WASHINGTON– Today Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins welcomed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the Second District of Kansas.  Secretary Gates was in Kansas to join in the ground breaking ceremony for a new elementary school at Fort Riley.

As Fort Riley has nearly doubled in size over the last few years, Congresswoman Jenkins and the rest of the Kansas Congressional delegation have fought hard to secure funding to support the children of our men and women in the armed services. With the continued support of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, this goal became a reality this year. Congresswoman Jenkins released the following statement after attending the ground breaking with Secretary Gates and other members of the Fort Riley community:

“The men and women of our Armed forces sacrifice a great deal in defense of this nation, and similarly the children of our military families sacrifice as well.  One way we should never ask these families to sacrifice, however, is with their children’s education,” Congresswoman Jenkins said.

“The growth at Fort Riley is a welcome development, but with this growth comes the challenges of expanding and improving the educational facilities we have on post for the families of our men and women in uniform.  I am pleased that the Kansas delegation was able to bring this problem to the attention of Secretary Gates last year, and we are proud Congress was able to fulfill the Secretary’s promise of providing these additional funds to our military installations in need.”

“The ground breaking ceremony today was a celebration of this achievement, and I was pleased to be able to join Secretary Gates, Governor Brownback, Senator Moran and the hard working folks who support the men and women stationed at Fort Riley to commemorate the ground breaking for this new school.”

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