SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/18/2014)(readMedia)-- Approximately 20 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers who served in Afghanistan will return to Illinois this week. The homecoming ceremony for the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A13 will be December 19 at approximately 12:30 p.m.at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
The BEST A13 Soldiers were mobilized in April and deployed to Afghanistan.
The team trained with the Polish Land Forces before deploying. 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 had a state partnership with Poland since 1993 and has deployed side-by-side with Polish Forces for more than 20 years.
For more information call the Public Affairs Office at 217-761-3569.
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