SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE , IL (03/21/2012)(readMedia)-- There may not be one perfect Guardsman in the United States, but there is one Illinois Guardsman who was recognized as the best noncommissioned officer (NCO) in the country by the National Guard Bureau.

Illinois Air National Guardsman Tech. Sgt. Jacob Curtis of Fairview Heights, with the 126th Security Forces Squadron at Scott Air Force Base was recently named the 2011 NCO of the Year for the entire National Guard.

Curtis discovered he won this award March 16 with a direct phone call from Maj . Gen. Willaim L. Enyart of Belleville, the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, who congratulated him on his nationally recognized award.

"It was so surreal at first," said Curtis. "It felt like my head was floating."

He won the highest national achievement the National Guard has to offer and now is in the running to be one of 12 Air Force-wide Outstanding Airmen of the Year.

Curtis won the NCO of the Quarter, third quarter 2011, Squadron NCO of the Year in 2008 and 2011, Mission Support Group NCO of the Year 2011, 126th Wing NCO of the Year 2011, and finally NCO of the year for the Air National Guard 2011.

"Technical Sgt. Jacob Curtis is a gifted and giving professional and is most deserving of this crowning achievement," said Col. Peter Nezamis of Belleville, commander of the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base. "Technical Sgt. Curtis and his family have endured long and painful separations countless times in support of overseas operations. I couldn't be more pleased with the honor of having Tech. Sgt. Curtis and his family represent the 126th Air Refueling Wing as an Air National Guard Outstanding Noncommissioned Officer of the Year."

Curtis is the noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of the plans section for the Illinois Air National Guard's 126th Security Forces Squadron. He is also the information security officer and client support administrator, all while performing his primary job as a security forces officer.

"He is a go-getter," said Tech. Sgt. Salvador Silva of Belleville, the 126th Security Forces' acting first sergeant. "He wants to be a part of everything and always wants more responsibility; this shows in his job here, and with his level of education."

Curtis grew up a military child. His father James retired as a lieutenant colonel at Scott AFB and has called southern Illinois home since he was 15. He attended high school in O'Fallon.

Staff Sgt. Steven J. Ask of Shiloh, NCOIC of combat arms for the 126th has known Curtis since high school, and now serves in the same unit with him.

"I've really gotten to know him since joining the unit," said Ask. "He is one of the first people I call if I need something here, and one of the few people I feel I can talk to about anything. His work ethic is above and beyond most other peoples. He completely looks after others, his troops, his friends, even if he didn't know the person he would look out for them."

Perhaps this quality might best be justified from an event that took place on Curtis' recent deployment to Afghanistan.

While serving as the battle NCO at the Joint Defense Operations Center at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, a nearby building was hit by indirect enemy rocket fire. The blast killed two local nationals and wounded three. In addition, two Airmen were also injured.

Noticing the closest Airmen to the blast had to retain security along the base's wall to guard against a follow up attack, Curtis sprang into action. He was among the first to reach the building and found one of the wounded Airman. The Airman had a broken leg that had lacerated his femoral artery.

Curtis administered aid by tying a tourniquet around the downed Airman's leg to help stop the bleeding, and waited to help carry him out until emergency medical technicians arrived. He was awarded a certificate of appreciation for his actions that day.

Curtis insists his entire unit should receive this award and that he just embodies his unit's commitment to excellence. And, although it may be true there are many great Airmen like Curtis, he has more than proven himself for this award to his peers, his friends and his superiors.

"We are all extremely proud of him," said Ask. "Having him here serves as an example of what a person in the Guard can achieve and he inspires us to strive for that level of achievement."

Curtis said he looks forward to his career and new challenges.

"I hope to continue on my career path and try to stay at this level of achievement. I'm at the top right now so it'll be a challenge, but a challenge I'm definitely looking forward to taking on," he said.

The five member team placed 8th out of 335 competitors - 55 teams total - and was the 4th ranked Army National Guard Team in the competition. The team took 1st place overall in the Rifle Team championship, and earned a total of 14 top three placements.

