Importance of Ft. Benning, GA

The U.S. Army basic training center to which Forrest Gump is bussed after being drafted, Ft. Benning has better barracks than the "Ape Dorm" at the University of Alabama, but the plentiful food is terrible. Forrest is comforted that no one seems much smarter than he. After failing as a rifleman, having never cooked anything, Forrest is put in charge of the kitchen. Challenged with feeding 100 quickly, he mixes every ingredient he can find in a steam boiler, which explodes. Company Commander Lt. Hooper and Sgt. Kranz chase Forrest around the camp and confine him to quarters on weekends until the company ships out to Vietnam.