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Fort Hood Is Back, Thanks To Secretary Hegseth
In a surprise announcement, the U.S. Army revealed that Fort Cavazos will once again be called Fort Hood — this time honoring a different Hood entirely.
The news broke on June 16 via a series of social media posts from the official U.S. Army Fort Hood X account. The announcement detailed that official orders for the name change have been received and are now being implemented, with an official renaming ceremony scheduled for a later date.
'The installation is currently updating the online presence, including Facebook and the website, and will update physical signage and materials at a later date,' the post continued.
Col. Robert B. Hood was recognized for his valor near Thiaucourt, France, where he coordinated artillery fire while under heavy machine-gun fire and shelling. When his crew was lost, Hood reorganized the unit under fire and restored combat readiness within minutes.
The Army directed further questions to its Public Affairs Media Press Desk and shared a link to its official announcement, which includes redesignation plans for six other installations.
'The U.S. Army will 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,' the Army press release stated.
In addition to Fort Hood, installations that will be renamed include Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot), Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower), and Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel), among others.
The name 'Fort Hood' was originally associated with Confederate General John Bell Hood. In 2021, a Democrat-led Congress mandated the removal of Confederate names from U.S. military bases. Fort Hood was subsequently renamed Fort Cavazos in 2023 after Gen. Richard Cavazos, the Army's first Hispanic four-star general.
However, political tides shifted following the appointment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Earlier this year, Hegseth used a similar legal workaround to restore Fort Bragg's name, re-dedicating it to WWII hero Pvt. Roland L. Bragg.
The Dallas Express previously reported that similar methods could be used to restore the Fort Hood name without violating federal law. A search of military honors databases revealed several non-Confederate Hoods with distinguished service records, including Col. Robert B. Hood.
The move appears to satisfy supporters of traditional military base names while complying with legal mandates to avoid Confederate associations. The Army presser emphasized that the redesignations are being made in line with Section 1749(a) of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
