Springfield, IL –
Air Force Col. Shawn Strahle, the Deputy Commander of the Illinois Air National Guard's 183rd Wing, received the Meritorious Service Medal for more than four years of service as the Director of Information Management, part of the Illinois Army National Guard's staff.
Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, the Assistant Adjutant General - Army for the Illinois National Guard and the Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, presented the medal to Strahle in front of the Illinois Army National Guard staff on January 9 at the Guard's headquarters on Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
Strahle is a resident of Chatham, Illinois, and a native of Dugger, Indiana. He served as the Illinois National Guard's Director of Information Management from May 2019 to September 2023. The medal citation reads "Colonel Strahle demonstrated extraordinary leadership, expertise, and devotion to duty that greatly enhanced the overall readiness regulatory compliance and operational success of the Illinois Army National Guard."