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President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that his administration is restoring the names of several U.S. Army bases that were changed in 2023 鈥� including Fort Cavazos, the Texas installation originally named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood.
While it would be illegal under federal law to rename a military base once again after John Bell Hood, it is not illegal to name it after World War I Col. Robert B. Hood.
"They found some people with similar names so they could work around it," said Lawrence Romo, a member of the Base Naming Commission.
The commission was formed by Congress in 2021 in the wake of widespread protest over social injustice that brought attention to Confederate monuments and namesakes.
Among the commission's recommendations was to change Fort Hood to Fort Cavazos in honor of the Army's first Latino four star general, Richard Cavazos.
"There was no movement to rename the base. Nobody ever told me that they want to rename it back to Fort Hood," Romo said. "I can't think of a single person that has told me we should rename it back to Fort Hood."
Romo said the commission's work was based on local community input and merit. There were no diversity requirements in its final recommendations.
He added that it was an insult to the name of Richard Cavazos to take the honor away from his legacy. "The actions by the secretary of defense and the president were immoral, unjustified, unprofessional and unbecoming," Romo said.
Trump made the announcement during a visit to Fort Bragg marking the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary.
"We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It's no time to change," Trump said. "And I'm superstitious, you know, I like to keep it going, right? I'm very superstitious."
In a statement, the Army said it 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."
Fort Bragg also saw a recent renaming. It was originally named for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. In 2023, it was renamed Fort Liberty. But in February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth changing the name again, this time to .
The statement went on to list the seven bases that will be changed back to their original names, but with different namesakes.
"Fort Pickett (formerly Fort Barfoot) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett for his extraordinary heroism during World War II. While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades. After being captured, he escaped from a transport train with fellow POWs and rejoined his unit before being killed in action.
Fort Hood (formerly Fort Cavazos) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Col. Robert B. Hood for his extraordinary heroism during World War I. Amid intense shelling near Thiaucourt, France, then-Capt. Hood directed artillery fire under enfilading machine-gun fire. After his gun crew was lost to enemy fire, he rapidly reorganized and returned fire within minutes, restoring combat capability.
Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon for his valor during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia. Gordon volunteered to be inserted to defend wounded crew members at a helicopter crash site and held off an advancing enemy force, protecting the pilot after exhausting all his ammunition.
Fort Lee (formerly Fort Gregg-Adams) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Fitz Lee for his heroism during the Spanish-American War. During a coastal assault in Cuba, Lee voluntarily disembarked under direct enemy fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield.
Fort Polk (formerly Fort Johnson) will be named in honor of Silver Star recipient Gen. James H. Polk for his gallantry in action as commanding officer of the 3rd Cavalry Group (Mechanized) during operations across Europe in World War II. Then-Col. Polk led reconnaissance and combat missions under fire, spearheading Third Army advances as part of Task Force Polk. He later served as commander in chief of U.S. Army Europe.
Fort Rucker (formerly Fort Novosel) will be named in honor of Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Edward W. Rucker for extraordinary heroism in World War I. Flying deep behind enemy lines, then-1st Lt. Rucker and his fellow aviators engaged a numerically superior enemy force in a daring aerial battle over France, disrupting enemy movements and completing their mission against overwhelming odds.
Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill (formerly Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Walker) will be named in honor of Medal of Honor recipients Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn and Pvt. Bruce Anderson for extraordinary heroism during the Civil War. Then-Capt. Hill, Pinn and Anderson executed significant actions separately at Cold Harbor, Virginia; Chapin's Farm, Virginia; and Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in support of the U.S. Army."
"The Secretary of the Army will take immediate action to implement these redesignations," according to the statement.
Romo said he did not wish to denigrate anyone's service 鈥� including the individuals now being honored at the seven bases 鈥� but he takes issue with the way it was done.
"They worked around the law. They took away the names of three African Americans, three women and one Hispanic," Romo said. "You want minorities to be recruited to the military. So why do you take away their heroes?"
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