Thread by @chrisgingram

🧵 Let’s talk about renaming @FortBenning after LTG Hal Moore and his wife Julia.

Let’s discuss history, heritage, service, and sacrifice.
1/x

Before you reply with the “I trained”, “It’ll always be”, “if you ever served”, “erasing our history”, or other weak and misguided arguments, let’s talk about why I have opinions:
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A little history about my family, before we talk history about Benning vs Moore.

Yes, I too, trained at Fort Benning, commissioned through OCS at Fort Benning, earned my blue cord at Fort Benning, and commanded an infantry company on Sand Hill. #FollowMe
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My father also commissioned through OCS and trained at Fort Benning. He also met my mother in Columbus, where she was born and raised.

He fought in a place called Vietnam. You may have heard of it. 4/

You know who else commissioned through OCS at Fort Benning? My grandfather.

He was an infantryman who trained at Fort Benning and spent some time in 2nd Infantry Division. #SecondToNone
5/

An NCO before the war, 1LT Ingram left Fort Benning to lead 2nd PLT, L Company, 38th IN across France, through the Ardennes, and across Germany. #RockoftheMarne #BattleoftheBulge 6/

But he would return to Fort Benning. After serving in Korea, he would take command of 1st BN, 23rd Infantry at Fort Benning. #Tomahawks #WeServe

But if you know your history, the infantry battalions of 2ID at Fort Benning were about to get reflagged for a trip to Vietnam. 7/

They left Fort Benning for the Ia Drang Valley and the dawn of air mobile warfare. One of his fellow infantrymen also took command around that time. You might have heard of him, but more on that later…
#AirMobile #FirstTeam
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1st Cavalry “Air Mobile”(which, for the record, were Infantry battalions; just saying) trained at Fort Benning, & fought battles in the Ia Drang Valley worth honoring.

One of the first was Task Force Ingram at the Siege of Plei Me: 9/
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_…

Reconnaissance after Plei Me identified an enemy force at the Chu Pong Mastiff; an X on the map became LZ X-Ray.

You’ve heard of that, and that’s why your complaints about Fort “Moore” are suspect.

#WeWereSoldiers

10/

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of…

The training at Fort Benning made the difference in a vastly outnumbered fight. Many of those infantry soldiers sacrificed their lives in service to our nation.
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You’ve seen the movie, & should have read the book, so you know back at Fort Benning, it was Julia Moore who bore the responsibility of telling their wives the news. Their husbands had trained for war, but our Army wasn’t prepared for the sacrifice.
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en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Com…

We always talk about the sacrifice of our families in change of command speeches, maybe the idea of honoring them in the renaming of Fort Benning is not such a bad idea.
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Hal and Julia Moore sacrificed in service to our nation. Their story is deeply enmeshed into the fiber of Fort Benning Georgia. There is no valid argument against honoring them.

But why rename Fort Benning, you say?

I have opinions on that too.
14/

In contrast to Hal and Julia Moore, who was Henry Benning?

See, that’s where your arguments become… problematic.

Was Henry Lewis Benning an infantryman (or even a soldier) in the United States Army?

Nope.
#TYFYS
15/

Henry Benning was a Georgia politician who never served in the U.S. Army.

So what did Benning do?

Glad you asked.

He represented Georgia at the Virginia Secession Convention.

He had some things to say. They were racist things.

A few quotes:
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Ok, so he was white supremacist & advocate for slavery. Maybe you think that was “normal” then. Odd argument.

But “he was a general” from Columbus and that’s why Fort Benning was named after him. Right?

Sorry, wrong uniform. He killed U.S. soldiers.

#SecessionIsTreason
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This is where “heritage” arguments get sticky.

For the record, my family fought in the Civil War too. On the wrong side.

I’m a proud southerner, and proud of my family name, but that doesn’t make my ancestors right.

#BetterSouth


18/

In contrast to Julia Moore, what do we know about what Mary Benning did during the Civil War?

Funny you should ask; Henry left her to care for their plantation and watched over their slaves.

But of course he owned slaves, you already figured that out.
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If you don’t believe me, check the receipts.

Benning was honored by the naming of a base of an Army he never served in and a nation he fought against to defend his right to own people.

Maybe it wasn’t about service and more about his lost cause.

20/

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_L._…

On the other hand, Hal and Julia Moore served our nation honorably and left a legacy worth remembering.

Today, they both rest in the national cemetery on an Army fort about to be named after them.
21/

I’ve visited that cemetery many times. Rows upon rows of heroes and families.

Just a few rows down from the Moore’s, my great-grandparents are buried.

Just down the street, my kids went to Middle School.

That’s 5 generations if you’re counting along. #Heritage
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So, yes, I have opinions about renaming Fort Benning.

It is the right thing.

Nothing about your family, your “heritage”, your “history”, your training, or your feelings carry weight.

It honors the sacrifice of military service to our nation. #BeAllYouCanBe
#BeMoore

/end