Fort Moore renamed Fort Benning, this time in honor of Nebraska WWI hero
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A military base in Georgia is being renamed for a Nebraskan.
On Monday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the Army to change the name of Fort Moore to Fort Benning in honor of Cpl. Fred Benning.
A Norfolk native, Benning enlisted in the Army in 1917, during World War I.
After training, he immediately deployed to Europe, according to the Defense Department.
On Oct. 9, 1918, his platoon leader was killed in battle in France, and two other senior officers were disabled.
So Benning took command of the surviving platoon members and led them through heavy fire, the Pentagon said.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Benning later became mayor of Neligh. He died in 1974.
The base was called Fort Benning – for Confederate Brig. Gen. Henry Benning – until 2023.
The Biden administration renamed it and several other installations whose names honored Confederate leaders.
Now the Trump administration is changing them back to their original names but naming them after service members who share last names with the Confederates.
