The Pentagon helped cement the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s legacy in South Carolina Aug. 10 by renaming U.S. Air Force Joint Base Charleston to Joint Base Lindsey Graham.
The renaming honored a fierce defense hawk who spent his career supporting the U.S. military. In South Carolina, Graham advocated for the base in Charleston in particular. This past May, Graham helped secure over $200 million for base improvements. That money will be spent on pier infrastructure improvements, as well as medical and dental facilities.
Both Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flew down from Washington, D.C., to attend the ceremony in North Charleston. Sen. Darline Graham, who took a break from campaigning to be there, greeted them at the airport, welcoming them to South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster also greeted the two.
“Senator Graham stood up against that radical woke ideology that killed our military recruiting,” Sec. Pete Hegseth said at the renaming ceremony. “In this new Golden Age of America, President Trump has had no stronger ally in Congress than Colonel Lindsey Graham.”
.@SecWar: "Lindsey spent his final years taking on a Radical Leftist ideology that had run rampant in the media, in academia, and even among a few members of Congress. The Hard Left declared war on our own military... Senator Graham stood up against that radical woke ideology… https://t.co/GtSeBzSQRU pic.twitter.com/KAvGvGr2eW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 10, 2026
“The names we attach to our military installations reveal something about ourselves,” said Sec. Bessent, a native of South Carolina. “They signal the type of service we honor, the type of character we esteem, and perhaps, above all, the sort of example we ask future generations to follow. Today this base takes the name of a patriot who embodied each of those ideals in equal measure. Lindsey Graham believed the first obligation of a federal government is to keep its people safe. He carried that conviction for more than three decades in uniform, and in Washington. To place his name upon a base dedicated to our defense is to join Lindsey’s memory to the cause that animated his entire life.”
South Carolina native @SecScottBessent at the renaming of Joint Base Charleston in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 10, 2026
"Joint Base Graham is the backbone of Air Force's C-17 fleet, the workhorse of our air defense... From today forward, these planes will have Joint Base… pic.twitter.com/YXYInTf6Ec
Noting that Sen. Graham was “the American people’s workhorse,” Bessent said “that is why Lindsey Graham’s legacy belongs here, and it’s why this base will bear his name with pride.”
About 200 U.S. Air Force members were present at the ceremony in North Charleston, joining others such as members of South Carolina’s House delegation. After the speeches, the dignitaries joined Sen. Darline Graham in unveiling the new sign at the Joint Base.
The late Sen. Lindsey Graham died July 11 from an aortic tear, just two days after his 71st birthday.
Lindsey Graham was an unapologetic champion for our military.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) August 10, 2026
Joint Base Lindsey Graham will carry his legacy forward for generations to come.
Rest easy, Senator—we have the watch. pic.twitter.com/twiQQDuDgJ
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