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Train and deploy heavy forces
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- Fort Cavazos is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. A 214,968-acre installation, this is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two armored divisions. The rolling, semi-arid terrain is ideal for multifaceted training and testing of military units and troops.
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The post is named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. Formerly named Fort Hood for Confederate General John Bell Hood, the post is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 mi (97 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas.
- Overview
- Shedding Confederate names
After more than eight decades, the name of Fort Hood, Texas, was changed Tuesday to Fort Cavazos in honor of Gen. Richard Cavazos, a Texas-born decorated war veteran who was the first Latino four-star general and the first Latino brigadier general.
“There is no better namesake for our installation than Richard E. Cavazos,” said Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, commanding general of the III Armored Corps, headquartered at Fort Cavazos.
“Let his name and all that he represents inspire us all every single day to live up to his legacy as a warrior, as a soldier's soldier, as a master trainer, as a military innovator, as a coach and mentor and as a humble servant leader,” said Bernabe in his remarks during the ceremony.
The base got its new name after a yearslong process by the Department of Defense’s Naming Commission to redesignate installations that commemorated the Confederacy. Fort Cavazos was previously named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood.
Cavazos, who died in 2017 at 88, grew up on a cattle ranch in Kingsville, Texas, and was of Mexican American heritage. He commanded the III Armored Corps and took on numerous assignments as he rose through the ranks in a career that spanned 33 years.
Cavazos would earn a Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross for leading “The Borinqueneers,” a segregated regiment made up of Puerto Rican soldiers during the Korean War. Former President Barack Obama gave the unit, officially E Company, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014.
Eight other bases with names connected to the Confederacy are slated to be renamed this year. They include Fort Bragg, N.C., which will become Fort Liberty; Fort AP Hill, Va., which will become Fort Walker to honor Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first woman surgeon in the Civil War and the only woman awarded the Medal of Honor; and Fort Polk, La., which will become Fort Johnson after Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a member of the Harlem Hellfighters in World War I who was belatedly awarded the Medal of Honor.
In addition, the Department of Defense is renaming military streets and buildings previously named after the Confederacy or anyone who fought for the Confederate States of America. Two cruisers are also being renamed and any battle streamers honoring Confederate service are being banned.
Fort Cavazos is home to the 1st Cavalry Division and other divisions and commands. More than 34,500 military personnel and 48,500 family members are stationed at the base, which is also used by the U.S. Reserve and the National Guard for training and mobilizing.
It employs more than 4,000 civilians, according to the base's statement.
May 9, 2023 · Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, named after a Confederate general and long plagued by a series of suicides, homicides and fatal accidents, was renamed on Tuesday after the Army’s first Hispanic...
Fort Hood, better known as the Great Place, was officially redesignated as Fort Cavazos in tribute to Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, the first Hispanic American to earn the rank of four-star...
May 9, 2023 · Fort Hood, the third-largest U.S. military base, was renamed Fort Cavazos on Tuesday to honor a Hispanic American Army leader rather than a Confederate general. The base is now named after...
- April Rubin
5 days ago · Fort Cavazos is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. A 214,968-acre installation, this is the only post in the United States capable of stationing...
May 9, 2023 · May 9, 2023. The Army installation previously known as Fort Hood, Texas, was officially redesignated on May 9 to Fort Cavazos. The base’s new name honors Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a...
