. That’s his granddaughter. She said ‘Mama, they want to honor Grandpa’. That’s when I said,’ Oh, I think it’s a hoax.’ She said, ‘I don’t know Mama, that’s what they told me on the phone.'”
He’d be humble, but he’d be surprised, and he’d be very pleased.
– Debra Sokoll, daughter of Pfc. Roland Bragg
Sokoll is 72 years old and lives in Nobleboro, Maine. Her reaction came a day after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memo restoring the name of the Army post known as Fort Liberty since 2023 to Fort Bragg.
Originally named for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, now the post’s name will be dedicated to Sokoll’s late father, a native of Webster, Maine, who served in World War II from July 1943 to November 1945.
“He’d be humble, but he’d be surprised, and he’d be very pleased,” Sokoll said.
Sokoll said her father trained at Fort Bragg before heading overseas.
“He was a mechanic for many years. He painted cars and fixed them up. When he came back from the service, he wanted to work on planes,” said Sokoll.
The Pentagon released this statement on Pfc. Bragg:
“Roland L. Bragg was born in Webster, Maine. He served as a 786 (Toxic Gas Handler) in the Army from July 1943 to November 1945. He deployed to England from August 1944 to August 1945 and left the Army in the rank of Private First Class.
“His awards include World War II Victory Medal, Silver Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, Parachute Badge, and Combat Infantry Badge.“
Roland Bragg served during the Battle of the Bulge, which was the largest battle fought by the U.S. Army in WWII.
“During that action, he received a Silver Star,” said Dr. Salvatore Mercogliano, chair of the Campbell University Department of History.
According to Mercogliano, Roland Bragg’s name was listed in the base renaming candidate pool before the naming commission settled on Fort Liberty.
“I think Bragg was selected obviously for his name. One of the things the Secretary of Defense wanted to do was maintain the name of Fort Bragg,” Mercogliano said.
In 1918, the U.S. Army established what was then called Camp Bragg, named after Braxton Bragg, a Warrenton native and West Point graduate.
Sokoll said she supported President Donald Trump during the past few elections and she is thrilled to know the military post will be renamed in her father’s honor.
“I was very proud of my father,” she said. “He was a good man.”
