Fort Benning, a United States Army post, is located in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama. This growing military community supports over 120,000 active-duty military, reserve component soldiers, retirees, family members, and civilian employees. As a platform for power projection, Fort Benning also possesses the ability to deploy forces by rail, highway, and air. It is also the home to the United States Army Infantry School, the United States Army Armor School, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and other additional tenant units.

Where is Fort Benning located?  Map of Ft Benning below

History of Fort Benning

Named after Brigadier General Henry L. Benning, Fort Benning was first established in October 1918 as Camp Benning. It covers over 182,000 acres of land, with a billeting space for over 94,873 enlisted persons and 3,970 officers. It has also served as the Home of the Infantry since then. As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commissions decision to consolidate a wide variety of military installations and army schools, its transformation as the Maneuver Center of Excellence also began. The inclusion of the Armor School is also one of the biggest milestones in this transformation.

Fort Benning was originally established to provide basic training for military units participating in World War I. When the war ended, Benning was closed until the United States Army could find another use for it. Its first tenant unit included the Infantry School, which was commanded by General George Marshall. Today, the Infantry School as well as the permanent buildings that were completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps are still at Fort Benning. In 1940, the 2nd Armored Division was also formed at the camp. It was first seen in action in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the Operation Torch in North Africa.

When World War II took place, Fort Benning immediately became the home to the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, popularly known as Triple Nickel. Members began training in December 1943, which was also an important milestone for Black Americans. They played a huge role in shaping the history of the Home of the Infantry, which eventually expanded to become the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion. The group was trained at Fort Benning but they were not deployed overseas. During this period, the Triple Nickel also had over a thousand parachute jumps that played the role of smoke jumpers.

The 555th Battalion was deployed to the Pacific Northwest of United States as an active response to the forest fires set by the Japanese military. The Airborne School on the Main Post also has three drop towers, which were eventually called Free Towers. They were mainly used to train paratroopers. The towers were designed after the parachute towers that were used at New Yorks World Fair in 1939. Today, only three towers stand in Fort Benning because the fourth one was toppled by a tornado in 1954. The Fourth Infantry Division also completed its basic military training at Fort Benning before it was deployed to Germany.

Fort Bennings vision and mission

Fort Benning provides trained, agile, flexible, and competent soldiers and leaders for the United States Army during times of war. It works on developing future requirements for individual soldiers as well as the Maneuver Force. This self-sustaining military community also aims to provide soldiers, retirees, and their families with a first-class quality of life. The Infantry school tries to transform civilians into disciplined men who possess fundamental soldier skills, indispensable army values, confidence, character, commitment, and the ethics to become flexible infantrymen who are always ready to accomplish the mission of the military.

On the other hand, the Army School at Fort Benning inspires, educates, and trains armored soldiers and leaders for a lifetime service to the United States of America. Students are also prepared to destroy the enemy by far and act as a part of the combined arms team. The Maneuver Center of Fort Benning, which teaches over 85 courses and trains over a hundred thousand soldiers and leaders, is also located at Fort Benning, When its transformation as a center of excellence is finally complete, the people behind it expects to influence the entire Army force as well as every non-commissioned officer and soldier in the military.

The main priority of Fort Benning is to provide the United States Army with full support in times of war. As this military community operates in a command climate of discipline and teamwork, it expects to complete the transition and attain full operating capacity in the near future. To strengthen the force, the Maneuver Center of Excellence also continues to conduct experiments and research studies in order prepare and equip the force in fighting and winning future battles. Through the continuous development of the doctrine, the Maneuver Center also makes use of emerging technology to serve as a loyal advocate of the Maneuver Force.

Fort Benning facts and figures

Fort Benning has already appeared in a number of movies and documentary films. Some of the most notable ones include Parachute Battalion, Your Mother Wears Combat Boots, Black Hawk Down, The Generals Daughter, and We Were Soldiers. These movies have contributed to the growing popularity of this self-sustaining military community. The Western Hemisphere Institute for Society Cooperation, successor to the Armys School of the Americas, is also one of the tenant units that you will find in this military installation. In 1984, the School of the Americas moved to Fort Benning and trained over 61,000 Latin American policemen and soldiers.

Today, Fort Benning houses thousands of active-duty military men, retirees, families, and civilian employees. Over 83% of people living in the south of Benning speak English and 10.2% of residents speak Spanish. A significant percentage of the residents are also of Latino or Hispanic origin. 93.1% of residents were born in the United States and 49.3% of them are already married. Its diverse community of people has but one goal to serve their country and provide it will full support during times of war. Fort Benning is perhaps the most significant military installation that plays a huge role in shaping the future of the United States Army.

 

Video – Fort Benning Basic Training Boot Camp