2025-09

Restore Fort Cavazos

Sponsored by

Sen. Nilsa Cruz Perez (NJ), Del. Aijalon Cordoza (VA), Rep. Terry Meza (TX) and Rep. Annie Menz (OK)

Reported to the Caucus by the
NHCSL Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force

Sen. Nilsa Cruz Perez (NJ), Chair

Unanimously ratified by the Caucus on November 22, 2025

WHEREAS, on May 24, 2022, the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America recommended that the Fort in Texas then named after Confederate General John Bell Hood be renamed after General Richard E. Cavazos;[1] and,

WHEREAS, in Resolution 2022-08, this Caucus joined the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, and then President Biden in honoring the service of General Cavazos, the first Hispanic-American to achieve the rank of four-star General, through the renaming of that base, the largest active-duty armored post in the U.S. Armed Forces, the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces; and,

WHEREAS, on January 3 of this year, then President Biden upgraded Cavazos’s first Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor; and,

WHEREAS, General Cavazos is widely regarded as a “Texas legend”[2] and a “true hero;”[3] and,

WHEREAS, despite being fully deserving of the recognition of the naming of Fort Cavazos, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, stripped General Cavazos of the honor in June, less than two years after the renaming;[4] and,

WHEREAS, Hegseth renamed Fort Cavazos back to Fort Hood, but this time after a different Hood, to evoke the original Confederate-inspired name while ostensibly complying with the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act which created the Naming Commission over President Trump’s first-term veto. The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board called the new namesake “bait-and-switch Hood;”[5] and,

WHEREAS, Fort Cavazos’ renaming as Fort Hood is not the only case. At the behest of President Trump, Hegseth renamed eight more bases, including Fort Liberty as Fort Bragg, after a different non-Confederate Bragg. And he renamed Fort Moore as Fort Benning, after a non-Confederate Benning. And Fort Gregg-Adams is back to being Fort Lee, but for Pvt. Fitz Lee instead of for the traitor Robert E. Lee;[6] and,

WHEREAS, the renamings to evoke the old Confederate names come as part of Hegseth’s efforts to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies, including ordering commands to “erase DEI references from websites, cancel DEI trainings and contracts, and cease government-supported observances of Black History Month, Women’s History Month, National Hispanic Heritage Day and other cultural awareness events;” disbanding “a dozen cadet affinity groups, including the Society of Black Engineers, the Latin Cultural Club, a social club for LGBTQ cadets and local chapters of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers” at West Point; and taking down countless webpages that celebrated the contributions of women servicemembers and servicemembers of color, among other affronts.[7]

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators condemns the base renamings and other anti-diversity measures by Secretary Hegseth as a cynical affront to truth, to the intent of the legal prohibition on Confederate names, and to the pluralistic nature of our democracy; and calls on Congress to revert the policies, restoring the names recommended by the Naming Commission, including Fort Cavazos in Texas.

IN ITS MEETING OF JULY 28, 2025, THE NHCSL VETERANS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS TASK FORCE UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED THIS RESOLUTION TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR APPROVAL.

THE NHCSL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THIS RESOLUTION ON AUGUST 5, 2025, AT ITS MEETING IN BOSTON, MA.

THE NATIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS UNANIMOUSLY RATIFIED THIS RESOLUTION AT ITS ANNUAL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 22, 2025 IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.

[1] Naming Commission Recommendation of Fort Cavazos

[2] Sig Christenson, Biden awards Medal of Honor to Gen. Richard Cavazos, Texas legend (San Antonio Express News, Jan 4 2025)

[3] Sig Christenson, Richard Cavazos, a son of King Ranch, to receive Medal of Honor (San Antonio Express News, Jan 2 2025)

[4] Leo Shane III, Hegseth says Army base renamings will move ahead, despite concerns (Military Times, Jun 18, 2025).

[5] Houston Chronicle Editorial Board, For Pete Hegseth, a Bragg is a Bragg is a brag (The Houston Chronicle, Feb 16, 2025).

[6] The Associated Press, Fort Cavazos in Texas renamed Fort Hood once again (The Dallas News, Jun 11, 2025)

[7] Sig Christenson, Hegseth can't just slap Confederate names back on military bases (San Antonio Express News, Feb 17 2025)