Five Soldiers mobilize May 15 as part of an embedded staff team

SPRINGFIELD, IL (05/11/2015)(readMedia)-- A deployment ceremony is scheduled for five Soldiers who will deploy to Afghanistan as part of an embedded staff team. The ceremony for the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A15 will be May 15 at 11 a.m. at Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield, Illinois.

The Soldiers will train for a brief time at Fort Bliss, Texas, before deploying to Afghanistan. The unique mission allows Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers to train and deploy side-by-side with their Polish counterparts. The Soldiers are from various parts of Illinois and were selected for the mission based on their training and skills.

"Our 20-year partnership with Poland is the strongest National Guard State Partnership Program in the nation," said Daniel Krumrei of Springfield, Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. "Illinois Soldiers and Airmen are instrumental in developing secure international relationships, while broadening their experiences and developing their military skills."

The team is expected to return to Illinois in spring 2016.

News media attending the event should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony and are asked to contact Public Affairs at 217-761-3569 to gain access to Camp Lincoln.

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Tate-Nadeau will oversee Illinois National Guard's Domestic Operations

SPRINGFIELD, IL (03/07/2015)(readMedia)-- March 7 Col. Alicia A. Tate-Nadeau made history when she was promoted to brigadier general, the first female in the Illinois National Guard to earn the rank. However, to her it is not about gender; it is about being the best.

"Being a leader transcends gender and everything else," she said. "I never wanted to be the best female officer. I wanted to be the best officer."

Maj. Gen. Daniel Krumrei, Illinois National Guard Adjutant General, promoted Tate-Nadeau of Chicago and formerly of Delavan, Illinois. She was joined by her family, friends and approximately 200 Illinois National Guard Soldiers and Airmen during the ceremony at Camp Lincoln's Illinois Military Academy in Springfield, Illinois. Tate-Nadeau's children, Lindsey and Gavin, and retired Maj. Gen. Randal Thomas, former Illinois National Guard Adjutant General, joined Krumrei to pin on her new rank.

Her goal of being the best officer looked a little different more than 30 years ago when Tate-Nadeau was enjoying her college years at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1984. At the time, she was studying business and was busy with her sorority when the Dean of Women recommended she take a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) course to improve her grade point average.

"After one course I found out I loved it and I was pretty good at it," she said. "I didn't realize she brought me on a course that was life changing for me. That one lady, caring about me, had such a dramatic impact on my life. If it hadn't been for her I never would have been introduced to the military, let alone 30 years of service."

She soon transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma, then graduated and earned her commission to second lieutenant in 1986 through its ROTC program.

Tate-Nadeau said her leadership style is rooted in the standard she learned from retired Col. Norman Aschenbrenner, her battalion commander while she was company commander for Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 44th Chemical Battalion in Sycamore, Illinois, from 1989 to 1991.

"He taught me there was only one standard, for the men and women who serve. Make a decision that is good for your Soldier or you're wrong and he was going to hold you, as an officer, accountable for that," she said.

A few years later, as a married mom working on her master's degree in hospital administration, she transitioned from a traditional, one-weekend a month Guardsman to a full-time Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Soldier in 1997.

Since then, Tate-Nadeau's subordinates have experienced her early-rooted leadership style first-hand.

Sgt. Maj. Mary Dixon of Chapin, Illinois, with the 108th Medical Battalion in Chicago, first worked with Tate-Nadeau at the Regional Training Institute in Springfield, Illinois, when Tate-Nadeau was the officer in charge from 2002 to 2003. Soon after, Dixon followed Tate-Nadeau to Macomb, Illinois, to help re-establish the previously deactivated 44th Chemical Battalion.

Dixon said she is still committed to Tate-Nadeau and her leadership.

"I would go anywhere she asked right now, almost without question," Dixon said. "I still feel that devotion. I would love to be on her team again."

Dixon adjusted her personal and professional schedules to attend the ceremony.

"It's not often we have the opportunity to witness an event like this and I really believe no one deserves this opportunity more than Colonel Tate-Nadeau," she said. "I was fortunate to work with her for years, and I wanted to be there to show my support."

Maj. Eric Davis of Mt. Pulaski, Illinois, with 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment in Chicago, worked with Tate-Nadeau from 2008 to 2009 when she was the Illinois Army National Guard's Director of Plans, Operations and Training.

