Lady Troopers support Fort Riley Soldiers, families

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- "Come help yourself … Fill your plate … We don't want you to go without … You're going to wish you had two … Have more -- plenty, plenty."

As a line of Soldiers helped themselves to a smorgasbord of homemade baked treats and candies, Patt Bruzina urged them to take more, one candy bar surely wouldn't be enough.

Soldiers uttered "thank you" after "thank you" as they passed down the line.

Constantly replenishing supplies of cookies, brownies, breads and puffed rice treats, Bruzina and fellow volunteer Marcia Mortensen chatted with the Soldiers.

"I'm not going to have this again for a long time," one Soldier said after stuffing his pockets full of goodies. He smiled at Bruzina, a light moment before he deployed.

That's Bruzina's favorite part -- "making Soldiers smile," she said.

This was a Lady Troopers' canteen. Canteens are set up for every deployment and redeployment, no matter the time of day or night. Before deploying, Soldiers get a taste of home to send them off. Upon redeployment, families can help themselves to refreshments while they await their Soldiers' return.

Canteens are just one of the programs supported by the Junction City-based organization.

Lady Troopers was founded in 1991 when deployments in support of Operation Desert Storm picked up. Its mission is to provide friendship, support and goodwill for the military families of Fort Riley, according to www.junctioncitychamber.org.

"Our purpose is to establish a continuing amicable liaison between military and civilian communities by exchanging information, creating feelings of mutual understanding and congeniality through social interchange," explained the group's president, Mary Sue Moore.

In addition to the canteens, the Lady Troopers support a contact program, which pairs a Lady Trooper with a Fort Riley commander's spouse and two annual socials.

"It's just that personal touch," Moore said of the contact program. "It's a face in the community that (the command team spouses) can recognize and buddy up with."

Some contact partners meet up occasionally, while others regularly get together.

"You can get very involved with your contacts," Bruzina said. "We've had a couple who were like members of the family."

A hospitality chair also gives welcome gifts to incoming commanders' wives.

Moore, whose husband was a service member, said she's welcomed the opportunity the group provides to stay involved with Fort Riley.

"When you retire or leave the military, the civilian world's a whole different world," she said. "(Lady Troopers) gives you the opportunity to continue that camaraderie and friendship that you felt as a military spouse."

The group isn't just for former military spouses. Ladies who don't have a military affiliation, but simply want to be involved and connected are also welcome.

"I think they just like having that opportunity to meet people at Fort Riley. It keeps that open communication," Moore said.

Mortensen is one such Lady Trooper.

"I'm not Army connected at all," she said. "I knew nothing about it until I moved to Junction City. I like talking to the wives. They have some stories to tell. They have been everywhere."

Bruzina, on the other hand, was driven to become involved because of her experience as a military spouse.

When her husband served two tours in Vietnam, they had to sneak him into the airports wearing civilian clothes because the climate was so politically charged, she recalled.

"I said then, 'if we ever have this type of conflict again, we are going to say goodbye to the guys (properly), and we're going to welcome them home,'" she said. "When this opportunity came up in 1991, I jumped at it … I'm still here."

Lady Troopers has about 44 members and is governed by a board of 15 volunteers.

"This is not a one-person organization," Moore said. "Every single person on that board is assigned to something, and they all have a very valuable contribution."

To learn more about the Lady Troopers or to get involved, email msm@k-state.edu.