Illinois National Guard

Illinois National Guard Volume 3 Airmen on the Field 2019 Salute to Service Honoring our those who gave all: Fallen Heroes Remembrance 183rd Wing welcomes New Commander History on display at Illinois State Military Museum November-December 2019 Illinois National Guard 4 6 8 9 10 12 15 14 For more, click a photo or the title of the story. Paying Tribute: ILNG Fallen Heroes Memorial 4 The Illinois National Guard honors its 34 fallen Soldiers and Airmen, their sacrifices and their families at the Kankakee Army Aviation Support Facility, by Sgt. Stephen Gifford, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and Spc. Shaylin Quaid, 1844th Transportation Co. Airmen on the Field 6 A photo spread of the 182nd Airlift Wing and 183rd Wing on the field with the Chicago Bears for the Salute to Service game by Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Spreitzer. Refuelers welcome a new commander 8 Colonel Thomas Jackson of O’Fallon, Illinois, a veteran with multiple overseas tours, named the next Commander of the 126th Air Refueling Wing based at Scott Air Force Base, by Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs. Illinois Units sourced for missions 9 The Illinois National Guard’s 106th Cavalry Regiment is heading for missions in Africa and the 176th Cyber Protection Team lands a federal stateside mission, by Barb Wilson, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs. On Display: Illinois State Military Museum showcases the history 10 The Illinois State Military Museum displays relics and artifacts from the Illinois National Guard’s storied history, by Barb Wilson, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs. Springfield Police recognize servicemembers that wear the badge 12 Springfield Police Department recognizes its officers that have served or are serving in the military, by Barb Wilson Illinois National Guard Public Affairs. ESGR awards PNC supervisors for support of the ILNG 13 Barb Wilson, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs, details how two PNC supervisors were awarded the Patriot Award by the ESGR for supporting the Illinois National Guard. BEST A24 mobilizes for Afghanistan 14 The six-Soldier team, BEST A24, held a ceremony to mark their deployment to Afghanistan with the Polish Land Forces, by Sgt. Stephen Gifford, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. Passing the Torch: 183rd Changes Command 15 A photo spread highlighting the 183rd Wing’s change of command ceremony, by Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Kerr, 183rd Wing Public Affairs. Take it From the Top: Senior Leader’s Corner Focus on Training to Build Combat Power raining for combat is I know that these requirements seem cumbersome. TTHE most important Commanders must protect Soldier, crew/team, squad thing our Soldiers can and platoon training time as much as possible. Set your do to ensure the Illinois priorities and stick to them. Army National Guard One way to do this is through the disciplined use of is successful in all of its Unit Training Management (UTM). This tool provides missions. Training at the ideal venue for leaders to engage subordinates the tactical level is the and assess their performance while simultaneously foundation for success developing their unit training plan. Proper UTM at the operational and eliminates distractions and brings discipline to tasking, strategic levels. Personnel, protects training, and leads predictability to our logistics, intelligence, and Soldiers. Company and below should use the eight- operations all depend on step training model as an aid when developing their Maj. Gen. Michael Zerbonia, As- competent professionals unit training plans. All leaders need to make our young sistant Adjutant General - Army, able to perform their jobs Soldiers and junior NCOs become experts in UTM. Illinois National Guard and that competency comes One last note about training. General Dwight D. from training, re-training, Eisenhower once said, “The supreme quality for and training again. There is a reason that one weekend leadership is unquestionably integrity.” When you a month we have “drills.” They are for drilling in the evaluate your training as a Soldier, crew/team, squad, Soldier, crew/team, squad and platoon skills that platoon and company on up, you need to be honest we need to thrive and survive on the battlefield. IDT with yourself and your leadership. We can’t get you the drills and annual training are critical times to focus on resources you need to get to a higher training level if training as it is the time when crew/teams, squads and we don’t know where you are deficient. Don’t wait for platoons are together. an external evaluation. Let your leaders know where Leaders must be involved and focused on training you are weak, so we can help you turn that weakness readiness, providing tough, realistic and mentally into a strength. Too often we do a task one time and physically challenging training that excites and and think we are trained on that