Features

Brig. Gen. Jorge M. Fonseca Promoted and Appointed Director of the Joint Staff
July 8, 2025 — Surrounded by family, friends, and fellow Soldiers, Col. Jorge M. Fonseca was promoted to brigadier general and appointed as the Illinois National Guard’s next Director of the Joint Staff during a formal ceremony in Chicago June 21 that honored his decades of service and sacrifice. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in Chicago’s Little Village, Brig. Gen. Fonseca has dedicated more than 30 years to public service. He began his military journey as an enlisted combat medic in the U.S. Army Reserve and commissioned as a Medical Service Corps officer in 1996 through the Illinois Army National Guard Officer Candidate School. Since then, Fonseca has served with distinction in multiple leadership roles, including three overseas combat deployments and assignments across the Intelligence Community and law enforcement. “Jorge Fonseca is an authentic leader of character who has had success leading large, multi-national, joint, dynamic, and complex organizations,” said Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, Assistant Adjutant General – Army, Illinois National Guard. “His national, international, combatant command, incident command, and law enforcement networks uniquely position him to excel as our next Director of the Joint Staff.” The pinning of Fonseca’s new rank was performed by his wife Andrea and their daughters. Reflecting on his new role, Brig. Gen. Fonseca said, “I am honored to represent my family, my community, and the Illinois National Guard as the Director of the Joint Staff. Serving in the U.S. military has opened countless doors for me and my family, shaping our lives in extraordinary ways.” The Joint Staff oversees all domestic operations in Illinois and advises the Adjutant General on joint matters concerning more than 13,000 Soldiers and Airmen. Fonseca replaces Brig. Gen. Justin Osberg, who was selected for a new assignment with U.S. Forces Korea. In addition to his military career, Fonseca serves as a sergeant in the Illinois State Police’s Criminal Investigation Division. He was named to the Illinois Governor’s Honor 200 list in 2018, recognizing veterans whose service goes above and beyond the call of duty. The ceremony concluded with the Army Song and a sense of pride and unity among those present, as the Illinois National Guard welcomed its newest general officer, a leader shaped by service, sacrifice, and a deep commitment to his community and country. “This promotion isn’t just about me, it’s about everyone who was here along the way,” Fonseca said. “I will continue to serve with honor, represent our communities with pride, and mentor the next generation of leaders in uniform.”...

Recruiting and Retention Resource Manager Retires After 31 Years of Service
April 18, 2025 — – Sgt. 1st Class Britt Talley, a resource noncommissioned officer with the Illinois Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion (RRB), was honored during a retirement ceremony April 18 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield. Joined by family, friends, and colleagues, Talley retired after 31 years of military service. Over the course of his career, he served in a variety of roles, including infantryman, cannon crewmember, nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) instructor, howitzer section chief, squad leader, platoon sergeant, and S3 operations noncommissioned officer...

Boyd Assumes Leadership of Illinois National Guard During Change of Command Ceremony
May 7, 2024 — In a ceremony steeped in military tradition, Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, of Springfield, relinquished command of the Illinois National Guard to Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, of Naperville, during a change of command May 4 at Glenwood High School in Chatham. Following the change of command ceremony, Neely retired after 40 years of service in the Illinois National Guard...

Illinois National Guard Soldier Recognized for Valor in Stopping Multiple Murder Suspect
April 26, 2024 — Winnebago County presented Illinois Army National Guard Spc. Michael Gambino, a military policeman with the Freeport-based 333rd Military Police Company, with two awards for valor on April 25. Gambino, a Winnebago County deputy sheriff, apprehended a man accused of killing four people and wounding several others. He was among the first law enforcement officers on the scene of the March 27 multiple murders and his quick actions are credited with putting an end to a violent rampage...

DPAA Identifies Remains of Illinois Army National Guard Soldier from World War II
April 19, 2024 — Rosemary Dillon, of Chicago, was about five years old when her Uncle Harry, who was serving in the Illinois Army National Guard’s Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion, was activated for federal service, arriving in the Philippines just days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the next day, the Philippines. On Oct. 4, nearly 83 years after the start of World War II, Dillon’s Uncle Harry, Pfc. Harry Jerele, will be buried with full military honors at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood. ...

College Student from Arlington Heights and Pekin Police Officer Top Honors in Illinois National Guard's Best Warrior Competition
April 16, 2024 — Pfc. Nathan Johnson of Arlington Heights was named the Illinois Army National Guard’s “Soldier of the Year” and Sgt. Terry Lair of Pekin was named the “Noncommissioned Officer of the Year” after a grueling 3-day competition at Sparta Training Area in Sparta, Illinois, that pitted the top placers from each of the Illinois Army National Guard’s major subordinate commands against each other. ...

Chicago Business Consultant and Illinois National Guard Soldier Graduates from Ranger School
November 29, 2023 — While Anton Hopkins walks in the Chicago Loop to his civilian job at L.E.K. Consulting, many don’t see the “rough” man who stands ready “to do violence” on behalf of the United States so others can “sleep peacefully in their beds” - as the famous quote goes. But Illinois Army National Guard 1st Lt. Anton Hopkins is a U.S. Army Ranger-qualified infantryman with the military and leadership skills to support and defend the U.S. Constitution and our democracy. Hopkins completed the intense 62-day, three-phase Army Ranger School on Oct. 13 after first attending the National Guard’s Ranger Training and Assessment Course in June. Ranger School starts at Fort Moore in Georgia and includes mountain and swamp training. Less than half of the Soldiers who started the course with Hopkins were able to finish it. And Soldiers are intensely screened just to get into the course. In uniform, Hopkins is the sniper section and scout platoon leader for the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment based in the General Richard L. Jones Armory on Chicago’s South Side. ...

Soldier Inspired to Serve by Operation Desert Storm Ends Military Career as Illinois National Guard's Command Senior Enlisted Leader
November 21, 2023 — The year was 1990 and a future Illinois National Guard member watched Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm unfold on national television and was inspired to “do something that means something.” “I had graduated high school and knew I wanted to go to college but didn’t know how I was going to pay for it because my parents couldn’t afford it,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Dena Ballowe of Carlinville, who retired as the Illinois National Guard’s top enlisted service member on Oct. 31 after 32 years of service in the Illinois Army National Guard. “I had moved to Indiana to live with my grandmother to see what Indiana had to offer.”...

Combat Leader, Relationship Builder, and Master of Movie Lines: Major General Mark Jackson has Retired After 38 Years
November 6, 2023 — Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Barber, then a squad leader, took a position on a rooftop in the Abu Graib neighborhood of Baghdad in 2005 so he could get a better vantage point on the enemy’s attack on his Soldiers. “Black Hawk Six is in enroute” he heard over his radio. Maj. Gen. Mark Jackson of Frankfort, Illinois, then a lieutenant colonel and his battalion commander, had decided to see the situation firsthand...

Illinois National Guard NCO to Join Polish Bicycle Rally to Honor Fallen Allies
August 3, 2023 — When Senior Master Sgt. David Schreffler started riding with Gold Star Mission it was a great way to combine two of his greatest passions, bicycle riding and a desire to honor and remember fallen U.S. service members. The Illinois Air National Guard NCO never thought it would bring him across the ocean to ride in honor of the fallen service members of our nation’s staunch ally, Poland. But, from Aug. 8-12, Schreffler will join five other volunteer U.S. riders and two volunteer support staff on the first Polish Veterans Bike Rally. “It is a great way to ensure the fallen are not forgotten,” said Schreffler, the Chief of Quality Assurance with the 217th Engineering and Installation Squadron, 183rd Wing, based in Springfield...