📰 👨✈️🌐 Fort Benning Gets its Original Name Back 🔙🥇
🎉 Major Army Base Name Change: From Fort Moore to Fort Benning
Ever heard of musical chairs? Well, in Georgia, we're playing musical names with one of our major Army bases. 🏰 Fort Benning is now back to its original glory after taking a short-lived detour as Fort Moore.
🔎 The Backstory
The base was originally named Fort Benning after a Confederate general, Henry Benning and was renamed as Fort Moore in 2023. However, the new title holder is someone altogether different. Get this, it's now named after a World War I hero 🥇 - CPL Benning, not the Confederate general.
💎 Thought-Provoker:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." What about Army bases though?
🎖️ Who are we honoring this time?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the name to honor CPL Benning, an incredibly brave soldier from World War I. The man has quite a tale to his name 🧐:
- He was bestowed with the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism when he led his remaining platoon of 20 men to their objective, despite being under heavy enemy fire. This was during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
- Post war, he was elected as mayor of Neligh, Nebraska. He went on to serve there till his death in May 1974.
🔄 Playground of names
This isn't the first time Pete Hegseth is playing switcheroo with base names. Just last month, Fort Liberty in North Carolina was renamed back to Fort Bragg - this time in honor of a World War II soldier and Silver Star recipient.
🙋 The Reaction
Responses to the name changes have been mixed. At the renaming ceremony in May 2023, David Moore - son of Lt. Gen. Harold “Hal” Moore (one of the namesakes of former Fort Moore), showed disappointment as he felt that this change disregards the legacy of his father and mother.
🎬 The Last Word
Despite Hegseth's promise to honor the legacy of notable servicemen, some names might not be making a comeback. What's next in the shuffle of Alias Army Base? Only time will tell! Stay tuned for our updates 📡.