Vets & Soldiers

Illinois Army National Guard Col Marc Dahman of Schaumburg, was presented the Meritorious Service Medal during an award ceremony at Combat Training Center –Yavoriv, Ukraine September 15.

Dahman is the Task Force Illini Surgeon and senior medical officer deployed with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Lviv, Ukraine in support of Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine. 

He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his time as the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Forces Headquarters State Surgeon from October 2017 to October 2019. During that time Dahman guided the Illinois National Guard’s medical readiness from near the bottom of the 54 states and territories’ National Guards to the top five. Dahman was also responsible for Illinois exceeding several medical readiness goals set at the national level. 

Pictured:  

Col. Clayton Kuetemeyer, of Chatham, Illinois, Task Force Illini commander, pins the Meritorious Service Medal on Col. Marc Dahman of Schaumburg, Illinois, during an award ceremony at Combat Training Center-Yavoriv, Ukraine Sept. 15. (Photo by Cpl. Shaylin Quaid, Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine Public Affairs) 

Full story available in all 14 Southwest Messenger Press Newspapers

Hospitalman Christina Going, a native of Chicago, is playing a critical role in the U.S. Navy’s efforts to maintain a healthy and ready fighting force in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.

As a hospital corpsman working at Naval Medical Center San Diego, Going’s skills are vital to maintaining the health of the sailors in the San Diego area, and by extension, the readiness of the operational ships and submarines on which they serve.

Going is a 2014 Amos Alonzo Stagg High School graduate. According to Going, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Chicago.

“I learned from experience that changes come at the most unexpected times and are inevitable,” Going said. “It’s part of the learning process and is necessary to be a better person. I am thankful that my upbringing prepared me for unexpected changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

U.S. Navy Medicine is the most decorated career field in the Navy. Navy Hospital Corpsmen have earned 22 Medals of Honor, 179 Navy Crosses, 959 Silver Stars and more than 1,600 Bronze Stars. Twenty ships have been named in honor of corpsmen.

In its century of service, the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps has supported millions of sailors and Marines in wartime and peace around the world. As the years have progressed, technological innovations are transforming medical training for the next generation of hospital corpsmen, according to Navy officials.

Full story available in the Bridgeview Independent, Burbank Independent, Scottsdale Independent, Alsip Express, Beverly News and Mt. Greenwood Express

Approximately 120 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers who served overseas for the past year returned home recently. 

The 333rd Military Police Company, headquartered in Freeport, Illinois, mobilized in June 2019, but their return had been delayed by two months due to COVID-19.

The unit arrived at Fort Bliss, Texas, on July 1, where, after two weeks of quarantine, the Soldiers conducted two days of administrative out processing and received airline tickets to return home. Upon arrival at the various airports, the Soldiers were released to their families. 

Maj. Gen. Michael R. Zerbonia, of Chatham, Illinois, Illinois Army National Guard Commander and Assistant Adjutant General – Army expressed his gratitude to the 333rd. “You had a challenging mission,” Zerbonia told the returning Soldiers. “You performed your mission with a great deal of professionalism. Each of you should be proud on the completion of a successful mission.”

Full story available in the Bridgeview Independent, Burbank Independent, Scottsdale Independent, Alsip Express, Beverly News and Mt. Greenwood Express

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ellasan Roe, from Chicago, takes notes in the pilot house of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) during a drill. New Orleans, part of the America Expeditionary Strike Group, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit team, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serves as a ready response force to defend security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelby Sanders.)