Fort Benning is now officially Fort Moore, the only US base named after a married couple.
Arin Yoon, a photographer and military husband, has been documenting the military community for over 10 years. She reported from Fort Moore, Georgia.
Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore commanded troops in the first major battle of the Vietnam War, a role portrayed in a book and a movie. His wife, Julia, was a champion for military husbands and changed the way next of kin are notified when a service member has been killed.
In their honor, Fort Benning in Georgia officially became Fort Moore Thursday, when the Department of Defense removed Confederate names and symbols from military property. Fort Moore is the only base named after a married couple.
“Together, Hal and Julie Moore embody the very best of our military and the very best of our country,” said Major General Curtis Buzzard, Fort Moore’s commanding officer, at a ceremony marking the change, referring to General Moore by his nickname.
“In honoring them, Fort Moore recognizes the sacrifices of all veterans, especially those from Vietnam,” he added. “It also reinforces the important role military spouses and families play in the success of our military.”
The protests over the 2020 police killing of George Floyd sparked wider conversations about racism and calls to rename sites to honor Confederate officers who fought to preserve slavery and white supremacy. A committee set up by Congress to recommend new names for nine U.S. bases chose Fort Moore over Fort Benning, which had been named for a pro-slavery general more than 50 years after the end of the Civil War.
In his remarks on Thursday, General Buzzard reflected on General Moore’s contribution to the integration of the military. “As the commanding general of Fort Ord, California, Hal instituted an equal opportunity policy that prohibits discrimination at a time of high racial tension,” he said.
A military family for life
After graduating from West Point, General Moore served in the military for over 30 years, on assignments around the world. But he is perhaps best remembered for his leadership as a lieutenant colonel at the start of the Vietnam War.
In November 1965, the military leader took his outnumbered troops to the valley of Ia Drang, and a bloody battle ensued. The North Vietnamese forces retreated in what was considered a tactical victory for the United States. But the casualties were heavy. Within 72 hours, 79 American soldiers were killed and 121 wounded.
“During the battle our world shrank to the man on our left and the man on our right and the enemy all around,” recalled General Moore in his memoir, “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young.” The battle and his actions were later depicted in a movie starring Mel Gibson.
On the home front, military families stationed at Fort Benning began receiving telegrams from Western Union with news of the losses of these young husbands, fathers, and sons. Unaccustomed to notifying so many families at once, the military hired taxi drivers to deliver the telegrams.
Julie Moore saw that this practice lacked compassion and humanity. “It was a very cruel way to tell a woman that her world had come to an end,” she wrote in a letter.
She and other husbands began accompanying the taxi drivers and comforting the women upon notice. Because of her work, the Department of Defense began requiring an officer and a chaplain to be present when a family is notified.
Her dedication to military families led to the development of Army Community Services, which provides educational programs and resources to support soldiers and their families, especially through deployment and frequent relocations.
Implementations and relocations
Julie and Hal Moore, who had five children, moved 28 times in 32 years. Active duty military personnel move on average once every two to three years, according to the Department of Defense, contributing to high unemployment among military spouses. During deployments, training exercises and other duty assignments, military husbands, most of whom are women, often raise the children alone.
When soldiers return home, they go through a reintegration process, and families adapt as well. Children sometimes meet or get to know a parent for the first time.
Major Wheeler recalled leaving home for nine months just after the birth of his daughter. When he got back, he said, “Brooklyn wouldn’t let me pick her up.” Mrs. Wheeler added: “When he came home she wanted nothing to do with him. She was like, “Why are you touching my mom?” It was the craziest experience.”
The Moore Legacy
At the ceremony, the Moores’ youngest son, Dave, a West Point graduate and retired Army Colonel, spoke about the values his parents represented as a military family. “We believe the redesignation of Fort Benning is unique because, following the example of Hal and Julie Moore, the Army continues to recognize Army families as essential to Army readiness and mission accomplishment,” he said.
As the ceremony ended, Rebecca Gell Workentine began to leave, but paused to look back at the soldiers in the stands. She waved and a sea of hands waved back.
In 1965 she had received one of the dreaded telegrams, telling her that her husband, Jack Gell, had been killed in Ia Drang.