Free Movie Screenings Highlight the Heroes Behind Fort Moore’s New Name
The Fort Moore Exchange is hosting a series of free movie screenings to celebrate the redesignation of Fort Benning to Fort Moore and help educate the community about the heroes that gave the post its new name.
From May 11 through May 14, the Fort Moore theater will hold daily screenings of the 2002 film, “We Were Soldiers,” starring Mel Gibson and partially filmed at the installation.
Based on Lt. Gen. Hal Moore’s book, “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young,” the film details the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Cavalry Regiment’s roles in the Battle of Ia Drang.
Moore, who led the 1st Battalion at Ia Drang, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism during the battle. The film also recounts the work done by his wife, Julia Compton Moore, to advocate for the creation of an official system for notifying the next of kin of fallen Soldiers.
“We’ve got a lot of young troops and other people here who might not necessarily know the history behind our new name,” said Exchange General Manager Stephanie Wilson. “The free screenings of ‘We Were Soldiers’ are a great way to educate the community about the Moores’ legacy.”’
Fort Moore Services Business Manager Kathy Lieb said getting the OK to screen the movie was easy thanks to the local theater concessionaire, Lucas Cinema.
“I asked the Lucas Cinema manager about showing this movie, and he said he’d let us know,” Lieb said. “Next thing I know, he calls me back and said they could do it, and that they would even do free admission.”
Wilson said the idea is being embraced by local command, adding that Lucas Cinema has been very helpful in ensuring as many Soldiers can see the film as possible.
“If you want to bring your group or unit to a showing, Lucas can coordinate and arrange that,” Wilson said. “We’re eager to see how many people take the offer.”
Lieb, meanwhile, said she is excited to give the community an opportunity to get a better sense of history regarding the post’s redesignation.
“One of the really important things the film shows is Julia’s role in changing the way families were notified when a loved one dies, as well as her role in forming the Family Readiness Groups,” Lieb said. “I thought it was very important to show that in addition to the heroism her husband showed in battle.
“I’m just really glad we were able to pull this screening off and pull it altogether to make it work.”
