Fort Moore, Georgia, will be renamed Fort Benning in honor of Cpl. Fred Benning, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic actions during World War I.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the immediate change in a March 3 memo to honor Benning and “in recognition of the installation’s storied history of service to the United States of America.”

In addition to returning the name Fort Benning to the Georgia post, Hegseth directed the secretary of the Army to “honor the legacy of Lieutenant General Harold (Hal) Moore’s storied military service and Ms. Julia (Julie) Moore’s family and casualty notification advocacy in a manner that celebrates their significant contributions to the local community and the Army.”

Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore in 2023 following the recommendations of an eight-member commission that was tasked by Congress to remove Confederate names, symbols, displays and monuments from DoD properties.

When Fort Benning was established in 1918, it was named for Gen. Henry Benning, a Confederate officer from Georgia. Hegseth’s directive follows the Feb. 10 renaming of Fort Liberty, North Carolina, to Fort Bragg in honor of Pfc. Roland Bragg, a Silver Star recipient who served during World War II.

Cpl. Benning, a native of Norfolk, Nebraska, was born in 1900 and, after enlisting in April 1917, was assigned to Machine-Gun Company, 16th Infantry Regiment in the American Expeditionary Forces’ 1st Division during World War I, according to an Army news release.

On Oct. 9, 1918, the enemy killed Benning’s platoon commander and disabled two senior NCOs in action south of Exermont, France, according to the Army. The Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest valor award, for taking command of the remaining 20 men and leading them through heavy fire to their assigned objective in support of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, according to the Army.

After his Army service, Benning returned home and became mayor of Neligh, Nebraska. He died on May 17, 1974, according to the memo.

“CPL Benning was the living embodiment of the Infantryman’s Creed, as he never failed his country’s trust and fought to the objective to triumph for his unit and his country,” Hegseth said in his memo.

Fort Benning is home to the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, where thousands of soldiers are trained in infantry and armor. The installation also is home to the 75th Ranger Regiment.

The memo directs the secretary of the Army to “take all necessary and appropriate actions to implement this decision in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.” The Army shall inform the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment of its plans, including timelines and resource requirements, for implementation of this decision.

In addition to the 2023 redesignation of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty  and Fort Benning to Fort Moore, seven other Army installations were renamed. Three are in Virginia—Fort Barfoot, formerly Fort Pickett; Fort Gregg-Adams, which was Fort Lee; and Fort Walker, formerly Fort A.P. Hill. The others are Fort Novosel, formerly Fort Rucker, in Alabama; Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, in Texas; Fort Eisenhower, formerly Fort Gordon, in Georgia; and Fort Johnson, formerly Fort Polk, in Louisiana.