<p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'>SPRINGFIELD – Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sheahan of St. Louis received a Meritorious Service Medal from Brig. Gen. Johnny Miller of Tamms, Illinois National Guard Assistant Adjutant General-Army, at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, May 5. Sheahan is retiring from the Illinois National Guard as the service maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge of the surface maintenance office at Camp Lincoln. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Sheahan enlisted May 8, 1980 in the active duty Army and served three years before transferring to the Illinois National Guard in September 1983. He deployed to Iraq as the operations sergeant major from 2005 to 2006. </font></p></font></p> St. Louis Soldier Retires From Illinois National Guard
SPRINGFIELD – Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sheahan of St. Louis received a Meritorious Service Medal from Brig. Gen. Johnny Miller of Tamms, Illinois National Guard Assistant Adjutant General-Army, at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, May 5. Sheahan is retiring from the Illinois National Guard as the service maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge of the surface maintenance office at Camp Lincoln.

 
<p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'>Story by Staff Sgt. Jaime Witt, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – As summer approaches and temperatures rise, more than 350,000 registered motorcycles in Illinois will emerge from their garages. The Office of Safety and Occupational Health would like to remind the motorcyclists of the Illinois Army National Guard of safety expectations and requirements. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Maj. Jayson Coble of Springfield, Ill., the safety and occupational health manager for the Illinois Army National Guard, said motorcycle safety is important because motorcycling is inherently more dangerous. According to the Division of Traffic Safety, there were 145 motorcyclist fatalities in 2011, an increase from the previous year. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “You’re riding on two wheels instead of four,” said Coble. “An experienced rider once told me that when you’re on a motorcycle you’ve always got to watch out for everyone else around you, because they’re not watching out for you.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Soldiers are reminded there are specific requirements for riding a motorcycle when on duty, which includes travel to and from training, as well as riding on any military installation. In order to ride, Soldiers must have the “M” designator on their Illinois driver’s license and must have completed the Basic Rider Course within the last three years. Coble said the 15-hour course is offered free of cost at many sites throughout the state from February through October every year. A refundable $20 deposit is required to hold a seat, and the course provides a helmet and motorcycle for student use. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “The course teaches a person who has never ridden a motorcycle before, by the end of the weekend, to ride by themselves confidently,” Coble said. Sgt. 1st Class Michael Ladd of Seymour, Ill., a driving instructor with the 129th Regimental Training Institute out of Springfield, Ill., has been an avid rider since graduating high school and said the Basic Rider Course is essential. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “I am a Motorcycle Safety Foundation-trained rider from the beginning,” Ladd said. “I asked my father to teach me how to ride his bike. He told me when I turned 18, I could take a class from the state. I enrolled in the class after graduation and have been riding ever since.” Coble stated even experienced riders benefit from taking the basic rider course. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “The course teaches you things you may not have thought of before,” Coble said. “Instructors talk about bad habits people get into after they’ve ridden for a while, and things certainly change over the course of time. After you’ve been riding for a long time, you can become complacent and complacency kills.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> In addition to the course and licensure requirement, Soldiers must wear a helmet, eye protection, full-length pants, jacket, gloves and reflective gear. Coble said appropriate personal protective equipment is not only required, but will help save you in the case of an accident. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “I think the most important thing is a helmet,” Coble said. “You have only one head, and that’s probably the most vulnerable part of your body to injury and head injuries are the hardest to recover from if you survive.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Ladd echoed this sentiment. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “Buy a helmet that you’ll wear,” Ladd said. “It is the most important thing I’ve picked up as I became a more seasoned rider. I wouldn’t wear a helmet if it was uncomfortable.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Ladd also said proper maintenance is another important part of safety, as well as riding alert. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “If there is any one thing to point out, don’t ride when you’re impaired,” Ladd said. “If you make a mistake, there is no forgiveness.” </font></p></font></p> May Marks Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – As summer approaches and temperatures rise, more than 350,000 registered motorcycles in Illinois will emerge from their garages. The Office of Safety and Occupational Health would like to remind the motorcyclists of the Illinois Army National Guard of safety expectations and requirements.

