Illinois National Guard > News

Take It From the Top
March 25, 2025 — Over the past few weeks there have been a lot of changes within the federal government including the U.S. Department of Defense. Each of you likely have an opinion about these changes. As a member of the U.S. military your opinion is important. However, your opinion is subordinate to the civilian authorities placed above you. These authorities were put in power by the citizens of the U.S. through free and open elections. ... MORE

Thank You for Your Amazing Work and Making History
June 10, 2024 — Commentary by By Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General, Illinois National Guard: Take it From the Top: Senior Leaders’ Corner Thank You for Your Amazing Work and Making History To the Soldiers, Airmen and Civilian employees of the Illinois National Guard - As I close out the last chapter of my military career, I am overwhelmed with all the amazing letters, e-mails, text messages, phone calls, and social media posts of support and accolades after the announcement of my retirement. It has truly been humbling... MORE

Mental Health: Overcoming stigma surrounding these challenges begins with early identification, addressing before escalation
February 6, 2024 — Commentary by By Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General, Illinois National Guard Mental Health: Overcoming stigma surrounding these challenges begins with early identification, addressing before escalation... MORE

Taking on harmful behaviors in the Illinois National Guard
December 27, 2022 — Albert Einstein once said that “The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” While I’m no genius, I’ll one-up Einstein and replace “thinking” with “actions.” Consider the issues of sexual assault and sexual harassment, discrimination and prejudice, suicide, and counterproductive leadership within our ranks. The military has tried to address these issues by using the same types of training year after year. Unfortunately, these problems still exist. We’ve made some progress but have failed to significantly move the needle toward positive change. ... MORE

Illinois Ready: Prairie Assurance Exercise 2018
January 8, 2019 — SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Imagine sleeping peacefully in bed, you’re awakened by a subtle shaking. Not sure what’s going on, you step out of bed to investigate, as you move through your house, the rumble intensifies to a shake, then a full-on roil. The pictures on your walls crash to the ground; the ground beneath you lurches and heaves. You look out of... MORE

A C-130 Hercules from the Illinois National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing based in Peoria, lands at the Marion Airport in Marion, Illinois, during Prairie Assurance, a full-scale, statewide multi-agency exercise Nov. 2, 2018. Soldiers and Airmen from the Illinois National Guard exercised at multiple locations in the state with state agencies, county emergency management agencies and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to test interoperability during a large-scale catastrophic event.