Friday, April 19, 2024
The main gate at the Fort Hood Army Base is seen on South Fort Hood Street in Killeen, Texas on November 7, 2009. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is charged with the deaths of 13 and 29 others wounded after a shooting spree at the Fort Hood army base on November 5. UPI/Robert Hughes
As Congress prepares to rename nine military installations throughout the southern part of the United States which had been previously named for soldiers who fought for the Confederacy, the Coryell County Commissioners Court weighed in with its own resolution on the matter.
As part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the installations are expected to be renamed as early as this fall, and the military will have a designated time to make the changes on signs and other references. Fort Hood, named in 1942 for Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, originally from Kentucky, is one of the bases which is almost certain to be renamed.
The Heart of Texas Defense Alliance, which has representatives from area city and counties neighboring Fort Hood, has been asked to submit possible names to be considered by the Congressional committee in charge of the renaming process.
"The overwhelming response I have heard from people is to leave the name alone," said Coryell County Judge Roger Miller. "That has been the majority response from Coryell County people that I have talked to. However, I am about 99% confident that Fort Hood will be renamed, and if our only response is to tell them not to change it, we won't have any representation in the matter."
Miller said the second most popular response he has heard from those he has talked to is if the base must be renamed, then it should not be renamed for a person.
"For 80 years, Fort Hood has had that name, and it hasn't been an issue," he said. "In another 80 years, norms in society may change and people at that time could be faced with having to rename the base again.
"My recommendation to the court is that if they rename it, it should be renamed Fort Central Texas. It's the geographic location and it's noncontroversial."
Commissioner Kyle Matthews made a motion to approve Miller's recommendation.
Commissioner Ray Ashby, who also voted in favor of the recommendation, said many of the people he had talked to were in favor of renaming the base in favor of Audie Murphy, a U.S. Army hero during World War II.
Ryan Basham voted against the measure, saying the name of the base should remain Fort Hood. Commissioner Daren Moore was not present at the meeting.
