The Texas National Guard recalled several troops deployed to Chicago because they failed to meet fitness standards. Some troops were mocked online after a photo appearing to show overweight soldiers went viral, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth celebrated the recall of troops. Hegseth has also been a driving force in consolidating bases and other installations throughout the military, and those efforts hit San Antonio this week as the Army will merge Army North and Army South at Joint Base San Antonio with a new command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Here are the most-read headlines on ExpressNews.com this week.
Texas Guard recalls 7 troops over fitness after viral photo
The Texas National Guard revised its tally and recalled seven soldiers from Illinois after a viral photo raised questions about troops who failed to meet fitness standards. The soldiers were among roughly 200 Guard members sent at President Donald Trump’s order in a rapid deployment that bypassed the full SRP 1 screening that typically takes days. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decried unfit service members, ordered stricter testing and daily workouts and praised the recall as proof that standards had returned.
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Army shifts San Antonio command HQs to Fort Bragg in sweeping consolidation
The Army moved to merge Army North and Army South into a new Western Hemisphere Command headquartered at Fort Bragg, with the shift set to happen within weeks. Gen. Randy George said the four-star headquarters would oversee homeland defense and partnerships across the hemisphere, aligning with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to streamline the force, cut top headquarters and refocus on lethality. The plan folded the San Antonio commands into an organization tied to Forces Command at Fort Bragg, though some elements were expected to remain at Fort Sam Houston. San Antonio leaders who lobbied to keep the HQs expressed disappointment, while the mayor predicted minimal impact on the city’s overall Army footprint and the job losses remained unclear.
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Alamo post sparks political clash and questions for $550 million revamp
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham applauded the removal of an Alamo social media post honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day and ordered its nonprofit overseer to center messaging on the 1836 battle. She launched a review of how posts are approved, cited a visitor center script that mentioned slavery far more than liberty and demanded the names of staff behind public content. The dispute raised questions about a $550 million expansion already under construction, which promised galleries on Mexican, Tejano, Indigenous and African American history…