Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — A noted author and the premiere of a national theater project are part of a military-focused series of events that celebrate Kansas State University's role in national military and veterans affairs as well as its unique relationship with Fort Riley.

Phil Klay, author of "Redeployment," will give a free lecture about his book and its topics from 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in the Ballroom of the K-State Alumni Center. The lecture is part of the annual Military Book Lecture Series and is free.

"Redeployment" contains several stories that draw from Klay's personal experience as a Marine captain to detail the Iraq war and the psychic toll it continues to take on those who fought in it. The book has received numerous positive reviews from Goodreads.com, NPR, The Guardian, New York Times and Washington Post, among others, and was recently nominated for a National Book Award for Fiction.

Klay's remarks will be followed by a special response segment about the subjects and themes in "Redeployment" from a military spouse, student veteran, Vietnam veteran and a clinical psychologist.

"The select opening remarks are something new this year that we're doing to help elevate the discourse and give audience members who haven't read the book an idea about it," said retired Army Lt. Col. Art DeGroat, the university's executive director of military and veterans affairs.

A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow these select remarks, and Klay will sign copies of his book before and after the lecture.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, Klay will conduct a reading with the English department at 5:30 p.m. in All Faiths Chapel.

In addition, several military-focused events are planned at the university and include:

• A military-focused graphic art installation will open in early October at the Kemper Art Gallery on the first floor of the K-State Student Union.

• Kirk Schulz, Kansas State University president, and Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley commanding general, are having a summit meeting Oct. 2 to discuss the formal partnership between the university and the military installation that began in 2013. They will discuss what has been accomplished since the partnership began and future mutual goals.

• "Basetrack" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in McCain Auditorium. The production is based on the Basetrack Facebook page started by photojournalists embedded with the First Battalion-Eighth Marines on their 2010 tour in Afghanistan. The Basetrack page connected battalion members with their families and became a tool for citizen journalism that documented various perspectives on the human tolls of war. "Basetrack" looks at the legacy of war on veterans through the true story of marines who are adjusting to returning their families after serving in Afghanistan. "Basetrack" opened Sept. 11, and is on a limited national tour before it premiers at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York on Nov. 11.

"Having Kansas State University be one of the performance locations for 'Basetrack' before it opens for a national audience honors the university's heritage of serving military-connected students and their families," DeGroat said. "We're excited to share this with the university and those in the military."

"Basetrack" is part of the 2014-2015 McCain Performance Series. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain. Local businesses have donated about 350 tickets for the production to military families, DeGroat said.

In addition to the performance, Anne Hamburger, the executive producer of "Basetrack," will meet with students in the university's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

• The K-State vs. Bradley men's basketball game on Tuesday, Dec. 9, will be a Fort Riley appreciation event. The university will host 30 commanders, one-star generals and colonels who are new to Fort Riley. The military guests will meet their university counterparts before attending the game.

"The game will be in honor of the Big Red 1 at Fort Riley and our visitors will get the game ball," DeGroat said. "It's a way of welcoming the leadership at Fort Riley and sharing a quintessential K-State experience with them."