"As a team, this year's competition was not as dramatic as last year, but we did very well in the individual competitions," said team member Sgt. First Class David Perdew of Astoria.

Among the multiple awards the Illinois team won, two awards standout in distinction. Staff Sgt. Tracy Mix of Marseilles earned the Distinguished Rifle Shot Badge, while Sgt. First Class Perdew earned the Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge. Perdew also earned the Silver Excellence in Rifle Competition Badge.

"The Distinguished Rifleman Badge was established in 1887, and the Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge in 1903," said Perdew. "Only about 1600 servicemembers have either of them - it is a very distinguished and sought after award."

The awards are presented to individuals who have earned 30 credit points while firing a service rifle or a service pistol in qualifying Excellence-in-Competition (EIC) matches. Having precedence above the standard qualification badges, these awards are the most coveted marksmanship badges that can be earned and worn on a military uniform.

The competition is open to Soldiers of any rank and formation across the Army, including West Point and ROTC cadets, Army Reservists and National Guardsmen.

During the week-long event, servicemen and women fire military issued M-16/M-4 rifles at distances between 25 and 500 yards, and the M-9 pistol between seven and 35 yards on a variety of courses. They also compete in a combined-arms match - employing the rifle, pistol and shotgun in a number of different stages of fire.

The Illinois Team is comprised of Sgt Terry Pody of Machesney Park (Team Coach), Chief Warrant Officer (2) Ryan Landon of Creal Springs, Staff Sgt. Tracy Mix of Marseilles, Sgt. First Class David Perdew of Astoria, and Sgt. Jeffrey Bugger of Athens.

Complete team results - Sgt. First Class David Perdew, HHD 44th Chem. Bn, Macomb: 1st Place U.S. Army Overall Small Arms Individual Champion, Open Class; 1st Place U.S. Army Service Pistol Champion, Open Class; 3rd Place U.S. Army Service Rifle Champion, Open Class; 2nd Place Match 1 (Pistol), Open Class; 1st Place, Match 3 (Pistol), Open Class; 2nd Place, Match 8 (Rifle), Open Class; 8 Pistol EIC Points, earning the Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge; 8 Rifle EIC Points, earning the Silver EIC Badge.

Staff Sgt. Tracy Mix, Co. A 33rd BSTB, Marseilles: 3rd Place U.S. Army Overall Small Arms Individual Champion, Open Class; 3rd Place U.S. Army Service Pistol Champion, Open Class; 1st Place U.S. Army Service Rifle Champion, Open Class; 1st Place, Match 5 (Pistol) Open Class; 1st Place, Match 7, (Rifle) Open Class; 8 Rifle EIC Points, earning the Distinguished Rifle Shot Badge;6 Pistol EIC Points.

Chief Warrant Officer (2) Ryan Landon, 3637th FSMC, Springfield: 1st Place Match 7 (Rifle), Novice Class; 6th Place U.S. Army Service Rifle Championship, Novice Class; 8 Rifle EIC Points.

Sgt. Jeffrey Bugger, 1844th Trans. Co., Quincy: 2nd Place, Match 1 (Pistol) Novice Class; 3rd Place, Match 5 (Pistol) Novice Class; 4th Place U.S. Army Service Pistol Championship, Novice Class; 8 Pistol EIC Points.

Sgt Terry Pody (Team Coach), 135th Chem. Co., Machesney Park: 6 Rifle EIC Points.

Washington, DC - Congressmen Bobby Schilling (IL-17), Geoff Davis (KY-04) and Jason Altmire (PA-04) today introduced the Citizen Soldier Equality Act, bipartisan legislation to correct compensation discrepancies for Reservists hurt in the line of duty and awarded the Purple Heart.  Under current formulas, these Reservists face an inequity in their disability when they are wounded in action.    

The Citizen Soldier Equality Act will fix this oversight, correcting the formula so "Years of Service" would equal their full years of service when the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) considers their disability pay.  This change in language simply eliminates the inequality between active and reserve personnel for disability retirement pay for those who are wounded while protecting our country.

