Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that Fort Moore, Georgia will once again be named Fort Benning, but this time it will honor Army Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism during World War I.
“This change underscores the installation’s storied history of service to the United States of America, honors the warfighter ethos, and recognizes the heroes who have trained at the installation for decades and will continue to train on its storied ranges,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot said in a statement.
The post was originally named for Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning but it was redesignated in honor of Army Lt. Gen. Harold G. “Hal” Moore and his wife Julia Moore in 2023.
At the time, the Army was redesigning nine bases that were originally named for Confederate leaders. In November 1965, Hal Moore led the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of Ia Drang, which he later wrote about along with reporter Joseph Galloway in the book “We Were Soldiers Once … And Young.”
“As we rename Fort Benning, I further direct the Army to honor the legacy of Lieutenant General Harold (Hal) Moore’s storied military service and Ms. Julia (Julie) Moore’s family and casualty notification advocacy in a manner that celebrates their significant contributions to the local community and the Army,” Hegseth wrote in a memo on Monday.
Since taking office, Hegseth has indicated that he plans to undo the name changes to the nine bases that once honored Confederates. Last month, he announced that Fort Liberty, North Carolina, would be named Fort Bragg again, but it will now honor Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a paratrooper awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, instead of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.
“We’re not done there,” Hegseth told reporters at a Feb. 11 news conference. “There’s a reason I said ‘Bragg’ and ‘Benning’ when I walked into the Pentagon on Day 1. But it’s not just Bragg and Benning. There are a lot of other service members that have connections, and we’re going to do our best to restore it. It’s an honor to do so.”
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will implement Hegseth’s decision to redesignate Fort Moore as Fort Benning immediately, Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said in a statement.
On Oct. 9, 1918, Benning was serving in France with a machine-gun company assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division when his platoon commander was killed and two senior noncommissioned officers were disabled, Smith said. Benning led the remaining 20 soldiers in his unit through heavy fire to take their objective as part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
“CPL Benning was the living embodiment of the Infantryman’s Creed: He was ‘swift, determined and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win,’” Smith said. “Fort Benning, home of the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, trains thousands of Infantry, Armor, and Ranger warfighters to answer their nation’s call. Secretary Hegseth’s directive honors the warrior ethos and recognizes the heroes who have trained at the installation for decades.”
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