9.25.2019 –
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS – Auburn resident and Illinois National Guard Soldier Christopher Arnold was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 in a ceremony, Sept. 25, at the Illinois Military Academy, Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois.
Arnold, who is assigned to the Joint Force Headquarters as the G4 (Logistics) Mobility Officer, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1989, serving on active duty with 4th Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, in Mannheim, Germany. After serving six years on active duty, Arnold joined the Illinois National Guard in 1995 as a light wheeled vehicle mechanic in the 3637th Maintenance Company. He deployed in Iraq from Nov. 2003 to Jan. 2005 with the 232nd Combat Support Battalion.
He entered the technician program in April 1999 as the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office transportation assistant. He has served as the Director of Logistics (DOL) transportation assistant, DOL movement supervisor and is the G4 Defense Movement Coordinator.
“I’m very proud of Chris. He is the epitome of what a Warrant Officer is,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Little, Director of Logistics, Illinois Army National Guard. “I can’t thank him enough for all he does for G4. He gets the job done. This promotion is a testament to his knowledge.”
“What a special day today is,” Arnold told friends and family. “I am truly blessed each of you could share this moment. If you had said 24 years ago when I joined the Illinois National Guard, that today I’d be getting promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4, I would have said you were crazy. But thanks to mentorship and a push in the right direction by the right people, here I am.”
Arnold thanked his family for their support during his career.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my entire family. My wife Crystal has been there for every promotion,” he said. “This promotion is just as much hers as it is mine. Our son, James, has been there every step of the way.”