‘Slap in the face.' Nephew of General Cavazos upset over army base's name change back to Fort Hood
KILLEEN, Texas (KXAN) — Two years ago, an Army post in Killeen, Texas, was redesignated to honor General Richard Edward Cavazos, a native Texan, war hero and Medal of Honor recipient.
Past coverage: Fort Hood becomes Fort Cavazos
The post was one of nine U.S. Army installations redesignated in 2023 based on the Naming Commission's recommendations to remove the names, symbols, displays, monuments and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America, according to the U.S. Army's website.
Now, it's one of several of those whose names are being restored back to their previous names. President Donald Trump announced the move at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Tuesday. The same day, the U.S. Army issued a release stating that it would 'take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu.'
RELATED | Army restores the names of seven bases that lost their Confederate-linked names under Biden
Fort Cavazos was initially named Fort Hood after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. The base will again be renamed, back to Fort Hood, but with a different namesake: World War I Col. Robert B. Hood.
According to the Army, Col. Hood received the Distinguished Service Cross for his 'extraordinary heroism' during WWI during an 'intense shelling' near Thiaucourt, France.
Texas Public Radio reported earlier this week that Trump announced plans to restore the names of seven Army bases that were changed in 2023. TPR noted that it would be illegal under federal law to rename a military base once again after John Bell Hood, but it is not illegal to name it after Col. Robert B. Hood.
'It's a slap in the face,' a family member said Thursday.
Albert Ochoa, an Austin resident and retired teacher, is a nephew of Gen. Cavazos. He said he and several of his family members are upset about Trump's call to rename the post once again.
Ochoa said he and the general 'go way back.' He explained that Cavazos was raised by his mother on King Ranch, and Ochoa grew up having a personal relationship with the general.
Ochoa called Cavazos a 'family man, through and through,' and described him as a dedicated soldier.
'He was a great man, really, a soldier's soldier,' Ochoa said. 'So, you know, I can't tell you enough about how he dedicated his life to the army and to be disrespected like this goes beyond anything I can think of.'
Ochoa said that when the base was redesignated as Fort Cavazos, it was a celebration for him and his family. He said more than 100 relatives of Cavazos went to the redesignation ceremony.
'It was an affirmation of his career and the dedication he had to this country and the Army,' he said. 'You got to understand discrimination was still very big, and he was Hispanic… but he went on to become the first Hispanic four-star general [and was] quoted in Schwarzkopf books.'
Ochoa said he was 'dumbfounded' when his son sent him an article about the base being named back to Fort Hood. 'To me, it's a slap in the face to the Army and all the veterans who served before. Trump… doesn't know a thing about war, strategy, tactics, the Army, armed forces, period.'
He's not just upset about the renaming of the Killeen post, either. Ochoa mentioned the other posts affected by the decision and said, 'in effect, he's saying that the Confederacy was OK.'
Ochoa said regardless of the name change, he wants people to remember what the base stood for and its stance as one of the major bases in the country.
'Changing the name is not going to change what it was about or what it did for this country,' Ochoa said. 'A name change isn't going to make that much of a difference. You know, it's disrespectful. We don't, we don't agree with it, but, you know, it's a slap in the face to all Army veterans that have ever served there… But it'll continue, regardless of how it's treated.'
KXAN also reached out to Fort Cavazos to ask for commentary on its name change back to Fort Hood. We will update this story if we receive a response.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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