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NEWS | Feb. 14, 2018

ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS RECOGNIZED AS REGION’S BEST RECRUITERS

By Staff Sgt. Robert Adams Joint Force Headquarters- Illinois National Guard

1st Sgt. Chad McDannald, a Jacksonville, Illinois, native, and Sgt. 1st Class Beau Detrick, of Marion, Illinois, with the Illinois Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion (ILARNG RRB) were recognized during a ceremony in Potomac, Maryland, Jan. 31, for being the best Army National Guard recruiters in a seven-state region.
McDannald, of Franklin, Illinois, was selected as the Army National Guard’s Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Year in region four for fiscal year 2017. McDannald is the first sergeant of Company D, ILARNG RRB, based in Aurora, Illinois. Region four included Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa. 
The award goes to a first sergeant who achieves at least 100 percent of their yearly recruiting goal and maintains at least a 94 percent Initial Active Duty Training success rate. All 11 of the recruiting and retention noncommissioned officers who are members of McDannald’s company met or exceeded their recruiting goal.
“First Sergeant McDannald is a team builder and a leader,” said Lt. Col. Darren Horton, of Williamsville, Illinois, Commander of the ILARNG RRB. “He is adept in bringing out talent from his recruiters. He has trained, developed, and led them to become one of the top recruiting companies in the nation.” 
Horton said McDannald is dynamic and keeps his team motivated at all times.
“I was really proud to be able to represent the Illinois Army National Guard at the national level,” said McDannald. “This will be my last year as the first sergeant of Company D and I will be training up the first sergeant who will take my place. I want that person to do better than me.”

Detrick was selected as the Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer Recruiter of the Year in region four for the 2017 fiscal year. Detrick is a member of Company N, ILARNG RRB, based in Marion, Illinois.
The award was based not only on the number of enlistments achieved, but the “whole Soldier concept”, including physical fitness, leadership and Initial Active Duty Training success rate.
“Detrick’s recruiting accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2017 were remarkable,” said Horton. “He enlisted 24 Soldiers and every one of his enlistments completed basic and advanced training.” 
Horton said Detrick not only gets consistent results, but always overproduces. 
Detrick and McDannald also competed at the national level, both placing in the top ten.
News
Illinois Army National Guard trucks line up prior to June's parade. 

The temperature was 23-degrees Fahrenheit, but it was a warm June Day in Auburn, Illinois, Dec. 17 as the Illinois National Guard joined hundreds of first responders and community groups from across the region to give 3-year-old June Peden-Stade a parade.  The Make A Wish Foundation reached out to the City of Auburn with June's wish this week and supporters flocked in from all over Central Illinois to make the parade a reality, including 10 trucks and about 20 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard's 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion; Charlie Company of the 634th Brigade Support Battalion; Battery B of the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery; and the 3637th Maintenance Company - all based in Springfield.

Illinois National Guard Helps Make 3-Year-Old June Peden-Stade's Wish for a Parade a Reality