National Defense

Army Base Named For Confederate Leader To Be Renamed After Hispanic General

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Fort Hood, the U.S. Army base in Killeen, Texas, named for a Confederate general, will be renamed after the first Hispanic four-star general on Tuesday amid a plan to remove Confederate names from military assets.

The base will be renamed Fort Cavazos on Tuesday to commemorate Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a “distinguished” veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars who once served as commanding general of the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood from 1980 to 1982, according to an Army press release. Born in Kingsville, Texas, Cavazos became the first Hispanic Army officer to each the rank of a four-star general, serving as the commander of U.S. Army Forces Command.

“General Cavazos’ 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,” Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, Commanding General of the current III Armored Corps, said, according to CNN.

“We are ready and excited to be part of such a momentous part of history, while we honor a leader who we all admire,” he added.

While in Korea, Cavazos earned the Distinguished Service Cross for guiding his unit through enemy fire back to safe territory, according to The Washington Post.

Cavazos served in the Army for 33 years before he retired in 1984, CNN reported. He died in 2017.

The Pentagon’s Naming Commission selected Cavazos to redesignate the Army fort, formerly named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, following a recommendation from the League of United Latin American Citizens, according to the Post.

Fort Cavazos is the latest of nine Army bases Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered renamed based on the commission’s recommendations, which proposed changes to remove titles and insignia referencing the Confederacy.

This morning, Fort Hood will be redesignated Fort Cavazos. Get to know its namesake – Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos.

We’re proud to honor the courage and legacy of distinguished Soldiers like this Texas-born hero of the Korean and Vietnam wars.

👆 📺 Tap to watch. pic.twitter.com/NI7lOr81Xm

— U.S. Army (@USArmy) May 9, 2023

Hood was a West Point Graduate who resigned his commission in the U.S. Army to serve the Confederacy, becoming the youngest officer on either side of the Civil War to independently lead an army at 33, according to History.com. He earned a reputation for courage under fire, but as general launched a series of failed campaigns that resulted in heavy casualties and ultimately led to his removal.

Today, Fort Hood is home to about 34,500 soldiers, and has long been troubled with a series of suicides and murders, CNN reported. Multiple deaths on the base, including that of 20-year-old Vanessa Guillen in 2020, triggered an Army investigation; it found that on-base criminal investigators were overstretched and under-qualified and caused the service to discipline 14 leaders.