Is Fort Hood Still Open Today? A Look at the Infamous Army Base

Attention has once again been placed upon the infamous Army base Fort Hood, following the release of the Netflix documentary, I Am Vanessa Guillen.

The film, directed by Christy Wegener, explores the murder of soldier Vanessa Guillén in April 2020 and her family's fight to reform the U.S. military's approach to sexual assault and harassment cases.

Guillén's dismembered remains were uncovered in three shallow graves along the Leon River, in Texas, on June 30, 2020, two months after she was reported missing.

Guillén, a small arms and artillery repairer, was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. She was last seen in the parking lot of the base at around lunchtime on April 22, 2020.

Fellow Fort Hood soldier, Aaron Robinson, was the main suspect in her murder but before he could be arrested, Robinson took his own life on July 1, 2020.

Sadly, Vanessa Guillén is not the first death to be reported at Fort Hood. In 2020 alone, 39 soldiers died or were reported missing, and it has developed a notorious reputation over the years, with the base being home to mass shootings, death, and sexual assault.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about Fort Hood below.

Is Fort Hood Still Open Today?

Yes, Fort Hood is still open and operating today.

The Army post is located near Killeen, Texas, and has over 40,000 currently stationed at the site.

Fort Hood is the headquarters of the III Armored Corps and the First Army Division West. It is home to the 1st Cavalry Division, one of the most decorated combat units in the Army, as well as several other divisions.

Ford Hood is set to be renamed after Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the U.S. Army's first Hispanic four-star general, as part of the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense that Commemorate the Confederate States of America or Any Person Who Served Voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.

Currently, Fort Hood is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. The Naming Commission undertook the task of renaming military buildings and assets with names associated with the Confederate States of America.

Fort Hood was constructed in 1942 specifically for the use of testing and training World War II tank destroyers. By 2023, it became one of the most populous U.S. military installations in the world.

Despite the contributions Fort Hood has made to U.S. security and defense, the base has also been the center of several controversies and tragedies.

As heard in I Am Vanessa Guillen on Netflix, Vanessa Guillén's family alerted the Army and the Criminal Investigation Command (CID) that she had spoken of being sexually harassed on two occasions by a superior while stationed at Fort Hood before her disappearance. She had also mentioned that complaints of sexual assault and harassment by other women against a sergeant had been dismissed.

When Vanessa Guillén's allegations of sexual harassment came to light in the media, the Army dismissed them due to a lack of evidence. However, a U.S. Army investigation later found Vanessa Guillén had reported her harassment, but that it wasn't pursued, contradicting the Army's earlier claims.

In a December 2020 investigation launched after the death of Guillén, the Army found "major flaws" in the culture at Fort Hood and 14 officials were disciplined, reports The New York Times.

The report stated: "Unfortunately, a 'business as usual' approach was taken by Fort Hood leadership causing female soldiers, particularly, in the combat brigades, to slip into survival mode." It said women were "vulnerable and preyed upon, but fearful to report and be ostracized and re-victimized."

Fort Hood has one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault, and harassment in the U.S. Army to date, reports NBC.

On June 12, 2007, the body of Lawrence George Sprader Jr., 25, was found on Fort Hood's training ground.

He had been missing for four days, after carrying a solo exercise for basic map-reading and navigation skills.

According to autopsy records reported by NBC News, he had died from hyperthermia and dehydration.

An Army investigatory report found that "a multitude of procedural violations, judgment errors and alleged acts of misconduct by Army trainers that not only contributed to Sprader's death but put some 300 other soldiers in danger that day, including about two dozen who required medical attention."

In 2009, Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army Major and psychiatrist, committed the deadliest mass shooting on an American military base at the Soldier Readiness Center of Fort Hood. In total, 13 people were killed and 32 were wounded. Hasan was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was found guilty on all charges and ultimately, sentenced to death.

In 2014, another mass shooting occurred. Ivan Lopez, an Iraq War veteran, opened fire at Ford Hood, killing three and wounding 14 others. He then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In 2015, Sergeant 1st Class Gregory McQueen, a sexual assault prevention officer at Ford Hood, was dishonorably discharged after he was convicted of organizing a prostitution ring.

Newsweek has contacted Fort Hood for comment.

I Am Vanessa Guillen is streaming on Netflix now.