Columbus is a city that loves the military. Fort Benning anchors the military community, supporting over 120,000 active-duty service members, families, reservists, retirees, and civilian employees daily. It’s the home of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Armor School, Infantry School, Ranger School, and the 75th Ranger Regiment. It spans almost 200,000 acres across Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County in Alabama.
For a brief time, the installation was even renamed Fort Moore, after Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and his wife Julia. That was in 2023 but two years later, the Department of Defense reverted the base’s name to Fort Benning, though its namesake was updated to honor World War I hero Corporal Fred G. Benning instead of the original Confederate general.
Now, Columbus State University has established the Lt. Gen. Harold & Julia Moore Institute for the Study of the American Military Experience to enhance education, research and public engagement regarding the U.S. military’s role in society.
The Moore Institute aims to strengthen the university’s existing military history programs, preserve critical historical records, and foster collaboration among students, historians and military professionals locally and nationally…