Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reviving Confederate names for military bases, announcing the renaming of Fort Moore in Georgia back to Fort Benning. This change reverses a 2023 bipartisan decision to eliminate bases named after Confederate generals. Hegseth proposes the new name in honor of Corporal Fred G. Benning, a WWI hero. Previously renamed for Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, a Vietnam War hero, Fort Moore symbolized the sacrifices of military families. Despite pushback, Hegseth insists on honoring historical figures, urging the Army to recognize the Moores’ contributions while advocating for a return to old base names.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ramped up efforts to restore Confederate names to military bases, announcing on Monday the decision to revert the name of Fort Moore back to Fort Benning, which previously commemorated Confederate general Henry Benning.
Located in Georgia, the installation will once again be referred to as Fort Benning.
The base was renamed in 2023 as a part of a broader bipartisan initiative to remove military honors given to Confederate officers who fought against the Union during the Civil War. Mr. Hegseth perceives these changes as elements of a “woke” culture and aims to restore the original names of the bases.
However, current legislation prohibits him from doing so — military bases can no longer be named after Confederate generals — which has led Mr. Hegseth to identify other military figures with matching surnames.
Last month, he declared that Fort Liberty in North Carolina would be renamed Fort Bragg, honoring an enlisted Army soldier named Roland L. Bragg, who served in World War II, rather than the Confederate general Braxton Bragg.
On Monday, attention turned to Fort Moore.
“I instruct the U.S. Army to rename Fort Moore, Georgia, to Fort Benning, Georgia, in honor of Corporal (CPL) Fred G. Benning, who displayed extraordinary heroism during World War I with the United States Army, and in acknowledgment of the installation’s distinguished history of service to the United States of America,” Mr. Hegseth stated.
According to him, Corporal Benning received the Distinguished Service Cross for his “extraordinary heroism” on the battlefield in France in 1918, where he guided his company through heavy fire to accomplish its assigned objective during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.
“Corp. Benning embodied the Infantryman’s Creed, never betraying his country’s trust and fighting valiantly for his unit and his nation,” Mr. Hegseth remarked.
In contrast, while Fort Bragg was renamed to symbolize an ideal — liberty — Fort Moore was dedicated to Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, a Vietnam War hero, and his wife, Julie Compton Moore.
Ms. Moore played a critical role in keeping the family united through numerous relocations and advocated for the establishment of survivor support networks by the Army. Due to her efforts, the Defense Department instituted a policy requiring teams of uniformed officers to inform families of military deaths, a practice still adhered to today.
General Moore commanded the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry Regiment during the battle of Ia Drang in 1965, part of the Vietnam War. He has been awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, a Purple Heart (which he declined to wear, deeming his wound too minor), and four Bronze Stars, with two featuring V devices for acts of valor in combat.
He recounted the events of the battle of Ia Drang in the 1992 bestseller “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” which was adapted into the film “We Were Soldiers” in 2002, starring Mel Gibson as General Moore.
At the 2023 ceremony that marked the name change, Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, Fort Moore’s commander, proclaimed the couple represented “the very best of our military and the very best of our nation.”
“By honoring them, Fort Moore pays tribute to the sacrifices of all veterans, especially those from Vietnam,” he continued. “It also highlights the essential role that Army spouses and families play in the success of our military.”
The Moores are interred at the Army base.
Following Mr. Hegseth’s hints on his first day at the Pentagon about his intention to revert Fort Moore’s name to Fort Benning, the couple’s son, Dave Moore, informed the Stars and Stripes newspaper that his parents “still embody the values and culture and competencies” that Mr. Hegseth “is advocating for in our force.”
He added, “I believe it’s a victory for the Department of Defense if they choose not to make any changes.”
In his statement, Mr. Hegseth advocated for the Army to seek out ways to honor the Moores.