The Texas Army base of Fort Hood has officially changed its name to Fort Cavazos as part of the U.S. Army’s ongoing effort to rename a handful of bases that currently bear the names of Confederate officers.
On Tuesday, the U.S. military formally renamed the base in honor of General Richard Edward Cavazos, a four-star general who fought in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
“We are proud to rename Fort Hood as Fort Cavazos in recognition of an outstanding American hero, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the first Hispanic to achieve the rank of four-star general in our military,” said Lieutenant General Sean Bernabe, commanding general of the III Armored Corps in a press release.
He added, “General Cavazos’ battle-proven leadership, his moral character and his loyalty to his soldiers and their families made him the fearless yet respected and influential leader he was during the time he served, and beyond.”
“We are ready and excited to be a part of such a momentous part of history while honoring a leader we all admire.”
General Richard Edward Cavazos, for whom Fort Hood has been renamed. The four-star general served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War
Fort Hood’s name was officially changed as part of the Army’s initiative to eliminate references to the Confederate Army
In addition, Fort Hood has suffered a number of murders and deaths in recent years – including the brutal beating of housemaid Vanessa Guillen – that have taken place on its premises.
Earlier this year, the military opened an investigation into the death of 21-year-old Fort Hood engineer Ana Basalduaruiz, who told her mother she had been sexually harassed by her superior.
Cavazos was born and raised in Kingsville, Texas in 1929. After high school, he enrolled in the ROTC program at Texas Tech University and was commissioned into the Army upon graduation in 1951.
He was then shipped to Korea where he served as a platoon commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regimen. During the war, he was awarded both the Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross – the second highest military decoration for bravery.
Before the year was out, he received a second Distinguished Service Cross. At the end of his service career, in addition to more than 29 combat awards, he had also received two Legions of Merit, five Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart.
Retired Army Lieutenant General Robert Clark told Fox News last year that Cavazos “would be very humbled at the very idea.”
The base in Texas was originally named after Confederate General John Bell Hood
The Guard of Honor raises the colors of Fort Cavazos at the Renomination Ceremony
Cavazos served in the United States Army for 33 years, during which time he received 29 combat awards
He added that Cavazos was perhaps best known for prioritizing the welfare of the troops he was put in charge of.
“He was very concerned about the well-being of his soldiers. That was his biggest thing,” Graves said.
Cavazos pursued a 33-year army career before retiring in 1984. He passed away in 2017 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
John Bell Hood, after whom the base was originally named, fought for the Confederacy.
In 2021, Congress authorized a committee to locate military references to the Confederacy so they could be eliminated. Fort Hood was high on a list of about 1,100 references.
Fort Hood is one of nine Army bases bearing the names of Confederate soldiers to be renamed as part of the $63 million project to remove all trace of the Confederacy from the military’s modern apparatus.
The nine army bases that will soon bear new names are Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Polk, Louisiana; and Fort AP Hill, Fort Pickett, and Fort Lee in Virginia.
The Naming Commission released a list of possible new names for the bases in May, including “Fort Eisenhower” for Fort Gordon and “Fort Liberty” for Fort Bragg, among others.
The renaming process began in December last year.
A large handful of Army bases were named in honor of Confederate generals as U.S. troops were trained to enter both world wars, particularly because of a policy that allowed regional commanders to oversee the forts’ naming process.
In the commission’s first report, released last August, the agency determined for whom the controversially named bases will be renamed.
Fort Benning in Georgia, will be named for Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Julia Moore – heroes of the Korean War who are buried in the fort.
Fort Bragg in North Carolina will be named “in commemoration of the American value of freedom.”
Fort Gordon in Georgia will be named for General of the Army and 34th President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower.
Fort Lee, in Virginia, will be named for Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg and Lieutenant Commander Charity Adams, respectively, one of the Army’s top logistics leaders with a military history spanning nearly four decades, and the first African-American woman who is an Officer in the Women’s Relief Corps.
Fort Pickett, will be named after Officer Van Thomas Barfoot – a Medal of Honor recipient for his actions in World War II.
Fort AP Hill in Virginia becomes Fort Walker in memory of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, an American abolitionist, prisoner of war and surgeon.
Fort Polk, in Louisiana, is being renamed in memory of Sergeant William Henry Johnson – a United States Army soldier who was part of the first African-American unit in the army to go into combat during World War I.
And Fort Rucker will be renamed for Michael J. Novosel Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient who flew the B-29 Superfortress bomber in World War II.