WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth led tributes Monday to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham as the largest military base in his home state of South Carolina was renamed in honor of the longtime lawmaker.
“Senator Lindsey Graham dedicated his life to serving this state and serving the armed forces of the United States. He served this nation both in uniform and in both houses of Congress,” Hegseth said at the ceremony rechristening the former Joint Base Charleston.
“In both capacities, it was always the same mission. He knew the timeless truth that, to ensure peace, we must prepare for war — protect your people, protect your state, protect your sovereignty, or you will lose it to someone else who is willing to take it from you.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a South Carolina native, noted that Joint Base Lindsey Graham housed the “backbone of Air Force’s C-17 fleet, the workhorse of our air defense.
“From today forward, these planes will have Joint Base Graham on their tail,” added Bessent, “a reminder that Sen. Graham was the American people’s workhorse.”
Graham, 71, died suddenly on the evening of July 11 from a suspected aortic dissection brought on by cardiovascular disease. He spent 33 years in the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2015.
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