Fort Hood in Texas is named for Confederate General John Bell Hood.
Why not?
Former Time colleague Jamie Malanowski had an intriguing piece in the New York Times over the holiday weekend wondering why the U.S. military has at least 10 major bases named in honor – there is no other way to put it – of Confederate generals from the Civil War:
Lee, “responsible for the deaths of more Army soldiers than Hitler and Tojo.” Hood. Benning. Gordon. Bragg, “irascible, ineffective, argumentative with subordinates and superiors alike.” Polk. Pickett, who ordered “the execution of 22 Union prisoners.” Hill. Rucker. Beauregard.
He doesn’t use the word, but these men were traitors.
Malanowski writes:
Changing the names of these bases would not mean that we can’t still respect the service of those Confederate leaders; nor would it mean that we are imposing our notions of morality on people of a long-distant era. What it would mean is that we’re upholding our own convictions. It’s time to rename these bases. Surely we can find, in the 150 years since the Civil War, 10 soldiers whose exemplary service not only upheld our most important values, but was actually performed in the defense of the United States.
Full thing here.