Fort Benning will be renamed. Here are some options that are on the table
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Fort Benning’s name will change, and its commander, Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe, said local stakeholders have floated several possibilities for what they want the post to be called when the process is finished.
In late July, the commission tasked with removing Confederate names from military assets will visit Benning. Local leaders will meet on the installation during that visit, Donahoe said.
“We’re right now in the process of talking with … elected leaders, leaders of the (chamber of commerce,) religious leaders, community leaders downtown, former commanding generals of Fort Benning that live in the area — they’ll all be invited in that stakeholder meeting so that they can provide feedback and local input to the commission,” he said.
What are some of the possible names?
In an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer Friday, Donahoe said local leaders have floated several new names for the installation.
One would honor Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. who was recently awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Korean War.
Another is Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, the decorated soldier known for his role as commander at the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 during the Vietnam War, Donahoe said. One of Moore’s sons, David, told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email Saturday evening that the family is seeking a new name for the post that would honor Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife, Julie.
“Collectively, Julie and Hal Moore represent the army’s commitment to army families, and the value of the army spouse as a member of the command team,” David Moore said.
Some want to honor George C. Marshall, who led the Army’s Infantry School at Fort Benning post-World War I, Donahoe said. Marshall went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize and serve as secretaries of state and defense under President Harry Truman.
Another option is simply calling it the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Donahoe said.
“Some folks don’t want to change the name of Fort Benning, and so our answer to that is the name change is federal law,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do on the installation. ...There’s a whole gamut of different possibilities here for which direction the commission will go.”
Why is the name changing?
The name change was written into federal law following the passage of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
The act created the Naming Commission which will assign, modify or remove anything that commemorates the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederacy, according to the Department of Defense.
The commission, led by Retired Navy Adm. Michelle Howard, said in May that it will spend the summer and fall visiting nine Army installations named mostly for people who voluntarily served the Confederacy. Benning’s namesake, Henry Benning, a lawyer and slaveholder, served as a general in the Confederate Army.
Feedback from local groups will be incorporated into the renaming process.
An Army spokesperson told the Ledger-Enquirer earlier this month that Benning and Augusta’s Fort Gordon are the only assets from Georgia on the list at this time. The full list has not been completed. The commission’s visits to Georgia military installations were first reported by the Augusta Chronicle.
The commission will brief the House and Senate Armed Services committees on its progress and recommendations by Oct. 1 this year. It will then present a final briefing and written report to the armed services committees on Oct. 1, 2022.
This story was originally published June 26, 2021 at 7:00 AM.