Will Army Base be Renamed for Confederate General? Texas GOP Hopes So
"Fort Cavazos" vs "Fort Hood" Texas
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, is "National Medal of Honor Day" - so I thought it appropriate to consider whether "Fort Cavazos" in Killeen, Texas might soon be renamed "Fort Hood."
For the uninitiated, this US Army Base was first named for Confederate General John Bell Hood in 1942 - before the Army renamed it for Texas US Army General Richard Cavazos on May 9. 2023.
Cavazos was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in January of this year for heroism during the Korean War.
Generals Cavazos & Hood could not have been any different: Cavazos was a native-born Texan; Hood was not. Hood abandoned his wounded troops to die on the battlefield - while Cavazos risked a court martial to return to rescue his - which eventually won him the Medal of Honor.
I've written about the difference between the two men HERE ... and profiled General Cavazos separately HERE.
Among the platform planks delegates to the Texas GOP adopted at its State Convention in San Antonio going into the 2024 Memorial Day Weekend was this item:
"Publicly honor the Southern heroes and rescind all name changes of our military bases."
That would apply to exactly one military base in Texas: Fort Cavazos near Killeen.
Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has already reverted "Fort Liberty" back to its former designation as "Fort Bragg" (not for Confederate General Braxton Bragg - but World War II US Army paratrooper Roland L. Bragg), and has reverted "Fort Moore" back to its former designation as "Fort Benning" (not for its original namesake Confederate General Henry L. Benning but after Corporal Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in action during World War I).
So - given the push by the Texas GOP to rename "Fort Cavazos" "Fort Hood" - and the lack of defense of its present name for a distinguished native son like Richard Cavazos by Texas current elected GOP officials from its Governor & US Senators on down --- it's not much of a stretch to imagine that the Pentagon will find an obscure (non-Confederate) soldier with the last name of "Hood" to justify erasing General Cavazos' name from the main gate.
I hope I am wrong - but recent events suggest otherwise.
Should "Fort Cavazos" be renamed "Fort Hood" as requested by the Texas GOP?
Share your opinion in the comments on this article!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
The most honorable compromise would most appropriately be to name it after one of the heroes of the Alamo, if not Goliad, or San Jacinto.