Fort Riley ? The families of 150 soldiers deploying from Fort Riley to Iraq and Afghanistan will have one less worry while their loved ones are gone.

A national nonprofit group called Operation Homefront presented 150 laptop computers to soldiers’ families this week to help them communicate with the deployed troops.

Operation Homefront official Amy Palmer says that soldiers in the field often have access to email, but many military families can’t afford computers. Palmer says the difficulty of staying in touch can affect morale on and off the battlefield.

Cpl. Jonathan Bailey, a father of five, told The Manhattan Mercury the new laptop will allow him to see his newborn baby girl when he deploys from the northeast Kansas post. Bailey says a computer just didn’t fit in his family’s budget.