Pentagon restores Fort Benning name to Georgia military base

The Pentagon released a memo Monday that says Benning received the medal after the enemy killed his platoon commander and disabled two senior noncommissioned officers in France. Benning took command, the memo says, and led 20 others in his company “through heavy fire to their assigned objective in support of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive” in 1918.

Fort Benning was originally named after Henry Benning, who served as a general in the Confederate army. He was an ardent secessionist before the war, warning that if slavery were abolished there would be “black governors, black legislatures, black juries, black everything.”

The Pentagon said the decision to rename the post after Fred Benning “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.”

The change to Fort Moore in 2023 recognized Hal and Julie Moore. Lt. Gen. Hal Moore was a highly decorated soldier who fought in the Korean and Vietnam wars and coauthored the bestselling book, “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young.” He is buried at Fort Benning along with Julie, who is known for her unstinting support of military families.

Their son, David Moore, said Monday he was disappointed by the Pentagon’s decision.

“I am deeply saddened that the secretary of defense looked at Fort Moore and looked at Hal and Julie Moore and rejected their service to the nation,” he said. “With all due respect to Cpl. Benning and his service, which I don’t take anything away from, I think the secretary of defense has no understanding of what he rejected when he accepted this decision.”

The memo U.S. Secretary Defense Pete Hegseth signed Monday also directs the U.S. Army to honor Hal and Julie Moore “in a manner that celebrates their significant contributions to the local community and the Army.”

Credit: AFP via Getty Images

Credit: AFP via Getty Images

David Moore added Hegseth’s decision was not unexpected, given the decision last month to rename Fort Liberty, the military base in North Carolina. The change returned the base to its original name, Fort Bragg.

The North Carolina base was originally named after Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, a slave-owning plantation owner. It was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023, part of the same process that renamed Fort Benning to Fort Moore.

The military bases were renamed two years ago, during the Biden administration, following renewed protests for racial justice after the violent deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Ahmaud Arbery in Southeast Georgia. Both men were Black.

The Pentagon said the new name for the North Carolina base honors Army Pfc. Roland Bragg of Sabattus, Maine. He received the Silver Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained during the Battle of the Bulge, according to the Pentagon.

“Bragg saved a fellow soldier’s life by commandeering an enemy German ambulance so that he could transport a wounded service member 20 miles to an allied hospital in Belgium,” the Pentagon said. “The ambulance was under enemy fire the entire time.”

The change back to Fort Bragg will cost more than $6 million in federal funds, primarily for signage and website-related expenses, The Fayetteville Observed reported. The North Carolina Department of Transportation told the newspaper the cost to change about 80 state highway and interstate signs from Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty would cost about $160,000.

The U.S. Army said Monday it was still assessing the cost for the changes at Fort Benning.

Fort Benning, in a statement Monday, said the renaming process will include updating official documentation and signage “in a deliberate and phased manner.”

Reaction across Georgia was swift Monday.

Republican U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde of Athens retweeted a copy of Hegseth’s memo, calling it “incredible news” and thanking President Donald Trump.

State Democratic Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, who represents Columbus, said the change amounts to “an embrace of hate.”

“Our community is happy with the Fort Moore name,” she said. “What concerns me the most is the Moore family, who came to be honored with the name.”

— AJC staff writers Michelle Baruchman and Tia Mitchell contributed to this report.