The U.S. Army’s installation that trains all of its infantry and armor soldiers, will be renamed Fort Benning, its original designation.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday ordered the Columbus, Georgia, military post to revert to its old name after it was re-designated as Fort Moore during the Biden administration.
However, the base won’t honor Confederate Gen. Henry L. Benning, its original namesake. Instead, it will be renamed after Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his “extraordinary heroism” in action during World War I in France in 1918.
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“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,” Hegseth said in a statement.
The name change is part of the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle a Biden-era Defense Department initiative motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests to change the names of military installations named after Confederate military figures.
In February, Hegseth ordered that Fort Liberty revert back to Fort Bragg. The base was originally named in 1918 for Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles that contributed to the Confederacy’s downfall.
The new name pays tribute to Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.
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Fort Benning has long been home to the Army’s infantry school and is home to the service’s elite Army Ranger School, as well as basic training for soldiers in non-combat fields. In recent years, the Army’s armor school relocated from Fort Knox, Kentucky, to the Georgia installation.
Fort Moore was named after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife Julia. Hal Moore served in Vietnam as commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Benning and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. His service during the first major battle of the Vietnam War at Ia Drang was depicted in the 2002 Mel Gibson film “We Were Soldiers.”
Julia Moore successfully lobbied the Pentagon to adopt a policy that military families would be notified of war casualties in person rather than by telegram.
“I further direct the Army to honor the legacy of Lieutenant General Harold Moore’s storied military service and Ms. Julia Moore’s family and casualty notification advocacy in a manner that celebrates their significant contributions to the local community and the Army,” Hegseth said.
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