Fort Hood is a U.S. military post located in Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood who is best known for commanding the Texas Brigade during the American Civil War. It is located halfway between Austinand Waco, about 60 miles (97 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. Fort Hood is an installation of the United States Army.
Its origin was the need for wide-open space to test and train with World War II tank destroyers. The War Departmentannounced the location in January 1942, and the initial completion was set for that August. As originally constructed, Fort Hood had an area of 158,706 acres (64,226 ha), with billeting for 6,007 officers and 82,610 enlisted personnel. The main cantonment of Fort Hood had a total population of 53,416 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Fort Hood is the most populous U.S. military installation in the world.[2] The main business area is in Bell County, with the training countryside area of the post in Coryell County. In April 2014, the Fort Hood website lists 45,414 assigned soldiers and 8,900 civilian employees with Fort Hood covering 214,000 acres (87,000 ha), making it one of the largest military bases in the world by area.[3]
