FORT RILEY, Kan. - Fort Riley and the Central Flint Hills Region hosted a lieutenant general and his wife March 2 and 3.
Installation Management Commanding General Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch and his wife, Sarah, visited the area to discuss strategies and sources of funding for higher education for military Families' research and outreach programs.
During their visit, the Lynch's met with Fort Riley senior leaders, toured various facilities on the installation and visited the Kansas State University campus.
The first tour of their visit was the new Survivor Outreach Services Center at Grimes Hall, Building 510 on Main Post, which houses the Fort Riley Survivor Outreach Services program.
Christina Gary, SOS program coordinator, shared several best practices created at Fort Riley that enrich the lives of surviving Family members of fallen Soldiers.
During the tour of the facility, Gary pointed out photos of service members whose Families live in the Central Flint Hills Region, artwork created of various photos of fallen service members and photos of the Victory Park ceremony.
The couple also was able to view the Fort Riley SOS Facebook page and see the commemorative box, dog tag and medals children of fallen service members receive.
During a windshield tour, Lynch visited the proposed site of the new elementary school in the Forsyth Neighborhood, as well as the site of the new Warrior Zone. He also visited Rally Point Bingo and the USO Fort Riley facility.
Before heading to K-State, Lynch visited the new Resilience Learning Center on Custer Hill, where he received an overview of the new Resiliency Campus footprint and programs, including the Resilient Spouse and Youth academies.
"The visit was a great boost to the (Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation) team to be recognized by the IMCOM commander as leading the way in many areas of comprehensive fitness," said Nikki Crisman, assistant director for Family programs, DFMWR. "The DFMWR team (is) dedicated to supporting resilience, and it was a good day to use this visit as a platform to share innovated programming that makes a difference in the quality of life for our Soldiers and their Families."
While Lt. Gen. Lynch toured the various facilities around the installation, Sarah met with Family readiness group leaders and spent time visiting with Fort Riley spouses.
Following their tours and visits at Fort Riley, the Lynch's traveled to the K-State campus for lunch with ROTC cadets and university faculty members.
"The focus of the visit was for Lynch to witness the body of educational, research and outreach work being accomplished by K-State; meet senior faculty and staff members that are responsible for this effort, as well as discuss opportunities to sustain and expand this work to the Army at large," said Art DeGroat, director, military affairs, K-State.
During the visit, the Lynch's sat down with University President Kirk Schulz, followed by an overview of the K-State Military Affairs partnership with Fort Riley.
"The Fort Riley team was able to capitalize on the K-State visit and showcase several of our programs and initiatives that address growth and resilience for Fort Riley Soldiers and their Families," Crisman said.
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