Defense secretary reverts name of another Army base, saying Fort Moore is now Fort Benning

(CNN) — The US military is renaming a major Army base in Georgia from Fort Moore to Fort Benning, reverting the base back to its original name — though this time Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says it’s after an enlisted World War I soldier and Distinguished Service Cross recipient, instead of the Confederate general it was previously named for.

“The Army awarded CPL Benning the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in action south of Exermont, France, on October 9, 1918,” read a memo signed by Hegseth directing the change Monday. “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.”

The decision marks the second Army base Hegseth has renamed, after he announced last month he was renaming Fort Liberty, North Carolina, back to Fort Bragg — this time after a World War II soldier and Silver Star recipient, instead of the failed Confederate general.

Fort Benning — originally named after a Confederate general, Henry Benning — was renamed as Fort Moore in 2023 as part of a broader effort to retitle bases with Confederate-era names. Moore had two namesakes — Lt. Gen. Harold “Hal” Moore and his wife, Julia.

Hal Moore served in the Army from 1945 to 1977, and commanded the Army’s 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, which was depicted in the 2002 film “We Were Soldiers.” Julia Moore was an instrumental figure in establishing how the military notifies and cares for spouses of fallen service members.

The new Fort Benning is named after Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who served in Europe during World War I and was then elected mayor of Neligh, Nebraska, upon returning home, according to the Defense Department release. He died in May 1974.

“CPL Benning was the 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’s memo says.

At the renaming ceremony in May 2023, David Moore — the son of Hal and Julie, and a retired Army colonel — said the installation “stands alone since this rededication is not solely about a name or one person’s achievements — but, instead, is about personal character, represented by Army values, reinforcing the fundamental truth that soldiers fight as a team.”

Moore, said he received a courtesy call from the commander of the base notifying his family of the name change announced today.

“It’s the idea of their combined service to the Army, service to the community, and service to the nation, and the fact that Secretary of Defense Hegseth actively chose to look at that and reject that,” Moore told CNN. Moore’s family has a long history with the base.

Hal Moore began his infantry training at Fort Benning in the 1940s, one of his sons was born there, and the family was stationed at the base prior to the elder Moore’s deployment to Vietnam,” David Moore said. His family had tried to get the word to Hegseth that Lt. Gen. Moore represented the values of “honor, integrity, selfless service,” the younger Moore said.

Despite Hegseth’s public promise to return the names of bases stripped of their Confederate namesake, David Moore felt that potentially Fort Moore’s name “was going to survive, given the reputation, character and contributions of Hal and Julie Moore.”

“We’re just deeply saddened,” Moore said. He said his father’s last wish was to be interred among his men who fell in Vietnam, and he was buried at the base which briefly bore his name.

As the base is being renamed, Hegseth said he was directing the Army to “honor the legacy” of the Moores “in a manner that celebrates their significant contributions to the local community and the Army.”

Last month, Hegseth indicated more bases are likely to be renamed.

“There are other bases that have been renamed that erodes that very same legacy. There’s a reason I said Bragg and Benning when I walked into the Pentagon on Day 1, but it’s not just Bragg and Benning,” he said. “There are a lot of other service members that have connections and we’re going to do our best to restore it. It’s an honor to do so.”

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