SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/11/2013)(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) A11 will be Dec. 12 at 11:45 a.m.at Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield.

The BEST A11 Soldiers were mobilized in February and deployed to Afghanistan.

The team served as primary staff officers for Task Force White Eagle, a Polish brigade-sized task force responsible for security and intelligence operations, Afghanistan security force development, and Regional Command-East drawdown operations in Ghazni province. The team supported for more than 3,000 coalition members, contractors, local civilians and Soldiers on the base.

BEST A11 Commander, Col. Chris Lawson of Springfield, said BEST A11 Soldiers/Task Force White Eagle Soldiers and Afghan Security Forces removed more enemy forces from the battlefield than any other area in Afghanistan and the most ever in Ghazni since operations began.

The team defeated a Taliban attack Aug. 28. An Afghan National Army commander indicated this attack was the most resourced and comprehensively planned attack in Eastern and Southern Afghanistan. An active duty Army Soldier was killed in the offensive. Two Soldiers of BEST A11 and two Soldiers from Task Force White Eagle were recognized with awards for their role in defeating the Taliban attack.

The Task Force White Eagle area of responsibility also had the second most direct fire attacks and the task force responded to more than 50 rocket attacks on the base.

Among numerous other accomplishments, the team also assisted with locating 18 tons of hazardous material explosives, the largest in Ghazni history.

All members of the team have been awarded combat action badges for direct enemy contact. Additional decorations included: 12 Bronze Stars Medals, one Bronze Star with V device for valor, one Purple Heart, four Army Commendation Medals, and one Army Commendation Medal with V device for valor. All members of the team were also awarded the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade, the first U.S. personnel to be awarded the insignia as members of the 25th.

For more information call the Public Affairs Office at 217-761-3569.

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The worst attacks against the United States have occurred when most people didn't see them coming, but there were some observers who had serious suspicions before such events, says Marshall Chamberlain, a disabled Marine Corp officer.

"After the planes hit on Sept. 11, 2001, then-CIA director George Tenet was reported to have said, 'This has bin Laden all over it,' and later, 'I wonder if it has anything to do with this guy taking pilot training,' referring facetiously to Zacarias Moussaoui and his co-conspirators," says Chamberlain, a veteran who enjoys access to military bases and their facilities worldwide - and who has been profoundly appalled at the lack of security precautions protecting our military bases.

"I fear we may be overlooking a major threat yet again. Terrorist acts can come from any direction - international as well as domestic, and we must be vigilant in all conceivable ways."

Chamberlain - who has also experienced life as a businessman, world traveler, boat dweller, writer and all-around adventurer - recently detailed in short-story format exactly how terrorist might strike a military base on U.S. soil. His narrative, The Gruesome Foursome, a Terrorist Scenario is a nearly hour-by-hour description spanning three days.

"With my disabled-veteran ID card, I can gain access to 99 percent of the more than 1,000 military bases dotting the globe," he says. "According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, '...the number of anti-government groups in the U.S. has increased by some 800 percent since President Barack Obama took office ... and at last count there were 1007 hate groups.' "

Chamberlain adds, "Notwithstanding potential threats from identified terrorist groups outside our borders, these groups have the motive and the means to carry out major attacks."

His story centers on a plausible entity, the True Freedom Coalition, which has been classified as a "patriot group" by the Department of Homeland Security. A detailed, documentary-style series of events unfolds, illustrating what Chamberlain believes to be one of our nation's biggest national-security vulnerabilities.

"The Gruesome Foursome, a Terrorist Scenario" is available at http://www.marshallchamberlain.com/aterroristscenario.html.

About Marshall Chamberlain: Marshall Chamberlain has a master's degree in Resource Development from Michigan State University and a graduate degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School near Phoenix, Ariz. He was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent many years in investment banking, venture capital and even a stint as a professional waiter. He is obsessed with preparedness, survival and independence. This combination of traits and an unconditional openness to life have led him to all manner of adventure and authoring his first adventure-thriller, The Mountain Place of Knowledge, due for release on December 15, 2013 (www.marshallchamberlain.com).

with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Q:        What's held up the Defense Authorization bill?

A:       Action stalled in November on the $625 billion defense bill because the Democratic leader refused to agree on allowing additional amendments, beyond those he supports, to be considered during floor debate.  This time the legislative logjam affects national security and U.S. troops.  In addition to military funding that would be authorized, the bill gives lawmakers an opportunity to legislate policy reforms.  Throughout this year I have laid bipartisan groundwork to advance measures designed to strengthen morale among our men and women in uniform.  A recent Pentagon study surveyed 100,000 active-duty service members.  It found 26,000 members experienced offenses ranging from sexual harassment to sexual assault.  Fewer than 3,400 reported the incidents.  These numbers reflect a failure of leadership among the top brass to address an issue that has raised questions about the culture of the U.S. military since the 1991 Tailhook scandal two decades ago.  The survey suggests the chain of command is unwilling or unable to address this sensitive issue when more than one-quarter of respondents experienced sexual misconduct, but less than four percent stepped forward to report it.  Policymakers can't afford to allow a culture of sexual misconduct to continue harming our troops and the military's reputation.  Doing so would add up to bigger problems that damage recruitment, retention and readiness.

