Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore under former President Joe Biden.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on March 3 changed the name of the U.S. Army base in Georgia back to its original name of Fort Benning.
“Now, Fort Benning is back too,” Hegseth said in a video message.
The base became known as Fort Moore in 2023 under former President Joe Biden, whose administration followed recommendations from a panel that advised renaming forts that had been named in commemoration of Confederate leaders.
The fort, established in 1918, was renamed Fort Moore to honor Army Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julia Moore.
Fort Benning was originally named after Henry L. Benning, a general in the Confederate Army.
The Pentagon said that the name Fort Benning now honors Army Cpl. Fred G. Benning, who served with what leaders describe as “extraordinary heroism” during World War I.
A native of Nebraska, Fred Benning enlisted in the Army in 1917 when he was 17 years old. He was deployed to Europe after completing basic training.
“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,” according to Hegseth’s memorandum.
Fred Benning later became mayor of Neligh, Nebraska. He died in 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 wrote.
The proposed name change had been opposed by at least some descendants of Harold Moore. Steve Moore, one of his children, said in a blog post that changing the name back to Benning ignored the values and character of his parents.
Hegseth previously restored the name of another Army base, in North Carolina, to its original name of Fort Bragg. That fort was originally named in honor of Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general. Officials said that the name now recognizes the service of Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, who was in the Army during World War II.
“This directive honors the personal courage and selfless service of all those who have trained to fight and win our nation’s wars, including Pfc. Bragg, and is in keeping with the installation’s esteemed and storied history,” Hegseth wrote in a memo at the time.
Hegseth has indicated that he would restore the names of other installations that were renamed.