Everything old is new again, and just weeks after Fort Liberty reverted to Fort Bragg, the United States Department of Defense announced that Fort Moore, GA, would be renamed back to Fort Benning – but with the same twist that involved the North Carolina military installation.
On Monday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed the memorandum that directed the base be named for United States Army Corporal Fred G. Benning, a veteran of the First World War. The base, which was established in October 1918 during the final month of the conflict in Europe, had been named for Civil War-era Confederate Gen. Henry L. Benning.
This was the second military installation that Hegseth had directed to be restored to its previous surname, albeit honoring separate individuals.
In the case of Fort Bragg, it had been previously named for native North Carolinian Confederate General Braxton Bragg, who had previously served in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War. It is now named to honor Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, who was awarded a Silver Star for actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. That switch wasn’t without a bit of controversy; however, as the latter Bragg was from Maine and may have never even visited the base.
Renaming of the Army Post
Two years ago, Fort Benning was renamed to honor Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife Julia, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) that included a provision that called for all bases honoring Confederate military officers to be renamed.
Though the name change had been part of a bipartisan effort to eliminate military honors bestowed on Confederate officers, Hegseth said he viewed the changes as part of “woke” culture, and sought to revert to the older names – while honoring different U.S. soldiers.
Renaming the 10 Army bases reportedly cost around $21 million, as the process required removing the old names from all base street signs, and updating everything from recycling bin decals to business cards. It is unclear how much the additional name changes will add.
The Spotlight on Corporal Benning
The Pentagon noted that Norfolk, Nebraska, native Roland Bragg had enlisted in the Army in April 1917, just after the U.S. entered the First World War when he was just 17, and was deployed to Europe, serving in Machine-Gun Company, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), now known as the “1st Infantry Division.”
“The Army awarded CPL Benning the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in action south of Exermont, France, on October 9, 1918,” Hegseth wrote in his memo. “After the enemy killed his platoon commander and disabled two senior non-commissioned officers, CPL Benning took command of the surviving 20 men of his company, and courageously led them through heavy fire to their assigned objective in support of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.”
After the war, Benning returned home, later serving as mayor of Neligh, Nebraska. He died on May 17, 1974.
“CPL Benning was the living embodiment of the Infantryman’s Creed, as he never failed his country’s trust and fought to the objective to triumph for his unit and his country,” Hegseth continued. “This directive 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.”
Moore to the Story
Hal Moore had been seen as a fitting choice at the time, as he was the first soldier in his West Point graduating class of 1945 to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general.
Moreover, as a lieutenant colonel, Moore commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of la Drang in 1965 during the Vietnam War. It has been noted for being the first large-scale helicopter air assault, and saw the first use of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber employed in a tactical support role. The battle was detailed in the 1992 bestseller We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, co-authored by Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. It was made in the 2002 film We Were Soldiers, which starred Mel Gibson as Moore.
“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 added.
It is unclear how the legacy of Gen. Moore will be honored, and whether that will include the naming of another facility or military vehicle.
The U.S. Army has named its many tanks and other armored vehicles for noteworthy soldiers, and it is currently testing a new combat vehicle, the M10 Booker. It was named to honor two different soldiers killed in action – Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Robert D. Booker, who perished in World War II, and Distinguished Service Cross recipient Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, who died from injuries sustained in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
