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U.S. bases by state · from 1942

Fort Hood

US Army post near Killeen, Texas.

History

Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 mi (100 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters of III Armored Corps and First Army Division West and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Cavalry Regiment, among others.

The post was originally named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, commander of the Texas Brigade during the American Civil War. In 2023 it was renamed Fort Cavazos for Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army's first Hispanic four-star general. In 2025, it was renamed back to Fort Hood, after Col. Robert Hood.

Its origin was the need for wide-open space to test and train with World War II tank destroyers. The War Department announced the location in January 1942, and the initial completion was set for that August. As originally constructed, Fort Hood had an area of 158,706 acres (64,226 ha), with billeting for 6,007 officers and 82,610 enlisted personnel. The main cantonment of Fort Hood had a total population of 53,416 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Fort Hood was the most populous U.S. military installation in the world. The main business area is in Bell County, with the training countryside area of the post in Coryell County. In April 2014, the base's website listed 45,414 assigned soldiers and 8,900 civilian employees covering an area of 214,000 acres (87,000 ha).

Text from Wikipedia: Fort Hood, CC BY-SA 4.0, lightly trimmed.

Key dates

  1. 1942
    The War Department announced the selection on 15 January 1942.
  2. 1944
    In 1944, the number of tank destroyer battalions in training at the post declined rapidly.
  3. 1963
    On 15 June 1963, Killeen Base was turned over to the Army.
  4. 1972
    From 23 December 1972, to 19 January 1973, elements of the 13th Support Brigade deployed to the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake to assist in disaster relief serving at Camp Christine, Managua, Nicaragua.
  5. 1991
    On 21 May 1991, with the reactivation of its 3rd Brigade ("Greywolf"), the 1st Cavalry Division became the largest division in the Army upon its return to the United States.
  6. 1998
    In 1998, the Ironhorse Division was designated to be the Army's first multicomponent unit.
  7. 2009
    On 5 November 2009, an Islamic gunman, who regarded himself as a mujahid waging jihad against the United States, opened fire in the Soldier Readiness Center of Fort Hood and killed 13 people while wounding 32 others.
  8. 2020
    In 2020, a debate around renaming US military bases named after Confederate generals emerged during protests sparked from the murder of George Floyd.
  9. 2025
    On 10 June 2025, it was announced that the base would be renamed back to Fort Hood, this time in honor of Col.

Dates and events quoted from the same Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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