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.”