Q:        What are the bipartisan reforms you are championing to combat sexual misconduct within the military?

A: The first is called the Military Whistleblower Protection Act. This amendment would beef up laws intended to protect those who report sexual assault, fraud or other misconduct within the military.  Blowing the whistle on wrongdoing should not result in retaliation and victimization of those who come forward to tell the truth.  It would extend reporting rules from 60 days to one year and require corrective relief to victims and discipline measures for those who retaliate. It would include support for victims as well as witnesses.  This reform would empower service men and women to come forward and report wrongdoing without fear of reprisal.  Victims and witnesses should not have to worry that telling the truth would negatively impact their military careers.

The second is called the Military Justice Improvement Act.  The military has a blemished track record to prevent and prosecute sexual assaults among its ranks that calls for long overdue reforms.  This bill would empower victims to come forward by taking the judicial process for sexual assault cases outside the chain of command.  I'm working to help build bipartisan support from lawmakers to get this reform adopted once and for all.  It would send an important message to the troops.  Sexual predators who prey on their victims within the service branches of the military must stand down.  They disgrace the code of honor upheld by the vast majority of men and women in uniform and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  This is a law enforcement issue to help ensure impartial justice.

These reforms would show that the people's branch of the federal government stands up for our brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect the blessings of freedom.

Q:        What other amendments are you working to include in the defense bill?

A: As a longtime watchdog for the taxpaying public, I'm supporting two reforms that would protect tax dollars from wasteful spending, including a bipartisan amendment that would limit taxpayer-reimbursed compensation for defense contractor executives.  Under current law, the compensation reimbursement cap for federal government contractors would automatically increase from $763,029 to $952,308, retroactive to January 2012.  When the Pentagon and other federal bureaucracies are being asked to tighten their belts to stay within the budget caps, it just doesn't square that taxpayers will be on the hook for exorbitant salaries for government contractors.  I can tell you that not one taxpayer, in my thousands of meetings in each of Iowa' 99 counties in the last 33 years, has said this is a reasonable use of tax dollars.  The second reform would improve processes to audit the Pentagon's books.  The Department of Defense needs better tools to ensure that money spent is money owed.

I'm also advancing proposals that would make more effective use of the nation's military arsenals, such as the Rock Island Arsenal, to include a requirement that the military consider arsenals when looking at fulfilling equipment needs.

Finally, I'm throwing my support behind two amendments to improve services for veterans. The first is an amendment that would help recruit the best and brightest medical professionals to the Veterans Administration medical system by allowing VA doctors to access an existing program that provides loan forgiveness and scholarships to doctors working in underserved areas.  The second is an amendment that would protect the integrity of veterans programs that help those returning from active military service to transition to the private sector. The amendment would clarify the term "veteran" as one who served in the Armed Forces.  It would end a loophole that allows individuals to game the system by claiming "veteran status" based solely on attendance of a military prep school.  It would not affect those who attend a military service academy or who enlist in the military after attending a military prep school.  The Support Earned Recognition of Veterans Act would clarify the definition of a veteran to exclude claims made by those who only attended a military prep school from obtaining hiring preferences, "veteran-owned small business status" or lifetime compensation benefits.

Let's hope the Senate Majority Leader will have a change of mind when the Senate resumes consideration of the defense authorization bill and allow these and other amendments to be debated.  These are sensible reforms that would protect the taxpaying public, support the troops and help get the U.S. military get off to a good start in the New Year.

Attendees were served a complimentary lunch courtesy of several community organizations and local businesses. Adding a holiday touch, Santa Claus was on hand giving out gifts to all the children.

Best Buy, the consumer electronics giant, revealed two Home Entertainment Systems--one each for the Millionth and the One Millionth & One packages. The systems included 55 and 32-inch Insignia TVs, Rocketfish wireless speakers, Insignia digital cameras and picture frames,a plethora of Rocketfish accessories, plus iPads.

 Catching the crowd completely off-guard, Living Essentials, LLC, the distributor of 5-hour ENERGY® shots, unveiled the major gift for the recipient of Operation Gratitude's One Millionth Care Package: a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The vehicle will be delivered to the soon-to-be-revealed service member upon returning home from deployment next Spring.

"Our One Millionth Care Package represents the enormous generosity and support of patriotic Americans and businesses all across the country," said Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude."We are thrilled that Upper Deck, Best Buy and 5-hour ENERGY® donated such extraordinary gifts to the milestone package recipient, who today represents all the members of the greatest Military on earth."

An exciting secret overseas delivery of The One Millionth Care Package, containing symbolic keys to the Ford F-150 and certificates for the other gifts, will be revealed to the public through social and traditional media in the coming week.

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About Operation Gratitude: Operation Gratitude annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment and hand-made items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors, Care Givers and to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions. Our mission is to lift the spirits and meet the evolving needs of our Active Duty and Veteran communities, and provide volunteer opportunities for all Americans to express their appreciation to members of our Military. Each package contains donated product valued at $75-100 and costs the organization $15 to assemble and ship. Since its inception in 2003, Operation Gratitude volunteers have shipped more than One Million care packages.