He admitted she often pushed him to his limits, but said he never felt she set him up for failure. He also said the last thing he ever wanted to do was disappoint her.

"She's one of those people you don't want to let down because she's a good leader who will always have your back," Davis said. "You always knew where you stood...she chewed you when you needed it and gave you praise when you deserved it. I always felt she had my back."

Throughout her career, Tate-Nadeau held multiple positions, including various command and director-level positions such as Chief of the Joint Staff; Director of Plans, Operations and Training; 404th Chemical Brigade Deputy Commander; 44th Chemical Battalion Commander and 5th Civil Support Team Commander. She also deployed to Iraq with Multi-National Division (Central South) as the Chief of Operations, Plans and Public Information.

In her current assignment as the Illinois Army National Guard Assistant Adjutant General, the Adjutant General placed her in charge of domestic operations, overseeing Illinois National Guard homeland security response and programs such as the State Partnership Program with Poland. Prior to this position, she served a three-year tour as the National Guard Bureau Liaison Officer to the Israeli Home Front Command, in Ramla, Israel. In December 2014, Tate-Nadeau retired from the AGR program and transitioned back to a traditional Guardsman when she accepted a civilian position as the Region V Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Management Assistance Team Leader in Chicago.

Out of all her positions in the Illinois National Guard, Tate-Nadeau admitted one of the hardest, yet most rewarding, positions was one she originally did not want. In September 2003, she was ready to work in operations while Thomas, then the Illinois National Guard Adjutant General, appointed her as the Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Officer (PAO).

"I literally cried in a corner when I got it," she said. "It was the hardest job I've had...in the beginning of the war when we were taking so many casualties. However, it gave me an opportunity to tell the Soldiers' story and to give honor to the men and women who have died. The people I've served have stayed with me forever."

Her dream job in operations as the Illinois Army National Guard's Director of Plans, Operations and Training came in 2007, immediately following her PAO assignment.

With more than 30 years of military service and now a new full-time career, Tate-Nadeau said her greatest accomplishment is not her career. It is her children.

"The men and women I've served have been amazing, but the two people who have taken the brunt every time duty calls are those two kids," she said. "They're my biggest supporters and I could not have done it without them."

Along with her family, Tate-Nadeau said she is blessed with a group of friends who have helped her and her family throughout her career. She said her Delavan neighbors never hesitated to pick up Lindsey, now 24, and Gavin, now 18, from school or help with significant life events while she was deployed or travelling.

"It's kind of hard to do a military career without a whole team behind you helping you," she said. "I thank all those people in my life who allowed me to have my military career."

Throughout her career, Tate-Nadeau said it was never about being the best and brightest, but rather surrounding herself with the best and brightest. She also said it was never about ultimately wearing a star on her chest. It was about being her true self for her Soldiers.

"There is no cookie cutter way to leadership," she said. "You can only be who you are in your heart, because Soldiers know that."

March 8 ceremony recognizes Soldiers with 1965th Contingency Contracting Team and Bilateral Embedded Staff Team

SPRINGFIELD, IL (03/03/2015)(readMedia)-- Two teams of Soldiers will be recognized March 8 by the National Guard Bureau Freedom Salute Campaign for their sacrifice and service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Approximately 20 Soldiers will be recognized at 2 p.m. at Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield, Illinois.

1965th Contingency Contracting Team

Four Soldiers with the 1965th Contingency Contracting Team (CCT) mobilized in March 2014 and deployed to Afghanistan, returning home in November 2014. Two Springfield Soldiers on the team will be part of the ceremony. The other two had follow-on missions after the deployment.

The 1965th CCT is a group of highly-skilled contracting officers and contract specialists who executed and administered government funds through contracts to obtain goods, services and construction from commercial sources to support contingency operations.

Capt. David Picchi of Springfield, Illinois was part of the team and recognized as a top performer for Central Command Joint Theater Support Contracting Command. The region includes Afghanistan, Kuwait and Qatar. Sgt. Ronald Witt Jr. of Springfield, Illinois will join Picchi at the ceremony.

Picchi said the team provided contracted mission support through the procurement of critical life support services such as water, trash, sanitation, dining facility operations, security and deconstruction services.

