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Fort Hood becomes Fort Cavazos: What local business owners say about potential changes to street

Fort Hood will officially be renamed Fort Cavazos Tuesday morning with a ceremony for the unveiling of the new signage.

KILLEEN, Texas — Fort Hood will officially be renamed Fort Cavazos at a ceremony Tuesday morning.

The sign at the font gate will reveal the new name, which recognizes Gen. Richard Cavazos, the first Hispanic four-star general in Texas. 

The change comes from a federal mandate to throw out the names of army bases that represent the confederacy.

Back in the 1940's, Fort Hood was named after Confederate General Gen. John Bell Hood. The U.S. was entering WWII at the time.

Back then, it was originally a tank destroyer tactical and firing center under the name Camp Hood, according the U.S. Army. 

At the time, the Government wanted to name all Southern bases after confederate soldiers. Today, they want to reverse that.

For more on the history of how Fort Hood was named, click here.

The change comes with excitement from some, but others worry that if this is to change, what happens to the rest of the city?

"I do feel the streets should stay the same," George Rahim-Zadeh, a veteran of the Army, said.

Rahim-Zadeh retired from Fort Hood in 2009. For his career there, he always knew it as Fort Hood.

Today, he owns a business on Fort Hood Street. Rahim-Zadeh said he likes how history is moving forward with this change, but if the City were to change the name of the street, he would lose a lot of money.

The city of Killeen doesn't have to change the name of any street or place that is called Fort Hood.

In January, Council made a motion to table the vote until they heard back from business owners on that street.

That discussion has yet to make it back to Council. There will be a meeting tonight at 5:00 p.m. to discuss the renaming of the base.

Mayor Debbie Nash-King has yet to respond to 6 News on the topic.

As for business owners, some see it as a negative, while others might just see it as a way to create a new history.

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