task. Leaders must motivates soldiers. Highly trained squads and platoons anticipate that not all tasks will be done to standard the are the foundation of ready units. Training progression first time. They must design time into training events begins by achieving proficiency at the Soldier, crew/ that allow for retraining. In planning training, it is team, and squad level through progressive repetitions, more important to train to the standard on a limited building towards platoon proficiency that is vital to number of tasks than to attempt to train on as many achieving the lethality desired in our more complex and fail to achieve the standard on none. Even when collective training events. When properly planned, individuals and units have trained to the required level the successful completion of each successive training of proficiency, leaders must plan to repeat the critical activity builds on the last and increases the capability, tasks to ensure those skills are mastered. motivation, and lethality of Soldiers and units. Ultimately, as leaders and commanders we must The new Army marketing campaign, “What’s your ensure our lowest levels are becoming masters at their Warrior?” highlights the ways the Army can develop skills. It needs to be a building block approach from recruits’ unique skills, and integrate them into teams, Soldier to crew/team to squad and then platoon. The squads, and platoons on up. No one has been better FORSCOM commander General Michael Garrett has than the National Guard at integrating unique civilian made the statement that if we have platoons that and military skills to make better teams. When we get can fight, we will win every time. I concur with his together, we integrate those individual skills into the assessment. We must be masters at shooting, moving, crew/teams, squads and platoons. We figure out the and communicating. I am going to add a fourth to that; areas where we are strong and weak and work on those we have to be able to support. So as leaders, let’s make weak areas. This time is precious. The Army throws sure our Soldiers have mastered the skills of shoot, a lot of administrative requirements at us. While there move, communicate, and support at the platoon level have been efforts to reduce these requirements and before we start working collective training at higher allow Commanders to accept some risk in certain areas, levels. 3 Paying Tribute: ILNG Fallen Heroes Memorial by Sgt. Stephen Gifford, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Photos by Sgt. Stephen Gifford, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and Spc. Shaylin Quaid, 1844th Transportation Company KANKAKEE, Ill. – Members of the Illinois National the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, Guard, Gold Star families, civic leaders, and other spoke on behalf of the all Illinois National Guard residents gathered to remember the 33 Illinois Soldiers and Airmen, remembering the sacrifice and National Guard Soldiers and one Airman lost during celebrating the lives of the Illinois National Guard combat operations during the Global War on Terror. fallen. Neely stressed the continued importance of The event was held at the Kankakee Army Aviation the relationship between the Illinois National Guard Support Facility, Kankakee, Illinois, on Nov. 3. and the families of its fallen Soldiers and Airman. Brig. Gen. Richard Neely, of Springfield, Illinois, “You are welcome wherever we gather. You will 4 always have a place at our table,” Neely said. “If any families in attendance were thanked by the several of our Gold Star families need anything, my door is senior leaders of the Illinois National Guard for always open to you.” their continued service to the United States and their The Illinois National Guard has supported ongoing relationship with the men and women of several operations overseas including Operation the Illinois National Guard. Iraqi Freedom and Col. (ret.) Ralph Operation Enduring “The warmth we received from and Linda Grieco, Freedom since of Bartlett, Illinois, 9-11 by deploying all those we met makes us feel a attended the approximately 20,000 ceremony. Their Soldiers and Airmen part of the Guard family.” son, Staff Sgt. since Sept. 11, 2001. Kevin Grieco, died The Department of Defense lists approximately 7,000 from wounds sustained when a suicide bomber deaths during overseas operations since 9-11. detonated explosives as Grieco entered a building The 33rd Infantry in Afghanistan in Oct. 2008. The Griecos expressed Brigade Combat appreciation for being included in the ceremony. Team deployed “The warmth we received from all those we met to Afghanistan in makes us feel a part of the Guard family,” Grieco 2008-09, the largest said. “I know our son would be the first to say single deployment Hooah to all the Guard has done to embrace us all of Illinois National these years later.” Guard Soldiers After the ceremony, the families in attendance since World War II.

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