Fort Hood to be renamed Fort Cavazos on May 9

Fort Hood, a sprawling Army base in Central Texas, will be renamed Fort Cavazos on May 9, base officials announced Friday.

From that day onwards, Fort Hood will carry the name of Gen. Richard Cavazos, a highly decorated war veteran who was the first Latino four-star general and the first Latino brigadier general. It is the name of a Confederate general, John Bell Hood.

The Department of Defense's Naming Commission created a name change in 2021 after Congress ordered the removal of all imagery and titles in honor of the Confederacy. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin ordered the commission's name change in October.

We are proud to rename Fort Hood as Fort Hood 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 in a statement.

General Cavazos' combat proven leadership, his moral character, and his loyalty to his soldiers and his families made him the fearless, yet respected and influential leader he was during the time he served and beyond, according to Bernabe.

Fort Hood is the headquarters of the III Armored Corps and will hold a renaming ceremony, which will only be open to invited guests and media, base officials said in a news release. The event will not be open to the public because of space constraints, but it will be live streamed on the base's social media sites, according to the statement.

Cavazos, who died in 2017 at 78, was a Mexican American born in Kingsville, Texas. He commanded the III Corps, headquartered at Fort Hood.

Cavazos earned the Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross for leading the Borinqueneers, a segregated regiment made of Puerto Rican soldiers during the Korean War. In 2014, President Barack Obama gave the unit, officially E Company, 2 nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, the Congressional Gold Medal.

As a young lieutenant in Korea, he returned to the field five times to escape his wounded soldiers before allowing medics to treat his wounds for that action, said of Cavazos when the commission announced its recommendation last May.

Cavazos also served in Vietnam in 1967 and commanded the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, and earned his second Distinguished Service Cross.

Fort Hood officials said in their news release that he retired to San Antonio and is recognized for mentoring many Army commanders.

Fort Hood is home to the 1st Cavalry Division and other divisions and commands. More than 34,500 military personnel and 48,500 family members are stationed at the base. Fort Hood is used by the U.S. Reserve and National Guard for training and mobilizing.

The base statement states that it employs more than 4,000 civilians.