M’Falls welcomes Fort Hood officers

December 10, 2012, 10:00 pm by Adam Troxtell

The local chamber of commerce and VFW post welcomed 30 military officers to town on Friday when they came to participate in a leadership retreat.

Officers of the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion based at the Fort Hood Army base in Killeen arrived just before 10 a.m. Friday to a warm reception at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, where the retreat took place. Members of VFW Post 10376 were at the door to greet the officers, along with representatives for the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce.

"Marble Falls really rolls out the red carpet for these soldiers,” said Sunny McKellar, the instructor for the retreat run by Nurture Their Nature. "Any of them in the Austin area know how soldiers enjoy the Hill Country. There is no better treatment than here in Marble Falls.”

Once the soldiers checked into their hotel rooms, it was straight to the retreat, which instructs officers on various types of leadership methods that vary depending on a particular situation.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dee Straub, the commanding officer of the 57th ESB, said the officers were "learning different ways to apply leadership.” She said they were glad to be welcomed with open arms.

For more on this story, see Tuesday's Highlander.