FORT RILEY, Kan. (April 10, 2012) -- Fort Riley and the 1st Infantry Division are in great positions to meet the future needs of the nation thanks to the hard work of several dedicated Kansas politicians, post officials told congressional staffers last week.
"We are able to fight and win our nation's wars because of your efforts," Fort Riley Chief of Staff Col. Ben Solum said as he welcomed a dozen staffers to Fort Riley April 4. "We find ourselves in a very good place because of the hard work of your offices and, for that, we are very thankful."
The staffers, who hailed from the offices of U.S. Senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran and U.S. Representatives Kevin Yoder, Mike Pompeo, and Lynn Jenkins, traveled to Fort Riley to spend time getting up close and personal with several aspects of Big Red One, or BRO, Soldier life.
The two-day visit kicked off with the staffers meeting members of the Commanding General's Mounted Color Guard and lunch at Riley's Conference Center. Following lunch, the visitors donned uniforms, helmets and BRO patches before heading out to "train."
"We want to give you a big picture view of Fort Riley," Lt. Col. Ted Leblow, division chief of strategic effects, said. "We want you to walk away from this two day visit as informed as you can be about all of us here in the 1st Infantry Division."
Part of learning more about one of Kansas' largest military installations involved some of the staffers walking a "patrol" beside some of the division's combat veterans. As they cautiously scanned the ground of Fort Riley's training area searching for anything unusual, the staffers set off three mock improvised explosive devices in less than 30 minutes. Following each explosion, the BRO Soldiers pointed out things that should have alerted the patrol that something was wrong -- a tree blocking an alternative path, something in a tree, rocks placed in an odd formation.
"Our Army has invested a lot of time and money training our Soldiers how to defeat the IED (improvised explosive device) threat," Leblow said. "More Soldiers are alive today because of what they are learning here."
Staffers were also introduced to Fort Riley's more technical side at the post's Regional Training Campus. At the campus, the group drove through a desert ambush as part of a simulated convoy, participated in an mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicle, or MRAP, rollover, drove a tank and chatted with Soldiers who use the same high-tech equipment to prepare for war.
"We are in a very good place with some of the most modern equipment in the world," Leblow said. "No Army, no nation in the world can prepare their Soldiers better than we can."
There were more than just field problems in the staffers schedule during their two day visit. On the final day, the post visitors had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Soldiers and family members who each outlined some of the challenges they are currently facing as well as the great opportunities the Army has offered them during the past several years.
Chad Tenpenny, state director for Sen. Pat Roberts, was pleased with the opportunity to see firsthand the changes that have occurred at Fort Riley since the division returned from Germany.
"It has been fascinating to see the transformation that has happened here during the past six years," he said.
As both the staffers and Soldiers look forward to a future that will see a smaller force and the potential for a new round of Base Realignment and Closure decisions, Fort Riley officials closed last week's visit assuring representatives that, following $2.3 billion in recent military construction projects, the post and the Soldiers who call the Flint Hills home are ready for all of tomorrow's global missions.
"We are in a time of change but we find ourselves very well postured for the future," Col. William Clark, Fort Riley Garrison Commander, said. "We don't have to tell anyone 'I need this,' we can always say 'here is what I can offer you' and not many places can do that these days."
During a brief closing luncheon April 5, Fort Riley Senior Commander Brig. Gen. Donald MacWillie extended an invitation to the staffers and thanked them for their constant support of the Soldiers and Families of the Big Red One.
"Come back whenever you want, our doors are always open," the general said. "We want you to always feel part of our team."
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