A prominent Hispanic organization has approved a resolution brought forward by a council of Texas veterans to call on the Army to rename Fort Hood as Fort Benavidez, Stars And Stripes reported Tuesday.
The League of United Latin American Citizens, at its national meeting this month, said it is time to start recognizing more contemporary heroes from World War II to the present, and this move would honor former Special Forces Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, who received the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.
Benavidez, a native Texan who died in 1998, also received five Purple Heart medals.
The resolution comes as debate continues about removing monuments and names of places that honor veterans of the Confederate army.
Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, is named after John Bell Hood, a Confederate general who commanded the "Texas Brigade" during the Civil War, although he never made the state his home.
The House of Representatives added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 2020 that would block the Defense Department from naming any assets after Confederate symbols, although it does not call for the renaming of any assets bearing these names.
Jorge Haynes, an Air Force veteran who brought the resolution forward, said there are so many other contemporary veterans that deserve such recognition, stressing that "In every state, you can go find three or four incredible heroes."
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