Fort Hood, the sprawling Army base in Central Texas, will be officially renamed Fort Cavazos on May 9, base officials announced Friday.

From that day on, Fort Hood will carry the name of Gen. Richard Cavazos, a highly decorated war veteran who was the first Latino four-star general and first Latino brigadier general. It currently bears the name of a Confederate general, John Bell Hood.

The name change was recommended by the Department of Defense's Naming Commission, which was created in 2021 after Congress ordered in a defense spending bill the removal of all imagery and titles honoring the Confederacy. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin ordered the commission's recommended name change last October.

"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, commanding general of the III Armored Corps and Fort Hood in a statement.

"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," Bernabe stated.