Fort Hood Is Getting a New Name in May

Fort Hood is weeks away from the second name change in its history. In 1950, eight years after the Army base was established in central Texas, Camp Hood became Fort Hood—but this year's renaming reflects bigger changes. The name of Confederate Gen. John Hood is being dropped and replaced with that of Gen. Richard Cavazos, the first Latino four-star general in the Army, NBC reports. The base will officially be renamed Fort Cavazos on May 9. The name change is one of nine recommended by an independent commission tasked with renaming Army bases named after Confederate figures. Cavazos, who served in Korea and Vietnam, died in 2017 at age 78. He commanded III corps, which is based at Fort Hood.

Cavazos retired in 1984 after 33 years of service. "We are proud to be renaming Fort Hood as Fort Cavazos in recognition of an outstanding American hero, a veteran of the Korea and Vietnam wars and the first Hispanic to reach the rank of four-star general in our Army," Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, commanding general of the III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, said in a statement, per KCBD. The general's "combat proven leadership, his moral character and his loyalty to his Soldiers and their families made him the fearless yet respected and influential leader that he was during the time he served, and beyond," Bernabe said. (More Fort Hood stories.)