Located in Georgia and Alabama, Fort Benning is an active army base that supports over 100,000 members of the military and their families. The army base received its name from Brigadier General Henry L. Benning, who was over the Confederate Army during the Civil War. It started life as Camp Benning in 1918. After World War 1, the base wasn't used very much until World War II, when it became the home of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, also known as the Triple Nickel. Their primary use was to fight wildfires.
An Airborne School is located on the army base. During the 1960s, the CIA used Fort Benning to train various people. Then, in Vietnam, Fort Benning was home to Scout Dog training programs for the US Army. In 1984, Fort Benning became home to the School of the Americas - which was later renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. From training infantry to training paratroopers, Fort Benning is still an important part of the US Army's dedication to training soldiers to handle all the tasks given to them. From basic combat training to more advanced classes, Fort Benning is still a very active army base.