Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States, and is the only post in the United States that is capable of supporting two full armored divisions. In addition to the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood is also home to the Headquarters Command III Corps, 3d Personnel Group, 3d Signal Brigade, 13th Corps Support Command (COSCOM), 13th Finance Group, 89th Military Police Brigade, 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, the 21st Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat), the Dental Activity (DENTAC), the Medical Support Activity (MEDDAC), Army Operational Test Command (AOTC) formerly TEXCOM, and various other units and tenant organizations.

Fort Hood was named after John Bell Hood. A famous Confederate Army general, during the Civil War he gained recognition as the commander of Hood’s Texas Brigade. In 1861, John Hood resigned his commission in the Union Army to join the Confederate Army, where he started out as a First Lieutenant in the cavalry. He made rapid progress and in May of 1862, he was made a Brigadier General. His men rewrote the song "Yellow Rose of Texas". Part of the new words were "The gallant Hood of Texas played hell in Tennessee." At Chickamauga, Hood lost his right leg. Not one to give up, he had himself strapped in the saddle and continued leading his troops. Lee relieved Hood of his command after Hood refused to turn over ambulances his soldiers captured during the second battle at Manassas, which was called Bull Run by the Union. Hood wanted to keep the ambulances for his soldiers. Hood’s soldiers demonstrated their displeasure over the decision to can the general, and Lee wound up reinstating Hood. However, Lee stipulated that Hood had to apologize. Hood never did. After the war was over, John Hood moved to New Orleans. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful at his business attempts. Sadly he and his wife died of yellow fever in 1879, leaving behind ten children.

The first train steamed into town in May 1882, giving birth to the city of Killeen. The railroad positioned Killeen as the central shipping point for the surrounding agricultural area. Throughout the late 1800s up to 1942, Killeen remained a small but bustling rural community of less than 2,000 residents. When the Army came to Killeen, it was a small, sleepy cotton farming community of twelve thousand. Much has changed since then. In 1951, Killeen's future was secured when Congress designated Camp Hood as Fort Hood, a permanent installation. Killeen offers top notch dining and shopping. There are many first-class hotel accommodations. Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Lake are both a short drive from the city, Both lakes offer a wide variety of recreational activities.

Today Fort Hood is a three hundred and forty square mile installation. The cantonment area of Fort Hood is adjacent to Killeen, Texas in the beautiful "Hill and Lake" country of the Great State of Texas. The post stretches 26 miles from east to west and 24 miles from north to south. Fort Hood location: approximately 60 miles north of the capital city of Austin and 50 miles south of Waco. The city of Killeen borders Fort Hood to the east and Copperas Cove borders Fort Hood to the west. Access to the post is from IH-35 to U.S.Highway 190 West, at Belton, toward Killeen.

Old has given way to new as Fort Hood facilities undergo a major upgrade. Throughout post, the original World War II-era wooden buildings have been mostly torn down to make room for modern brick and stone buildings. On an annual basis, Congress funds millions of dollars of construction programs on Fort Hood. Programs in progress include the Soldier Development Center, an improved rail loading area, a vehicle maintenance facility at West Fort Hood, additional family housing at West Fort Hood and barracks rebuilding.

There are more than 5,000 sets of quarters for enlisted soldiers and their families, and an additional 634 quarters are set aside for officers and their family members. During the next five years, more than $200 million will be spent renovating and replacing the post’s family housing as part of the Residen-tial Communities Initiative. The post also has nearly 100 barracks for enlisted soldiers, 75 guest quarters and more than 340 transient quarters.

The overall post population is estimated at about 71,000, of which are almost 42,000 soldiers. The rest are family members living on post, employees of the Army Air Force Exchange Service, volunteers and other employees. The 1st Cavalry Division is staffed with more than 17,000 soldiers, while the 4th Infantry Division has more than 11,000. The 13th Corps Support Com-mand has about 5,600, the 3rd Signal Brigade has 1,600 and the 89th Military Police Brigade has almost 1,000. Also: the Headquarters Command has about 850 soldiers; the 3rd Personnel Group with almost 800; the 21st Cavalry Brigade with more than 300; the 21st Replacement Company with more than 150; and other units at Fort Hood have about 1,200 soldiers. There are more than 37,000 enlisted soldiers and more than 3,700 officers. In addition, more than 300 Air Force airmen pull duty at the post.

Darnall Army Community Hospital officially received U.S. Army medical center status during a rededication ceremony on May 1, 2006. As a consequence, it was renamed the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center. The name change was meant to signify the facility's ability plan for expanded new facility requirements, specialty care services and vital training programs in the future. In addition, medical centers generally provide a greater depth of clinical support, particularly with respect to specialty care services, and also normally host a broader range of graduate medical education programs. As of April 2006, the hospital had approximately 2,500 military, civilian and contracted personnel supporting more than 150,000 TRICARE beneficiaries living within the hospital’s catchment area. On an average day, there were 3,867 outpatient visits, 26 surgeries, seven newborn deliveries, 170 visits to the emergency department and nearly 5,000 prescriptions filled.

Below are important links to the largest, greatest military installation in the free world. Home to the 1st Cavalry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 13th COSCOM, and III Corps. Please feel free to browse these links for information.

Fort Hood Links:

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