Craig Bender, the Military Affairs Council (MAC) Director, was the guest speaker at the JC Breakfast Optimist Club Celebration of Optimism at the Hampton Inn on Wednesday.
Bender told the group that he was hired as the Director of the Military Affairs Council following retirement from the Army as a Signal Officer in 2019.
Bender stated that he “works closely with Fort Riley organizations to maintain and build positive relations with soldiers and their families and the Geary County community. One of those ways is a hosting of soldiers and community members at MAC Breakfasts, which are held on the fourth Thursday of each month beginning at 7:30 AM. Topics alternate between presentations by Fort Riley and those of by local community leaders. Some other ways he is working to build positive relationships between the community and soldiers at Fort Riley include the Veteran Banners on the lamp posts located in downtown Junction City.” WATCO and the Junction City High School welding class, led by instructor, Jared Gross, partnered to make some of the brackets to hold the banners onto the lampposts. WATCO is a Kansas based transportation company that offers customers water, rail, road and air transportation material handling and storage, repair and maintenance, logistics and design and development located on Hoover Road in Junction City.
Spouse reciprocity is an opportunity for military spouses who are stationed at Fort Riley to be granted teacher licensure within 15 days of application for a Kansas Teacher License. 65th District House of Representative, Lonnie Clark, helped get this process in place.
Craig also stated that most recently he and others “have also been working with Lonnie Clark to get a Veterans home in Junction City located at the Tom Neal Industrial Park near Interstate 70. Twenty-five to fifty acres with infrastructure is already available for this facility. One hundred twenty jobs would be created if that facility were created.” To show support of this facility, local citizens should send a letter to Representative Lonnie Clark at 300 SW 10th Street; Room 352-S; Topeka, Kansas 66612.
Bender said that he has recently taken Fort Riley spouses on a “Spouse Welcome Bus Tour”. The purpose of the tour was to “show off local business and things to do in Junction City/Geary County.”