Email   Print   Share By Col. Matt Elledge, Fort Hood Garrison Commander

Facebook Digg Delicious July 12, 2012 | Editorial

Elledge

Howdy from the “New Guy.”

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone again for the warm welcome to Fort Hood and the Central Texas community. My wife, Samara, and I are truly honored to be a part of the Fort Hood team.

Although I am not new to the area, I am still amazed with all the many wonderful changes that have occurred here over the past three years I have been away. From a brand new hospital being constructed (almost 1 million square feet) as part of a new medical campus to service our active-duty and retiree population, to the plan to begin to widen Highway 190 beginning this fall to complete the road construction from Copperas Cove to Harker Heights that will allow smoother traffic flow into and out of Fort Hood, there are visible signs that the Great Place is getting better every day.

As the new garrison commander, I have been asked on several occasions by others not assigned to the post, “Why is Fort Hood the Great Place?”

The answer is simple: it’s the people here at Fort Hood and the Central Texas area. It’s a close-knit Family that is truly like no other installation I’ve seen in my career, and the Fort Hood Garrison team of dedicated, professional people work hard every day to make the Great Place better.

I will be the first to say that we are not perfect, but I want the community to know that perfection is what Fort Hood Garrison strives for every day. Although we are already recognized as one of the leaders in our Army for “Best Practices,” we need your help.

Those of you that have been stationed elsewhere have seen some great practices from those posts. Please utilize our ICE comment cards and provide us with your recommendations. We read and respond to every card, and if you leave us your contact information, we will contact you with any actions taken.

Fort Hood is a Great Place, and with your help, we can continue to make it better.

Lastly, there are so many great things going on here at Fort Hood and the surrounding communities. Take advantage of our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/forthood), download our new MWR app (www.itunes.com/apps/forthoodmwrtime), pick up a copy of Hood Happenings and continue checking out the Sentinel to stay current on all of these great events.

More importantly, come out and participate and have fun.

Again, I look forward to serving all of you, and the Fort Hood Garrison stands ready to do our very best to meet the needs of our friends and Families so our Soldiers can stay focused on their mission to deploy, fight and win on the battlefield.

Thank you.