The 1965th executed and facilitated the logistics drawdown mission of the regional commands within Afghanistan. The team facilitated the downsizing of dozens of bases, as well as the closing of major theater airfields within the region.

All members of the team will be awarded the Afghanistan Campaign Medal as well, as the NATO service ribbon. Sgt 1st Class Marc Graves of Springfield, Illinois was also recognized as a top performer for Central Command Joint Theater Support Contracting Command. Maj. Milton Ware Jr. of Chicago and Graves were part of the team, but unable to be part of the ceremony because of additional missions following the 1965th deployment.

Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A13

Approximately 20 Soldiers with the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A13 trained with the Polish Land Forces before mobilizing in April 2014. The Soldiers returned to their families Dec. 19, 2014.

The unique mission allowed Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers to train and deploy side-by-side with their Polish counterparts. The Soldiers are from various parts of Illinois and were selected for the mission based on their training and skills.

While deployed to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, the Soldiers facilitated operations with Task Force White Eagle, which is primarily composed of the Polish 10th Logistics Brigade. BEST Soldiers were embedded with the Polish brigade to synchronize task force operations.

BEST A13 had many accomplishments while in Afghanistan, including the recovery and turn-in of $3.5 million of unaccounted U.S. property, which would have been a loss to the government. The team also expanded the capability and functionality of the Polish military, a NATO partner. The Illinois National Guard has been a state partner with Poland since 1993, including side-by-side deployments with Polish Forces the past 20 years.

Freedom Salute Campaign

The Freedom Salute Campaign program is a small way to show these patriotic citizen-Soldiers, their families and employers how much their sacrifice is appreciated. On behalf of the National Guard Bureau, the Illinois Army National Guard will present each eligible Soldier with an encased American flag, as well as a sequentially-numbered

commemorative coin, certificate of appreciation and lapel pin. Families will also receive items recognizing their support and sacrifice.

The Freedom Salute Campaign is one of the largest Army National Guard recognition endeavors in history. It is designed to publicly acknowledge Army National Guard Soldiers and those who supported them while deployed.

News media attending the event should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony and should notify the Public Affairs Office by 3 p.m., March 6 to be granted access onto Camp Lincoln. For more information call the Public Affairs Office at 217-761-3569.

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SPRINGFIELD, IL (02/25/2015)(readMedia)-- MACOMB, Ill. - In the mid-morning hours a freight train carrying chemical agents passes through the sleepy college town of Macomb, Illinois. Without warning, near a railhead, the train derails sending three tanker cars full of potentially harmful sodium cyanide crashing to the earth. This scenario is the backdrop for Western Response 2015, a multi-agency exercise in Macomb, Illinois.

These are the situations the Illinois National Guard's 5th Civil Support Team (CST) trains for. The CST is a specified domestic operations unit comprised of highly trained Soldiers and Airmen that integrates with local authorities to respond to chemical, nuclear, biological, and radiological threats.

The goal for this exercise was to allow local first responders and authorities to establish an operations center and integrate state-level resources into response operations. Though Western Response was a smaller scale exercise involving the Macomb and Galesburg police and fire departments as well as the 5th CST, it was still valuable training.

Maj. Travis Humphrey of Washington, Illinois, 5th CST deputy commander, said he enjoyed the opportunity to work at the smaller scale.

"Typically, we exercise at a much larger level. It's planned and executed at the national level and when we get on scene, we speak to someone who's not usually a local," said Humphrey. "I like this because you get the National Incident Management System experience and you get to talk to the local guys who know the area and give good input on staging and integration."

Normally, local hazardous materials teams would respond to and contain an incident of this scale. The exercise had local first responders containing the incident and the 5th CST conducting decontamination operations.

Sgt. Andrea Boggs, of Springfield, Illinois, 5th CST human resources non-commissioned officer and decontamination team member, said she saw benefit in the exercise as well.

"This is a great exercise to get used to integrating and working with civilian agencies," said Boggs. "It allows us to train with local agencies and it allows them to see what's available to them in a real-world incident."

Maj. Marc Wright, of Peoria, Illinois, 5th CST commander, echoed the comments of his team members.

"Given the scale, it was a great opportunity for training and awareness for the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System and local departments," he said. "While local HAZMAT is fully capable of handling an incident of this magnitude, it's always good for them to get an idea of the state-level assets that are available to them in an incident."