SPRINGFIELD, IL (09/03/2013)(readMedia)--

WHO:

• Illinois National Guard Chaplains

WHAT:

• Illinois National Guard Chaplains are hosting upcoming seminars to serve local faith-based organizations throughout Illinois.

• The training is designed to raise awareness among community religious leaders about the challenges faced by servicemembers and their families, with a focus on deployment-related issues such as anger management, suicide prevention, military marriages, and church and community support for the military.

• The training is open to clergy and laity interested in understanding and learning how to support servicemembers, veterans and their families.

WHEN/WHERE:

Sept. 20 Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, 3001 Green Bay Road Building 4; N. Chicago (9 a.m.-3 p.m.)

Sept. 21 Faith Family Church, 704 N. Green Mount Road, Belleville, Ill. (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Oct. 2 General Jones Armory, 5200 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Oct. 9 Joliet Armory, 2900 W. Jefferson St., Joliet (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Oct. 16 Illinois Military Academy, Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd.; Springfield (9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Honor Flight of the Quad Cities 24th trip to Washington D.C took place on August 29. There was a combination of WWII and Korean era veterans on this trip. A special nod is being given to the guardians for this particular voyage, they are all 100% Vietnam era veterans- but they are traveling specifically as guardians to the WWII and Korean era vets who are aboard.

(Note:  we have had some issues with public folks thinking that since we took, for this flight only, Vietnam era veterans as GUARDIANS, that this means that HFQC is accepting them for the flights, as VETERANS. This is not the case. Right now, we continue to operate as WWII vets as #1 priority, as well as any terminally ill veteran from any war or conflict, then Korean Era veterans.  I just wanted you all to be aware of this because folks "read into" things, and perhaps there is some very careful way to make this differentiation about the guardians on this flight.)

The reason that HFQC has extended this Vietnam era guardian opportunity for this particular flight, is because over the many months & years we have seen an outpouring of Vietnam era support at the airport in many forms. We thought this would be a way to recognize the Vietnam Era vets from the local & regional era by allowing them to have the honor of escorting a WWII and/or Korean Era veteran for the day.

A special "thank you Vietnam Era Veterans, for being guardians" banner will be hanging at the airport to recognize their support tomorrow. The banner also says "Welcome Home", which is I am told, a phrase that has been adopted for Vietnam veterans. If you want to know more about the origin of that phrase, Dave Woods at the Scott County Vets affairs would be a good one to talk to, or any VVA chapter.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (08/26/2013)(readMedia)-- The Illinois Army National Guard's 129th Regional Training Institute Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Camp Lincoln in Springfield commissioned 34 Soldiers as second lieutenants during the OCS graduation ceremony at Springfield High School, Aug. 25.

To meet the commissioning requirements, an officer candidate must complete more than 658 hours of classroom and field instruction. Candidates are evaluated on leadership abilities along with academics. They must also complete many physical and mental tasks, such as road marches and tactical exercises.

The 129th has commissioned 2,289 officers from the program.

The six newly commissioned accelerated program officers are:

• 2nd Lt. Dustin Anderson of Preemption, Ill., with Troop C, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry Regiment in Aurora, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Robert Boney of St. Louis, with Company B, 33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Bloomington, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Amanda Bruni of Troy, Ill., with Company C, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Springfield, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Jonathan Logemann of Lancaster, Wisc., with Detachment 1,1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Joliet, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Jonathan Miller of Macedonia, Ohio, with the 135th Chemical Company in Machesney Park, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Garrett Nevious of Marion, Ill., with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Marion, Ill.

The 28 newly commissioned traditional program officers are:

• 2nd Lt. Matthew Bisesto of Aurora, Ill., with Company G, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Crestwood, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Tom Boas of Philo, Ill., with Detachment 1, 1544th Transportation Company in Danville, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Logan Burke of Nashville, Ill., with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in West Frankfort, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Jose Corona of Aurora, Ill., with the 135th Chemical Company in Machesney Park, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Amanda Day of Peoria, Ill., with the 233rd Military Police Company in Springfield, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Landon Foy of Park Forest, Ill., with the 1244th Transportation Company in North Riverside, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Trevor Garner of Hull, Ill., with the 661st Engineer Company in Sparta, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Jason Harrison of Lisle, Ill., with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Chicago

• 2nd Lt. Wade Joiner of Edwardsville, Ill., with the 445th Chemical Company in Shiloh, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Dallin Jones of Paxton, Ill., with Company B, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Champaign, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Benjamin Klingberg of La Grange Park, Ill., with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Chicago

