Fort Barfoot, honoring a World War II Medal of Honor winner who is buried in Mathews County, is proposed as the new name for Fort Pickett in Nottoway County.
The Congressional Naming Commission, formed in 2021 for the purpose of removing names of Confederate figures from U.S. Department of Defense installations, made that recommendation last week, along with proposed new names for six other facilities.
Fort Pickett opened in 1942 and is a Virginia Army National Guard installation, named for the United States Army officer and Confederate General George Pickett.
Van T. Barfoot, a native of Mississippi, married Norma Davis of Hallieford in 1944 and thereafter made Virginia his home. While he did not reside in Mathews County, he is buried alongside his wife at H.C. Smither Memorial Cemetery in Hudgins. He was born in 1919 and died in 2012 after a fall at his home near Richmond.
Barfoot’s heroism
The Naming Commission stated that Barfoot enlisted in the Army in 1940 as the nation began to mobilize “in response to war in Europe and Asia.” During the war, he was posted to the European theater.
Barfoot was a technical sergeant fighting in Northern Italy when his heroic actions on May 23, 1944 caused him to receive the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
The Naming Commission’s narrative states that “Barfoot and his unit were assaulting well-entrenched German forces. When they came under attack from machine gun positions in the foothills of the Alps, Barfoot moved out alone, heading for the enemy flank. Crawling to the edge of the first machine gun emplacement, Barfoot threw a grenade that killed two and wounded three of the crew, disabling the position. Securing the three prisoners, Barfoot advanced on a second machine gun nest which he attacked with tommy-gun fire, killing two more enemy soldiers and taking another three prisoner. Continuing his solitary assault, Barfoot encountered a third machine gun emplacement and compelled the crew to surrender.”
Barfoot continued to clean up the area, taking 17 prisoners and later in the day, with a bazooka, faced a German tank counterattack while moving out ahead of his men. He fired, disabling the lead tank, causing two others to turn away, destroyed a field artillery piece, found two wounded American soldiers, and supported them almost a mile across exposed lines to safety.
Barfoot served a total of 34 years in the Army, including tours in Korea and Vietnam, retiring at the rank of colonel. In retirement, he lived on a farm in Amelia County and later moved to Henrico County near his daughter. He made national news in 2009 when he insisted on flying the American flag at his Henrico County home against the wishes of his local homeowners association.
The final decision on renaming Fort Pickett to Fort Barfoot will be made by Congress, along with the renaming of six other facilities, including two in Virginia. Fort A.P. Hill is recommended to be named Fort Walker after Dr. Mary Walker, and Fort Lee is recommended to be named Fort Gregg-Adams after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams.
Also, Fort Moore is the proposed name of Fort Benning in Georgia; Fort Eisenhower, proposed for Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort Liberty, for Fort Bragg in North Carolina; and Fort Cavasos for Fort Hood in Texas.
The commission stated that it received more than 34,000 suggestions as names for the seven facilities. More information can be found on the website thenamingcommission.gov.