The Pentagon announced Monday that Fort Moore, formerly named Fort Benning for a Confederate general, will again be named Fort Benning, although it will now honor a different Benning.
Defense Secretary Hegseth in a statement said the base will now honor Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in action during World War I, when he served in the U.S. Army in France in 1918. Benning died in 1974. The base was originally named for Lt. Gen. Henry Benning, a Confederate general and Southern secessionist who opposed freeing slaves.
A congressionally mandated commission, the Naming Commission, recommended in 2022 that nine bases, including Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, should receive new names.
Eight of the bases were subsequently renamed for people, and Fort Bragg was given the name Fort Liberty.
In 2023, Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore to honor a couple, Hal and Julie Moore, marking the first time a military spouse had received such a recognition. The Naming Commission recommended the Moores because of Hal’s 32-year-career in the Army and Julie’s support as a spouse, as well as their devotion to helping Army families even after they retired.