Credit: Lorin Granger/HLS Staff Photographer
Honor where honor is due, isn’t it true?
So thinks a congressional commission that has suggested changing the name of Fort Hood, the sprawling Army post in Central Texas, to Fort Cavazos, in honor of General Richard Cavazos, a highly decorated war veteran who was the first Latino brigadier and four-star general.
As NBC News explained, the Naming Commission was created to rename nine Army posts and other military assets that bear the names of individuals who voluntarily fought for the Confederacy.
An urgent space
Fort Hood is a U.S. Army post located near Killeen, Texas. It was born out of the country’s need during World War II for ample space to test and train with tank destroyers.
The idea was for mobile anti-tank guns to counter German mobile armored units.
The War Department announced the location in January 1942, and initial completion was set for that August.
Andrew Davis (A.D.) Bruce was assigned to organize a new Tank Destroyer Firing and Tactical Center and chose Killeen, Texas, for the new field.
The official opening took place on September 18, 1942. In February, the camp was named in honor of Confederate General John Bell Hood, who commanded Hood’s Texas Brigade during the American Civil War.
Following World War II, Fort Hood has been a training and technology development site for multiple conflicts, including the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq.
As initially built, the camp was 64,226 acres in size, with accommodations for 6,007 officers and 82,610 enlisted men. Fort Hood’s main cantonment had a total population of 53,416, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Fort Hood is the most populous U.S. military installation in the world.
By the 2021 census, the camp’s population totaled 23,508.
Turning the Page
Now, the Naming Commission will decide whether Fort Hood should change its name to Fort Cavazos, in honor of Gen. Richard Cavazos, a highly decorated war veteran who was the first Latino brigadier and four-star general.
Cavazos earned the Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross for leading the Puerto Rican regiment “Los Borinqueers” during the Korean War and later in Vietnam, in addition to other honors.
Cavazos, who died in 2017 at age 78, was a Mexican-American from Kingsville, Texas, who commanded the III Corps, based at Fort Hood, among other postings.
Fun facts:
- Some 20,000 Fort Hood soldiers are in Afghanistan or Iraq.
- Presley spent four days at Fort Chaffee before being transferred to Fort Hood in Texas in 1958.
- Fort Hood is the most populous U.S. military base in the world.
- The Killeen region experienced a military boom, and its population would increase by more than 450 percent in the decade following the end of World War II.
- If you are looking for a place to eat authentic Latin food on your visit to Fort Hood, Las Tapatias is your place. Carne asada, menudo, or street tacos, Tapatias is a small family-ran Mexican restaurant that will make your visit to this historic camp taste different.
Location: Killeen, Texas, U.S.
Address: Fort Hood, TX 76544, United States
Google 360-view: Take a look at Fort Hood here.
