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During the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade’s deployment to Djibouti, military forces from the United States, along with Spanish, and Republic of Korea militaries were able to interact with each other. Nearly 200 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers serving on the deployment arrived home just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

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1st. Lt. Patrick Reynolds, Embassy Liaison Officer and members from the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa operations directorate pose with a Djiboutian Military Organization. Nearly 200 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers serving on the deployment arrived home just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Capt. Matthew Marass, Aide-de-Camp to the commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, and Maj. Gen. Jami Shawley, Commander, CJTF-HOA, participate in the Norwegian Ruck March, during the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade’s deployment to Djibouti. Nearly 200 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers serving on the deployment arrived home just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Illinois Army National Guard Lt. Col. Elizabeth Roxworthy, who served as the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa executive officer during the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade’s deployment, talks with Maj. Gen. William Zana, then-Commander of CJTF-HOA, during a patching ceremony. Nearly 200 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers serving on the deployment arrived home just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Soldiers from the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and Japanese medical staff trained together on behavioral health screening techniques and best practices for service member care during the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade’s deployment to Djibouti. Nearly 200 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers serving on the deployment arrived home just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Matt Palmisano, the new integrative prevention officer for the Illinois National Guard, helps guide his teammate during a resiliency exercise Dec. 1 on Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Ill. During the exercise Illinois National Guard servicemembers were put in teams and asked to help guide each other through obstacles while blindfolded. The exercise assisted groups with building trust while working together in a team environment. Instructors from NATAL, the Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center, brought resiliency training to the Illinois National Guard as a U.S. pilot course called Operational Stress Management and Resiliency Care for First Responders. The course ran from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 at Camp Lincoln, Springfield, followed by another week of teleconference training.

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Illinois Army National Guard trucks line up prior to June's parade.

The temperature was 23-degrees Fahrenheit, but it was a warm June Day in Auburn, Illinois, Dec. 17 as the Illinois National Guard joined hundreds of first responders and community groups from across the region to give 3-year-old June Peden-Stade a parade. The Make A Wish Foundation reached out to the City of Auburn with June's wish this week and supporters flocked in from all over Central Illinois to make the parade a reality, including 10 trucks and about 20 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard's 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion; Charlie Company of the 634th Brigade Support Battalion; Battery B of the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery; and the 3637th Maintenance Company - all based in Springfield.

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CJ and Joey, the mascots for Hospital Sisters Health System Children's Hospital, pose with Brandy Grove, the HSHS Manager of Philanthropy, as 10-year-old Zoey Beyers peeks out from behind prior to June's parade. The temperature was 23-degrees Fahrenheit, but it was a warm June Day in Auburn, Illinois, Dec. 17 as the Illinois National Guard joined hundreds of first responders and community groups from across the region to give 3-year-old June Peden-Stade a parade. The Make A Wish Foundation reached out to the City of Auburn with June's wish this week and supporters flocked in from all over Central Illinois to make the parade a reality, including 10 trucks and about 20 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard's 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion; Charlie Company of the 634th Brigade Support Battalion; Battery B of the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery; and the 3637th Maintenance Company - all based in Springfield.

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Family and friends watch June's parade with her. June watched from inside the front door window. The temperature was 23-degrees Fahrenheit, but it was a warm June Day in Auburn, Illinois, Dec. 17 as the Illinois National Guard joined hundreds of first responders and community groups from across the region to give 3-year-old June Peden-Stade a parade. The Make A Wish Foundation reached out to the City of Auburn with June's wish this week and supporters flocked in from all over Central Illinois to make the parade a reality, including 10 trucks and about 20 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard's 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion; Charlie Company of the 634th Brigade Support Battalion; Battery B of the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery; and the 3637th Maintenance Company - all based in Springfield.

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Itai Biran, the Consul for Political and Commercial Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest in Chicago, welcomes members of the Illinois National Guard to the course at Camp Lincoln, Springfield. Biran talked about the importance of destigmatizing mental health issues.

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Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard, welcomes members of the Illinois National Guard attending the Operational Stress Management Resiliency Care for First Responders course at Camp Lincoln, Springfield. The course was taught by instructors from NATAL, the Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center which specializes in war and terror related trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and resiliency building.

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Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard, welcomes an Israeli delegation to Camp Lincoln, Springfield, Nov. 29. The Israeli delegation was invited to teach members of the Illinois National Guard to cope with stress through the Operational Stress Management Resiliency Care for First Responders course Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 at Camp Lincoln, Springfield.

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Staff Sgt. Tyler Allen of the Illinois National Guard Counter Drug Team, guides Maj. Chad Wester, the Joint Interagency and Intergovernmental Affairs Officer for the Illinois National Guard through an obstacle course Dec. 1 on Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois.

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Maj. Brady Lanoue, a chaplain assigned to the Illinois Army National Guard 65th Troop Command, is guided by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Lane Hamm of the Illinois Air National Guard 182d Security Forces Squadron, during a resiliency exercise Dec. 1 on Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois.

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Under the watchful eye of Israeli reserve Lt. Col. Opher Ben Gershon, Emergency Readiness and Management Expert, members of the Illinois National Guard develop teamwork skills by lowering a hula hoop to the floor with each participant keeping the hoop on their fingernail.

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Members of the Illinois National Guard who attended the Operational Stress Management and Resiliency Care for First Responders course at Camp Lincoln, Springfield, were divided into teams and participated in hands-on exercises designed to teach stress-coping mechanisms.

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Sgt. Jason Swick, of Quincy, assigned to the Effingham-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard takes part in basic rappelling training hosted by members of the Colombian Army Air Assault School during Exercise Southern Vanguard 23 on Nov. 6, 2022 at Tolemaida Military Base, Colombia.

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Spc. Garrett Wock, of Jerseyville, Illinois, assigned to the Effingham-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard take part in basic rappelling training hosted by members of the Colombian Army Air Assault School during Exercise Southern Vanguard 23 on Nov. 6, 2022 at Tolemaida Military Base, Colombia.

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Staff Sgt. Nate Myers, of Hartsville, Tennessee, a squad leader assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois National Guard and Colombian Army Staff Sgt. Octavio Munoz, a platoon sergeant assigned to the BRNCA 1 Special Anti-Drug Brigade, share stories while taking a break from training during Exercise Southern Vanguard 23 at Tolemaida Military Base, Colombia on Nov. 10, 2022.

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Brig. Gen. Rodney Boyd, Assistant Adjutant General – Army and Commander of the Illinois Army National Guard, passes the Combined Task Force (CTF) guidon to the CTF commander during the opening ceremony of Exercise Southern Vanguard 23 on Nov. 8 at Tolemaida Military Base, Colombia.

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