A large Army base in Central Texas is now known by a new name.
CBS News reported that Fort Hood underwent the name change on Wednesday to Fort Cavazos.
The fort’s namesake is Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a native Texan who earned the distinction of being the first Hispanic to attain the rank of four-star general, per the national media outlet.
Cavazos served overseas in the Korean and Vietnam War.
According to the report, the re-designation is part of a Department of Defense (DOD) effort to remove anything that pays tribute to the Confederate States of America (CSA) from nine Army facilities.
"We are proud to be renaming Fort Hood as Fort Cavazos in recognition of an outstanding American hero, a veteran of the Korea and Vietnam wars and the first Hispanic to reach the rank of four-star general in our Army," Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe III, Armored Corps commanding general said, United Press International (UPI) reported. "General Cavazos' combat-proven leadership, his moral character and his loyalty to his soldiers and their families made him the fearless, yet respected and influential leader that he was during the time he served and beyond."
Temple NBC affiliate KCEN reported that Cavazos’ surviving family and two men who served alongside him attended a ceremony on Tuesday.
Per KCEN, officials said more than 400 signs at the base will be changed while the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will update street and highway signs to align with the post’s new name.
The aptly-named Fort Hood Street, however, will be left up to local municipal leaders, the station reported.
The then-Fort Hood was at the center of notoriety in the spring of 2020 when Army Spec. Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old soldier from Houston, went missing at the facility and was later found dead.
Another soldier at the base, Army Spec. Aaron Robinson, was alleged to have killed Guillen while Robinson’s ex-girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was accused of helping hide Guillen’s remains.
Robinson took his own life when law enforcement attempted to arrest him.
Houston Daily reported that Aguilar, the lone person who faced charges in the homicide, entered a guilty plea late last year.
Sentencing is slated for Aug. 14.