MILITARY MATTERS: Top Suggestion Made for Renaming Fort Benning After a Vietnam War Hero

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - There are new developments in the process for renaming Army installations, including Fort Benning. The Naming Commission submitted part one of their three part final report to congress this week.

Congress passed legislation last year requiring military bases named after Confederate Soliders to be renamed. Fort Benning was named after General Henry Benning, who fought in the American Civil War. Now, a just-released Report from the Naming Commission has recommendations for nine Army bases.

After getting 4600 suggestions for Ft. Benning alone, they recommend it to be called Fort Moore - after Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife Julia Moore. The Commission says their story is representative of millions of other military families throughout the military’s history.

A local military veteran who served 20 years recently told us, he’s concerned the changes will cost a lot of money, but he’s happy about it potentially being named after the Moores.

“My thing was just keeping it keep it military...don’t put it somebody else’s name out there that had nothing to do with the military,” veteran Robert Schwandt said.

Over the course of his Army career from 1945 to 1977, Hal Moore served a combined nine years internationally. He famously led 400 American soldiers into the first bloody battle of the Vietnam war, as depicted in the film “We Were Soldiers,” where Mel Gibson portrayed the hero.

His wife Julia Moore took action to have more compassionate condolences for soldiers killed, prompting the pentagon to create casualty notification teams and survivor support networks still doing that difficult task today. General Moore oversaw and led the post-war transition to the all-volunteer U.S. armed forces.

That name change prompted reaction from State House Representative Debbie Buckner, who represents Georgia’s district 137, which includes part of Fort Benning.

“I just think that the Moores are great people to be honored, and it’s time for us to pay some recognition to our Vietnam veterans,” Rep. Buckner said.

The Naming commission recommends Fort Gordon in Georgia to be renamed after General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became president. The full and final report is due to Congress on October 1st.

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