Fort Hood to be renamed Fort Cavazos after first Hispanic four-star general

Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, is being renamed Tuesday to Fort Cavazos to honor the Army's first Hispanic four-star general, Richard Edward Cavazos.

Fort Hood was named after Confederate general and Texas Brigade Cmdr. John Bell Hood when the Army post opened in 1942.

Cavazos, a Texas-born veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars whose parents were Mexican-Americans, served in the Army for 33 years before he retired in 1984. He died in 2017 at 88.

"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 said.

The Texas post is one of nine U.S. Army bases that are being renamed upon the recommendations of the congressionally-appointed Naming Commission. 

Last week, Virginia's Fort Lee, named after Confederate Col. Robert E. Lee, was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams after Ret. Lt. Gen. Charity Adams Earley, the first black woman to be an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, and Ret. Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, the first black man to become a U.S. Army lieutenant general and the only living person to have a major Army installation named after him.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.