(COLUMBUS, Ga.) — The U.S. Army training base formerly known as Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore on Thursday to honor a late lieutenant general and his wife and remove ties to a Confederate general.
The ceremony to rededicate the base to Lt. Gen. Harold “Hal” G. Moore Jr. and Julia “Julie” Moore was held at the Doughboy Stadium near Columbus, Georgia. Their children were present as officials honored the “We Were Soldiers Once and Young” author and his wife as part of a broader campaign to rename bases that commemorated the Confederacy.
“Together, Hal and Julie Moore embodied the very best of our military and our nation, and the renaming of this installation as Fort Moore is a fitting tribute to their lifelong dedication to the army and its soldiers and their families,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, who added that Moore was a “courageous leader who served with distinction” in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
While Moore was applauded for his distinguished career across the three conflicts, speakers at the ceremony emphasized that his wife was instrumental to his success.
“General Moore accomplished many things in his life, but none would have been possible without the love and support of his wife Julie,” Buzzard said at the ceremony. “Much like her husband Julie Moore was a visionary. A crusader of seeing things done right.”
Julia Moore was a proud military wife who worked with the American Red Cross, advocated for military families and spearheaded changes at the Pentagon, according to the speakers at the event.
“She had a hand in improving services for spouses and family. Her leadership and commitment to supporting soldiers and their families led to the development of what we now know today as Army Community Services and the modern-day casualty notification process,” Buzzard said.
The couple’s son, Col. David Moore, served for 27 years before his retirement and described himself as “proud to be an Army brat.”
“Our family is deeply grateful that our parents will be honored, remembered and held as role models for the generations of Army soldiers in these stands and to come,” he said at the ceremony. “They loved each other. They loved us. They loved the Army and their beloved troopers, so much so that my father’s last wish was to be buried among his troopers here at the post cemetery — the same troopers, my mother referred to as their sons and brothers and with whom she is buried as well.”
The renaming of Fort Benning is part of national campaign to change the names of nine U.S. Army installations, as recommended by the Naming Commission’s panel to erase symbols that commemorate the Confederate States of America. On Tuesday, the U.S. Army base formerly known as Fort Hood in central Texas was changed to Fort Cavazos, and Fort Lee was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in April, among other changes.
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