"You can tell a lot about a country in how it takes care of its war heroes," Congressman Schilling said. "When warfighters are hurt in the line of duty, they should be compensated regardless of enlistment status.  At a time when we are going to be reducing troop numbers and relying more on our Reserve, we must provide the correct compensation for those citizen soldiers who are wounded in the line of duty.  I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan effort with Congressmen Davis and Altmire and thank them for their hard work over the years in support of our war heroes."

"I have worked for several years to resolve this inequity, and I am grateful to Congressman Schilling for his willingness to continue the cause," said Congressman Davis. "A bullet does not discriminate between an active and a reserve service member, and neither should we.  We owe it to our wounded reservists that their disability retirement pay is calculated the same way it is for active members of the military."

"When I look at the faces of the brave men and women who were wounded defending their country, the first question that I ask myself is how can we ever begin to repay them, not whether they have active or reserve status," Congressman Altmire said. "This legislation removes an inequality among our military members and provides the support they will need to succeed after bravely serving their country.  With thousands of servicemen and women returning home, we should give this bipartisan legislation immediate consideration on the House floor."

Disability retirement pay is calculated by one of two formulas, one of which contains "Years of Service." "Years of Service" roughly equals total Duty Days divided by 365.   As an example of the inequality, a Staff Sergeant with 13 calendar years of reserve service but only 4 years of active service based on "Total Duty Days" gets about 8 percent less disability retirement pay than an active duty soldier.  A lifetime delta of 8 percent can significantly impact the Reservists' standard of living.  To further illustrate, two personnel - one an active duty solder, one a Reservist - with identical disabilities incurred in the same conflict receive a different disability retirement benefit, with the Reservist coming up short.

The Citizen Soldier Inequality Act would eliminate the inequality between active and reserve personnel outlined above with regard to the calculation of disability retirement pay for service members wounded in action.

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WEDRYZN, POLAND (03/02/2012)(readMedia)-- By 1st Lt. Matthew Morris and 1st Lt. Nico Smith, Illinois Army National Guard BEST A9

The weather was frigid but not unfamiliar to the Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Bilateral Embedded Support Team (BEST) A9 who arrived in Poland Feb. 3. The BEST A9 arrived in Wedryzn, Poland where they are assisting the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade certify its two battalion task forces prior to their deployment to Afghanistan this month.

"I'm very impressed with the trust placed in their lower enlisted to do the right thing and the mentality they have while they conduct training," said Sgt. 1st Class William Ingles of Steeleville, with BEST A9. "Their attitude is not 'why are we training' but 'when.' The design is very practical and a lot of fun to watch."

The primary focus of the Illinois National Guard Soldiers' training the past few weeks was to learn the customs and leadership style of their Polish counterparts.

This deployment is part of the State Partnership Program (SPP), which was created in 1993 to assist the Polish government and military transition into NATO after the fall of the Soviet Union. Co-deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with Polish Forces began in 2003 where the partnership evolved from an advisory role to an enabler of warfighting capacities.

The work schedule also allows time for the team to experience Polish culture and history. Illinois Soldiers have travelled to Ostwald, an area once occupied by Germany, to visit one part of an enormous structure of bunkers that spans from the Baltic Sea heading south underground for 400 kilometers. They also travelled to Sulecin, a small town a couple kilometers away from the training base.

With few English speaking natives, the team relies heavily on Sgt. Arthur Boruch of Orland Park, the only fluent Polish speaker on the team.

"It's been an interesting and challenging experience communicating the needs of 17 people," he said. "It can get exhausting but overall it's been great showing the guys the Polish culture I've known from growing up in a Polish speaking household."

The recent training between Illinois and Polish Soldiers was marked by a gesture of unity Feb. 17 when Brig. Gen. Bogdan Tworkowski, Commander of the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade, placed the unit's shoulder patch on each member of the BEST team while Col. Troy Phillips of Philo, BEST A9 commander, presented the Illinois colors to fly alongside the Polish National Flag.

"We are one team, one unit, and we are very glad to have the BEST team on board. I am sure that our efforts together will result in success," Tworkowski said.