U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Randal Efferson, right, U.S. Air National Guard, acting director, and retired Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, stands with Col. Nick Henschel.
Spc. Bryan Madinger (blue belt) of Marion raises his hand in victory.
Spc. William Eyre raises both hands in victory after defeating Spc. Manuel Cano.
Sgt. Adetunji Jones raises his hand after defeating Sgt. Landon Walker.
Spc. Saquan Bufford (with the red belt) fights Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Beal in the lightweight championship.
Modern Army Combatives instructor Sgt. 1st Class Steven Metzger holds the TAG Combatives Tournament Team Trophy.
Capt. Jonavan Huggins (top) fights 1st Lt. Jordan Ramirez.
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
From left, Sgt. Summer Flores, Spc. Melissa Gomez, Spc. Joel Ocon, and Spc. Simon Rupniewski assisted a man involved in a serious motorcycle accident on Aug. 10.
Sgt. 1st Class Coire Reel of Sparta, Illinois, was awarded the Physical Fitness award for Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School Class 71-26.
Newly commissioned 2nd Lt. Timothy Gillmore is presented with certificate of completion of the Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School.
Newly commissioned 2nd Lt. Tianyu Gai is presented with certificate of completion of the Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School.
Mariah and Cameron Woods pin second lieutenant rank bars on newly commissioned Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) 2nd Lt. Lawrence Woods.
2nd Lt. Sean Wilhour, second from left, and 2nd Lt. Joseph Fisher, second from right, present a gift from Officer Candidate School Class 71-26 to Brig. Gen. Michael Eastridge, left, Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, Illinois Army National Guard, and Col. Paul Metzdorff, Commander, 129th Regiment.
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Check out the Illinois National Guard's latest publication, the Illinois National Guard Prairie Sentinel! Inside you'll find news and photos from around the ILNG! Click below to check it out!Prairie Sentinel Link

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Randal Efferson, right, U.S. Air National Guard, acting director, and retired Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, stands with Col. Nick Henschel, 126th Air Refueling Wing, commander, after winning the The Curtis N.
'Discipline, Sacrifice, Teamwork': 126th ARW Earns Metcalf Trophy
By Senior Master Sgt. Brian Ellison | Sept. 3, 2026
The 126th Air Refueling Wing has been recognized as the best Air Refueling Wing for 2025 by the National Guard Association of the United States at a ceremony in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the NGAUS Conference and...
Sgt. Adetunji Jones, representing the Decatur-based 766th Brigade Engineer Battalion, raises his hand after defeating Sgt. Landon Walker of the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, in the Aug. 23 cruiserweight championship during the Illinois Army National Guard’s TAG Combatives Tournament, at American Jujitsu in Springfield. Jones defeated Walker for the title. Off the mat, Jones works for Home Sweet Home Ministries homeless shelter in Bloomington, where he helps provide “Hope for All Who Enter.” He is also working on his accounting degree at Illinois State University. Walker is a HVAC and Electrical expert for Masters Bros, a family-owned electrical, plumbing, construction, maintenance, heating and cooling services company in Bloomington. (U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs.)
Grit, Courage and Resilience Define Illinois Army National Guard Combatives Champions
By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton | Sept. 3, 2026
The top finishers in the Illinois Army National Guard’s 2026 TAG Modern Army Combatives Championship, Aug. 21-23, included a tattoo artist, the owner and operator of a high-rise window cleaning business, a high school...
Approximately 20 Illinois Army National Guard soldiers with the Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A11 were recognized during a Freedom Salute Ceremony at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill., March 22, 2014. The BEST A11 soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and returned home December 2013. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kassidy L. Snyder/Released)
BROTHERHOOD BORN IN BATTLE – Veterans Reflect on Role in 2013 Defense of Forward Operating Base Ghazni
By Barbara Wilson, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office | Aug. 31, 2026
An old adage describes a normal day in war as “months of boredom punctuated by moments of terror.”Such can be said of Aug. 28, 2013, when Taliban forces attacked Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ghazni, Ghazni Province,...
Team of Illinois Army National Guard Medics Respond to Real-Life Emergency During Northern Strike Exercise in Michigan
By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton | Aug. 25, 2026
Four Illinois Army National Guard medics showed what it means to be ‘Always Ready, Always There’ by assisting an injured motorcyclist while on annual training, Aug. 10, while supporting the Northern Strike exercise on Camp...
Sgt. 1st Class Coire Reel of Sparta, Illinois, was awarded the Physical Fitness award for Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School Class 71-26. Reel scored 496 out of 500, a near perfect score, on the Army Fitness Test and setting record paces during tactical foot marches and the four-mile release run. He was presented with an Army Achievement Medal by Lt. Col. Casey Steiner, Commander, 2nd Battalion, 129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) and Maj. Madaline Cunningham, Commander, Officer Candidate School.
Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School Graduates 22 Leaders
By Barbara Wilson | Aug. 25, 2026
Twenty-two Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers graduated from the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) Officer Candidate School (OCS) course through the 129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) during a ceremony at...
Family members of U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class David Quinn accept flowers of appreciation during his retirement ceremony at the Crestwood Armory in Crestwood, Illinois, Aug. 10, 2026. The gesture acknowledged the sacrifices and vital support provided by the family during Quinn's service. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kristel Cordero, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Illinois Army National Guard)
Quinn Honored for Nearly 3 Decades of Service and ‘Creating a Family’ of Soldiers
By Spc. Kristel Cordero | Aug. 19, 2026
The Illinois Army National Guard honored Sgt. 1st Class David Quinn for 28 years of military service during his retirement ceremony Aug. 10, at the Crestwood Armory...
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Freedom 250 - Today in History

July 6, 1886: Camp Lincoln in Springfield was established as the headquarters of the Illinois State Militia, today’s Illinois National Guard.

 

CLICK HERE for Illinois Department of Military Affairs - 2025 ANNUAL REPORT