Hegseth orders iconic Georgia base to revert to Fort Benning, but with a twist

The U.S. Army's installation that trains each of its infantry and armor soldiers, volition beryllium renamed Fort Benning, its archetypal designation.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth connected Monday ordered the Columbus, Georgia, subject station to revert to its aged sanction aft it was re-designated arsenic Fort Moore during the Biden administration. 

However, the basal won't grant Confederate Gen. Henry L. Benning, its archetypal namesake. Instead, it volition beryllium renamed aft Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his "extraordinary heroism" successful enactment during World War I successful France successful 1918. 

HEGSETH SAYS FORT BRAGG IN COMING BACK, BUT WITH A TWIST

Fort Benning, Georgia, trains Army recruits and is location to the Army's infantry and Armor schools.  (US Army)

"This alteration underscores the installation's storied past of work to the United States of America, honors the warfighter ethos, and recognizes the heroes who person trained astatine the installation for decades and volition proceed to bid connected its storied ranges," Hegseth said successful a statement. 

The sanction alteration is portion of the Trump administration's effort to dismantle a Biden-era Defense Department inaugural motivated by the 2020 George Floyd protests to alteration the names of subject installations named aft Confederate subject figures. 

In February, Hegseth ordered that Fort Liberty revert backmost to Fort Bragg. The basal was primitively named successful 1918 for Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate wide from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing cardinal Civil War battles that contributed to the Confederacy's downfall.

The caller sanction pays tribute to Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II leader who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courageousness during the Battle of the Bulge.

MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, SHIPS NAMED AFTER CONFEDERATES BEGIN RENAMING PROCESS

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment, 198th Infantry Brigade, maneuver arsenic an Infantry Rifle Squad Aug. 21, 2020, successful Fort Benning during infantry training. (Patrick A. Albright/U.S. Army)

Fort Benning has agelong been location to the Army's infantry schoolhouse and is location to the service's elite Army Ranger School, arsenic good arsenic basal grooming for soldiers successful non-combat fields. In caller years, the Army's armor schoolhouse relocated from Fort Knox, Kentucky, to the Georgia installation. 

Fort Moore was named aft Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his woman Julia. Hal Moore served successful Vietnam arsenic commandant of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment based astatine Fort Benning and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. His work during the archetypal large conflict of the Vietnam War astatine Ia Drang was depicted successful the 2002 Mel Gibson movie "We Were Soldiers."

Julia Moore successfully lobbied the Pentagon to follow a argumentation that subject families would beryllium notified of warfare casualties successful idiosyncratic alternatively than by telegram.

Soldiers basal astatine attraction during a redesignation ceremonial held astatine Fort Moore. (Patrick Albright/U.S. Army)

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"I further nonstop the Army to grant the bequest of Lieutenant General Harold Moore's storied subject work and Ms. Julia Moore's household and casualty notification advocacy successful a mode that celebrates their important contributions to the section assemblage and the Army," Hegseth said.