Fort Benning

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A Drill Sergeant stands tall in front of his recruits

Fort Benning is an immense US Army Base spanning three counties in two different states. Located on the border of Georgia and Alabama, it is just East of Columbus, GA and covers over 182,000 acres. Founded during World War I as a small Army camp, it was greatly expanded during World War II to provide basic training for soldiers headed to the front. Today Fort Benning continues its tradition of training the finest Infantry soldiers in the world.

The Post owes it's name sake to a Confederate States Brigadier General and Georgia Supreme Court judge named Henry L. Benning. Benning spent his entire adult life living in Columbus.

Fort Benning is one of several Installations associated with the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), which oversees the development of operational tactics, training of US Army personnel , and the procurement of new weapons for the Army. Notable units at Ft. Benning affiliated with TRADOC include the US Infantry Center, the 29th Infantry Brigade, Basic Combat Training Brigade, Infantry Training Brigade, Ranger Training Brigade, 3rd Battalion -11th Infantry Regiment(aka the US Army Officer Candidate School), and the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

Besides training commands, Fort Benning also houses the Special Operations Command US Rangers, the mechanized components of the 3rd Infantry Division, The National Infantry Museum, and many other smaller commands & units.

Due to its large size, Ft. Benning receives many visitors. While a large proportion of them are people visiting friends and family stationed on the base or civilian consultants / contractors performing work on site, most visitors to Fort Benning come to see graduation ceremonies for their loved ones completing Basic Training, Officer Canidate School, or Advanced Individual Training (AIT, the post basic training component that all enlisted soldiers go through). A typical graduation ceremony takes place over a weekend. One day is dedicated for the ceremony itself, which includes a pass in review parade, speeches from commanding officers, and a post meet and greet session. The other day is what's known as family day, a time for the newly graduated soldier to spend time with his or her family.

Fort Benning Featured Hotels

Days Inn Columbus Phenix City 600 Martin Luther King Pkwy Hwy 431 Phenix City, AL 36869 Check Dates	All Pictures

Quality Inn Phenix City 1700 U S 280 Byp Phenix City, AL 36867 Check Dates	All Pictures

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