Fort Benning official redesignation ceremony recognizes Sgt. Fred Benning
FORT BENNING, Ga. () — Earlier this year, Fort Moore became Fort Benning again.The post is now named after Sgt. Fred G. Benning, a WWI veteran and Distinguished Service Cross recipient. A renaming ceremony was held on post Wednesday.
The ceremony was much smaller than the one hosted two years ago when Fort Benning became Fort Moore, named after Hal and Julia Moore.
During the ceremony, Fort Benning Commander Colin Tuley talked about Sgt. Benning as a soldier. Sgt. Benning's granddaughter also spoke about the man she knew as a child.
'I didn't know the impact of what my grandpa did serving in the Great War,' said Sue Conger-Williams, Sgt. Benning's granddaughter.
Conger-Williams found out Fort Benning was taking her grandfather's name at the same time as the rest of the country, when the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum in March.
But the Fred Benning she knew as her grandfather never talked much about his time in the Army. He was better known as a baker, family man and the former mayor of the small town of Neligh, Nebraska.
'Just kind of listening to the story, you know, come to life has been just it's truly a blessing,' Conger-Williams said.
In 1917, the Fort Benning's new namesake joined the Army at the age of 17, serving with the 16th Infantry Regiment in France.
He earned the Distinguished Service Cross after taking over his platoon in a dire situation and leading 20 men through enemy fire during the Muese-Argon Offensive.
Sgt. Benning left the Army in 1919, following to the end of the war and returned to his home state of Nebraska.
According to Fort Benning officials, Sgt. Benning never spent time at the Georgia installation.
'When you talk about putting yourself in the shoes of an 18-year-old under fire watching a company commander killed, watching a platoon leader killed, watching two NCOs wounded so severely [that] falling upon you is, 'Oh, someone's got to lead these other 20 men,' … that is so inspiring,' said Maj. Gen. Colin Tuley, commanding general at Fort Benning.
He said Benning's heroism during World War I embodies the kind of spirit Fort Benning aims to instill in its soldiers.
During the ceremony, the Fort Moore colors were cased for the last time and the Fort Benning colors uncased.
Although the installation no longer bears the Moore name, its commanding general says they will still be celebrated and remembered on post.
'If you look over on the left-hand side, we still carry the legacy of General Hal and Julia Moore. That doesn't come down, okay?' said Tuley. 'They're both part of this of this community. They're both part of this installation. And that doesn't change.'
A portrait of the Moore's hangs across one of Sgt. Benning in McGinnis-Wickham Hall on post at Fort Benning.
The redesignation ended with an unveiling of a new Fort Benning sign. It will take more time to replace other signage on- and around- post to reflect the change.
U.S. Army officials say the redesignation cost will be an estimated $653,000. Comparatively, in 2023, when the post took on the Moore name, that redesignation cost approximately $830,000.
The Benning name was originally removed from the installation due to its connection to the confederacy.
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Fort Benning: Who was Sergeant Fred Benning?
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