 
U.S. Army photo by Illinois National Guard Capt. Dutch Grove / Min Soo Kin, of Carol Stream, Ill., is sworn into the Illinois Army National Guard as a second lieutenant by Col. David Nelson, the Illinois National Guard Senior Army Advisor, May 8 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield. Kin is dental student at Midwestern University and will become an Illinois National Guard dentist when he graduates in 2015. </font></p> Carol Stream Dental Student Sworn Into Illinois Army National Guard
SRINGFIELD, Ill. - Min Soo Kin, of Carol Stream, Ill., is sworn into the Illinois Army National Guard as a second lieutenant by Col. David Nelson, the Illinois National Guard Senior Army Advisor, May 8 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.

 
<p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'>Story by Sgt. Jesse Houk, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> ROCHESTER, Ill. – The bond between a mother and her children is one of the most foundational, yet significant relationships between human beings. This connection is so profound that not even time and distance can separate a mother’s love and devotion for her children. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Sgt. 1st Class Sarah J. Campbell, of Rochester, Ill., operations noncommissioned officer (NCO) of the 633rd Theater Gateway Personnel Accountability Team in Springfield, experienced this first hand when she was separated from her two children, Austin and Kiana, 10 and four respectively, while deployed to Kuwait with her unit from June 2012 to March 2013. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “I tried calling them every chance I got,” said Campbell. “It was hard sometimes, hearing them continuing on with their day-to-day life and telling me their stories and what they did that day.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Campbell, nearly half the world away, relied on phone conversations and video conferencing to stay connected with her children. Campbell worked the night shift and was able to make calls on her breaks while it was daytime back home. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Campbell said she tried her best to be there for her children and admits she missed out on some things during her nine-month deployment. The most obvious to her were the physical and academic growth of her children. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> The deployment was not only challenging for Campbell, but also her children. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “I really missed her,” said Austin. “But I think it’s cool that she’s in the Army because she gets to shoot bazookas.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Although being away was difficult, the deployment to Kuwait provided Campbell time to reevaluate her priorities. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “I got to reflect a lot about my life,” said Campbell. “A lot of my reflection had to do with my children. Sometimes life overwhelms you or kind of throws you off track and my deployment really helped me reflect on who I want to be as a person, a mother and Soldier.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> It’s difficult to balance the commitments of being a mother and Soldier, but Campbell has found a way to mesh the two. Her motherly instincts compelled her unit to give her the nickname of “mother hen” for the way she took charge during training. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “It is difficult juggling National Guard obligations with the responsibility of being a mother, but I feel they do compliment each other at times,” said Campbell. “I think being a mother helps me in my role as operations NCO because it’s all about taking care of people.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Campbell discovered a lot about herself while on deployment. That time was vital in defining her priorities. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “I would do anything for my children and for the military,” said Campbell. “My children will always come first no matter what.” </font></p></font></p> Mother Returns From Deployment In Time For Mother’s Day
ROCHESTER, Ill. – The bond between a mother and her children is one of the most foundational, yet significant relationships between human beings. This connection is so profound that not even time and distance can separate a mother’s love and devotion for her children.

 
<p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'>MOUNT VERNON, Ill. – Local employers and Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce businesses gathered at the Mount Vernon Readiness Center May 9 for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Breakfast with the Boss event. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> During the breakfast, attendees listened to presentations by ESGR representatives as well as the battalion and company commanders from the two Illinois Army National Guard units that drill in that armory: Company D, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment and Company F, 634th Brigade Support Battalion. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> All the commanders thanked the community members for their support and encouraged employers to communicate with commanders on issues or concerns about training or additional requirements expected of their Soldiers. </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> “If you have one take-away from today, it should be a phone number,” said Lt. Col. Charles Kitson of Springfield, 634th Brigade Support Battalion commander. “You can call us at any time.” </font></p><p style='margin: 1em 0px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 31.5pt;'><font size='2' face='Arial'> Along with breakfast and presentations, military equipment was also on display for attendees to explore. </font></p></font></p> Esgr Hosts Breakfast With The Boss In Mount Vernon
MOUNT VERNON, Ill. – Local employers and Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce businesses gathered at the Mount Vernon Readiness Center May 9 for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Breakfast with the Boss event.

 
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