Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinstated the name “Fort Benning” on Monday for one of the nation’s largest military bases — the second such reversal he’s ordered and the first that requires actually removing the name of a U.S. service member.
The base, located in Columbus, Georgia, had been renamed Fort Moore after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, whose memoir “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young” chronicled his service in Vietnam. The name also commemorated his wife, Julia, who pushed the military to develop a more humane system for notifying family members of casualties.
Fort Moore, which was officially renamed in May 2023, was the first base named after a military family.
“I’m incredibly saddened,” said David Moore, the son of Hal and Julia, who helped lead the effort to rename the post after his parents. “My only conclusion is that [Hegseth] chose to reject Hal and Julia Moore.”
Since taking office Jan. 25, Hegseth has quickly begun reversing a yearslong effort to rename American military posts that formerly recognized Confederate officers. Congress ordered the change in the wake of protests in the summer of 2020 against racism and police violence, overriding then-President Donald Trump’s veto. The names had long been controversial as a relic of the Jim Crow South.
Nine bases were renamed in total.
Hegseth first changed Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, North Carolina, back to Fort Bragg, with a memorandum Feb. 10. Rather than recognizing Braxton Bragg, the Confederate general it was once named after, the memo said the name now honored Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II veteran awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart.
Critics of the administration have said the choice amounts to a cynical loophole, given that Congress banned the military from naming posts after members of the Confederacy.
“By instead invoking the name of World War II soldier Private Roland Bragg, Secretary Hegseth has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit,” Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., wrote in a February statement.
Similarly, Fort Benning will now honor Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a World War I veteran who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross — an honor Hal Moore also earned. Its previous namesake was the Confederate general Henry Benning.
Since Fort Liberty was named after a value, Hegseth’s decision Monday marks the first instance a service member’s name was removed from one of the renamed posts.
The process to decide on the name Fort Moore involved extensive work with local leaders in Columbus, where the post is integral to the economy. The Moore family prepared a 300-page proposal, including detailed records of Hal and Julia’s service. In the end, the name changed in 2023 with little local controversy.
Those who participated in that effort now described the devastation of seeing it reversed.
“I’m heartbroken,” said former Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, who participated in the military’s commission to rename the nine posts.
Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe, the retired commanding general of the base, expressed similar dismay.
“The opportunity to name one of our premier training bases after both LTG Hal and his spouse Julia Moore is one we should not walk back,” Donahoe said.
Dave Moore had suspected the base would be renamed after he saw the redesignation of Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg last month. Still, he wasn’t certain it would change, especially since he believed his parents represented many of the qualities Hegseth publicly affirms — a focus on fighting wars among them.
“I thought we had a fighting chance,” Moore said.
Instead, after receiving the news from the base’s commanding general Monday afternoon and sharing it with his family, Moore said he was shocked, angry and confused.
“I don’t believe we understand what he stands for,” Moore said of Hegseth. “Everything he commended Fred Benning for is what he already had in Hal and Julia Moore.”
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
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