Fort Benning in Georgia is one of nine US Army locations that will be given new names in accordance with the advice of a legislative commission established to remove Confederate titles from military stations.
Brig. Gen. Henry Benning, a leading Confederate officer who supported slavery and spearheaded the South’s secession effort, was honored with the facility’s naming upon its opening in 1918.
The new name will honor Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Julia, his wife. The massive US Army training base outside Columbus, Georgia, will be known as Fort Moore.
From 1945 through 1977, Moore served in the United States Army, and during that time, he did tours in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and Norway.
He commanded the Seventh Calvary’s First Battalion at the battle of Ia Drang Valley in 1965, which is widely recognized as the first significant battle of the Vietnam War. His efforts were depicted in “We Were Soldiers,” a film released in 2002.
In a statement earlier this year, the Army said Julia, “Hal’s” wife, was also distinguished as a pioneer of military family programs who influenced the treatment and care for the widows of dead Soldiers.
Major General Curtis Buzzard remarked that the lives of General Hal and Lt. Julie Moore, both courageous leaders and visionaries, would forever inspire all who enter these gates.
The base commander, Buzzard, praised the couple’s leadership during Thursday’s renaming ceremony at Doughboy Stadium.
The newlyweds’ guests saw the unveiling of a new sign at Fort Benning’s main gate and the retirement of the Fort Benning colors in favor of the latest official flag.
The now-retired Col. David Moore spoke fondly of his parent’s military service.
Also this week, Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, received a new moniker.
On Tuesday, the post was renamed after Korean War and Vietnam War veteran and Texan of Mexican origin, General Richard Edward Cavazos. When he received his fourth star in 1982, he did so as the first Hispanic to do so.
