Ten Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard’s Chicago-based 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD) returned in June from a nearly year-long deployment supporting U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) and conducting public affairs operations across the continent.
“They are a small unit but made a significant impact to those they supported during this deployment,” said Brig. Gen. Lenny Williams, the Assistant Adjutant General – Army of the Illinois National Guard and Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard. “Public affairs is a small community but what they do is vitally important. They keep our troops and our Allies informed, use information to deter potential adversaries, and combat enemy misinformation in conflict.”
Commanded by Maj. Patrick Clark with 1st Sgt. Colin Prendergast, the unit was activated in July 2024. Once in theater, they formed small teams that would support operations across 14 European nations. The unit supported 43 missions and delivered U.S. Department of Defense and NATO messaging throughout the continent. The unit also supported nine SOCEUR “uniquely different” operations and exercises where they helped deter potential future conflict by demonstrating the lethality and power of U.S. and Allied Special Forces.
The unit created and uploaded over 300 unique videos, photos, captions, and written stories into the Defense Visual Information Distribution System (DVIDS), garnering over 200,000 views and over 5,000 downloads.
All 10 Soldiers received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for their accomplishments during the deployment. Three Soldiers (Clark, Staff Sgt. Lucas Snow, and Sgt. Xzavier Marte) received Joint Service Achievement Medals for their work during Steadfast Deterrence 2025 in May, a NATO exercise involving nearly 5,000 personnel from all 32 NATO nations.
Four soldiers (Staff Sgt. Kyle Odum, Sgt. Xzavier Marte, Spc. Kristel Cordero, and Spc. David Ervin) received Army Achievement Medals for their actions in support of Exercise Dark Lightning in the United Kingdom in September 2024. Dark Lightning was a joint interoperability exercise between the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). The exercise focused on enhancing the capabilities of the Chinook helicopter crews and personnel from both nations.
Odum also received the Army Achievement Medal for his work improving the unit’s physical fitness program. All the Soldiers in the unit passed the Operational Security Level 1 course. Staff Sgt. Snow completed the Norwegian Foot March, receiving the Marsjmerket badge, a recognized foreign military award for completing the required 18.6 mile ruck with a 24 pound ruck. Prendergast graduated from the Tactical Information Operations Planners Course. 1st Lt. Rachel Kim graduated from the Defense Information School’s Public Affairs and Communication Strategy Qualification Course, becoming a qualified U.S. Army public affairs officer.
The unit also planned and facilitated the first SOCEUR MPAD Pre-Deployment Site Survey (PDSS), which will assist future public affairs units deploying to Europe.
“Not many National Guard units get the opportunity to work with the Special Forces community,” Clark said. “To work alongside those teams, operators and leadership brought out the best of our Soldiers. We were trusted to tell the stories of this close-knit community and the amazing things they do with our European partners. The 139th stepped up, adapted and performed an extraordinary job in capturing content and promoting DoD messaging throughout the deployment.”