• 2nd Lt. Adam Kowalski of Darien, Ill., with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment in Peoria, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Brock Kowske of Chicago, with Company B, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Elgin, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Simon Lee of Chicago, with the 1744th Transportation Company in Crestwood, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Justin Lipes of Roseville, Ill., with Company A, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Bartonville, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Kirby McKee of Huntley, Ill., with Company D, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Woodstock, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Doreen Misiorek of Springfield, Ill., with the 766th Engineer Company in Decatur, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Brandon Nicol of Leroy, Ill., with Company E, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment in Peoria, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Monica Perez of Mount Prospect, Ill., with the 933rd Military Police Company in Fort Sheridan, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Peter Pogwizd of Chicago, with Troop B, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry Regiment in Dixon, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Robert Reif of Wauconda, Ill., with Company A, 405th Brigade Support Battalion in Streator, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Antonio Reyes of Chicago, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Chicago

• 2nd Lt. Greg Romanek of Franklin Park, Ill., with Company B, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion 33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Bloomington, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. John Schaaf of Moline, Ill., with Company A, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Bartonville, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Erin Speck of LaGrange, Ill., with the 333rd Military Police Company in Freeport, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Keith Stewart of Ursa, Ill., with the 661st Engineer Company in Sparta, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. Jessica Sucic of Moline, Ill., with 2nd Battalion, 123rd Forward Support Company in Milan, Ill.

• 2nd Lt. David Wachtveitl of Springfield, Ill., with Company C, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, 33rd Brigade Support Battalion in Carbondale, Ill.

Outstanding OCS graduates were awarded the following:

• The Leadership Award was awarded to 2nd Lt. Monica Perez of Mount Prospect, Ill., for the highest overall leadership evaluation score over the entire OCS program

• The Physical Fitness Award was awarded to 2nd Lt. Jessica Sucic of Moline, Ill., for the highest average score on the OCS Army Physical Fitness Test

• The Academic Award was awarded to 2nd Lt. Matthew Bisesto of Aurora, Ill., for holding the highest academic average in the class.

• Three Soldiers received honors. The honor award is a calculation of peer evaluations, leadership evaluations, academic evaluations and physical fitness, determining the top three overall officer candidates.

• The third honor was awarded to 2nd Lt. John Schaaf of Moline, Ill., for maintaining the third highest course average

• The second honor was awarded to 2nd Lt. Monica Perez of Mount Prospect, Ill., for maintaining the second highest course average

• The Erickson Trophy was awarded to 2nd Lt. Jessica Sucic of Moline, Ill., for holding the highest academic average in the class and she is also the class distinguished honor graduate.

WARSAW, POLAND (08/19/2013)(readMedia)-- Seven Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers marched in a 200-mile ceremonial pilgrimage through the countryside of Poland Aug. 5 to 14 in support of the state's longstanding partnership with the Polish military.

The trek, which commemorates Poland's catholic heritage, began with an early morning mass in Warsaw and ended at the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, the site of the Black Madonna icon. Approximately 300 Soldiers from Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland and the United States took part in the annual event.

Catholics from around the world travel to Poland for the pilgrimage each year. Each day Soldiers and civilians walked up to 28 miles to attend mass at various sites, including catholic churches, parks or any area big enough to hold the crowd.

The groups sang songs and recited prayers or sermons in their native languages to motivate each other while walking for 12 or more hours each day.

Capt. J Kent Kroencke of Louisville, Ky, a chaplain with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Marion, Ill., said he has tried to attend the spiritual journey for a few years.

"The interesting part of the event is that I am a protestant chaplain, but it is a catholic event," said Kroencke. "As a protestant chaplain we have to provide religious support for all types of Soldiers. The event helped me understand how to provide for catholic Soldiers in the future."

Sgt. John G. Chambers of Manteno, Ill., a chaplain's assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Chicago said the local civilians were extremely kind along the route. He said the communities were happy to see them pass through because some citizens are not physically able to do the pilgrimage.

Local residents provided food and drinks to the Soldiers along the way to encourage them during the long days.

Chambers said the reason he came to Poland was because he liked the idea of the long distance challenge, but was quickly surprised by how difficult the pilgrimage is.

"The event is more demanding on your body than you can ever imagine," said Chambers. "It is more taxing on your feet than anything I have ever experienced."

Sgt. Anastasia L. Evans of Alton, Ill., a chaplain's assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Machesney Park, Ill., said she enjoyed the experience and interaction with the participants from various countries.

"They were very welcoming and very helpful," said Evans. "I do not think I could have done the pilgrimage without them."

The State Partnership Program between the Illinois National Guard and the Republic of Poland was established in 1993 to foster mutual interests and establish long-term relationships across all levels of society.

Kroencke said getting to know the Polish Soldiers and civilians was fulfilling for him. He said he believes it will create relationships that will benefit both countries.

Chambers said the countries bonded together to help each other get through the pilgrimage.

"Anytime you have a difficult challenge or a challenging experience to share with other people, you come out of that experience with a stronger relationship with those people you shared it with," said Chambers.