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Maj. A.J. Peskuski, Commander of the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, recites the oath of office during his promotion ceremony at General Jones Armory in Chicago.

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A UH-60 approaches a casualty pickup point during a joint medical evacuation training event with U.S. Army Soldiers from the 709th Medical Company (Area Support), Illinois Army National and members of the Malaysian army's 5th Infantry Division.

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A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hoists a simulated casualty during a joint medical evacuation training event between the 709th Medical Company (Area Support), Illinois Army National Guard, and the Malaysian Army's 5th Infantry Division.

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A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hoists a simulated casualty during a joint medical evacuation training event between the 709th Medical Company (Area Support), Illinois Army National Guard, and the Malaysian Army's 5th Infantry Division.

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U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Anita Neuhas shows how to prevent blood from clotting during blood transfusions to Malaysian Army soldiers.

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U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Anita Neuhas trains members of the Malaysian Army and Guam Army National Guard on mobile blood bank operations during Exercise Keris Strike near Kota Belud, Malaysia, July 17, 2026.

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Malaysian Army soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Medical Battalion, check a correctly filled blood bag during a mobile blood bank training workshop.

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Chief Warrant Officer 5 Herb Stevens, State Standardization Pilot and Commander of the Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) 1 in Kankakee, thanks family, friends, and fellow Soldiers for their support during a retirement ceremony July 16 at AASF 2 in Decatur.

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Brig Gen. Lenny Williams, left, Assistant Adjutant General – Army and Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, presents a certificate of retirement to Chief Warrant Officer 5 Herb Stevens, State Standardization Pilot and Commander of the Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) 1 in Kankakee, during a retirement ceremony July 16 at AASF 2 in Decatur.

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Chief Warrant Officer 5 Herb Stevens, State Standardization Pilot and Commander of Army Aviation Support Facility 1 in Kankakee, is greeted by his family, including wife, Lynette, and daughters Hanna Stevens and Maggie Dhami, following Stevens’ final flight as an Army Aviator July 16 in the Illinois Army National Guard.

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Chief Warrant Officer 5 Herb Stevens, right, State Standardization Pilot and Commander of Army Aviation Support Facility 1 in Kankakee, is joined by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Wentworth, Illinois Army National Guard Instructor Pilot, on Stevens’ final flight July 16 as an Army Aviator in the Illinois Army National Guard.

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Staff Sgt. Daniel Davis, the custodian of the colors of Detachment 2, Company G, 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion, lowers the unit's guidon, allowing Capt. Jonathan Mercado, commander, and Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Panatera, detachment noncommissioned officer in charge, to case it. The 'casing' signifies the retiring of the MEDEVAC's colors.

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Capt. Jonathan Mercado, right, Commander, Detachment 2, Company G, 1-111th General Aviation Support Battalion, and Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Panatera, acting first sergeant, case the unit's guidon during a ceremony July 12 at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Kankakee.

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Col. Jeffrey P. Hicks has been selected as the United States Property and Fiscal Officer (USPFO) for Illinois.

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Jason M. Benhart is the top civilian Inspector General in the Army National Guard.

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John Sanders, from a crayon portrait in the collection of Colonel R.T. Durrett of Louisville, Kentucky. George Rogers Clark’s men caught Sanders who was hunting ducks near Vincennes, Indiana. They took him prisoner, interrogated him for information, and sent him into town with a note for the residents.

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George Rogers Clark, from a portrait painted by John Wesley Jarvis in the collection of Colonel R.T. Durrett of Louisville, Kentucky. As the American Revolutionary War intensified, Clark sought approval of a plan from Virginia’s Governor, Patrick Henry, to capture the British-held settlements of Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Vincennes in the Illinois Territory.

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Historical markers dotted in Kaskaskia, Cahokia Heights, Vincennes and Rock Island tell the stories and mark the locations of the westernmost events of the American Revolution as well as other early events involving the Illinois militia. (Graphic by Barbara Wilson, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs)

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Chief Master Sgt. Rebecca Velazquez, then serving in the Illinois Air National Guard, poses during her graduation ceremony at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Velazquez earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on leadership, psychology and sociology, a milestone that helped inspire her pursuit of a Master of Social Work degree and a future career supporting veterans and underserved communities.

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Then-Senior Airman Rebecca Velazquez receives recognition during her early years in the U.S. Air Force. Velazquez began her military career seeking adventure and opportunity, ultimately serving 27 years and retiring as the 183d Wing Command Chief, Illinois Air National Guard, before pursuing a new mission in mental health social work. (Courtesy photo)

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