FORT WALKER, Va. (WRIC) — Fort A.P. Hill has officially been renamed Fort Walker after a Civil War surgeon.
The surgeon, Dr. Mary Walker, treated Union Soldiers wounded at field hospitals during the war. Although Walker was a civilian and never enlisted in the military, she was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Andrew Johnson in 1865.
The renaming ceremony Friday, Aug. 25, included music and an unveiling of the new ‘Fort Walker’ sign with Walker’s family in attendance.
Fort Walker is one of many bases across the county undergoing redesignation after the decision to rename the bases came as a result of Congress overriding the President’s veto of the defense spending bill in 2021.
Three other Virginia Army bases were chosen to undergo redesignation:
- Fort Lee — Renamed Fort Gregg-Adams after two black army pioneers
- Fort Pickett — Renamed Fort Barfoot in honor of a WWII hero
