16-04-2025
Fort Benning: Who was Sergeant Fred Benning?
FORT BENNING, Ga. () — In March, it was announced that Fort Moore would become Fort Benning once again. This time, it is named after Sgt. Fred G. Benning.
Before it was called Fort Moore, Fort Benning's namesake was Henry Benning, a confederate officer and Columbus native.
Now, the U.S. Army Installation is named for Sgt. Fred G. Benning, a World War I veteran, Distinguished Service Cross recipient, baker and the former mayor of Neligh, Nebraska.
Few images of Benning are available, but the City of Neligh provided a photo of Benning during his mayoral tenure from 1948 to 1952.
Initial releases from the Department of Defense listed Benning as a corporal, but U.S. Army officials at Fort Benning officials say later research revealed he was promoted before leaving the Army in 1919.
Benning was 17 years old when he enlisted in the Army in 1917, becoming a 'doughboy.' He was only slightly older when he deployed to France with a machine gun company in what is now known as the 1st Infantry Division.
After Benning's platoon commander was killed, the young soldier took control and led 20 men through enemy fire near Exermont, France, in one of the final attacks of WWI.
His actions earned him the Distinguished Service Cross as corporal in 1918.
Benning left the Army after the war and returned to Nebraska where he married Florence Reiter and opened a bakery with his brother Henry, which he ran for 46 years.
During that time, Benning became the commander for American Legion Post #172 and the Mayor of Neligh, home to roughly 1,500 today.
Although Benning received attention when he accidentally shot someone during a 1949 city council meeting, he was well-liked in the community and won reelection in 1950.
Neligh's current mayor spoke with the Associated Press about Benning's appointment as the new namesake of Fort Benning.
'I think it's great. There are a lot of people who come and go in our community, and sometimes you don't know what their history is,' Neligh Mayor Joe Hartz told the AP.
In a phone call with WRBL, he said the Neligh community is preparing to recognize Benning's appointment as the namesake of Fort Benning with a ceremony this summer. City Clerk Dana Klabenes said she has been receiving calls since the new name for the U.S. Army installation was announced in early March.
Benning died in 1974, he is survived by his granddaughter Sue Conger-Williams and now, the U.S. Army installation which bears his name.
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