Vets & Soldiers

Five Illinois National Guard Soldiers who deployed in May as part of Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A25 returned home in time for Christmas, wrapping up combat missions with the Polish military in U.S. Central Command that has lasted more than 15 years. 

“These missions were vital for our national defense as the country of Poland was part of the U.S. coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fighting together as brothers and sisters in arms strengthened the Illinois National Guard’s unique State Partnership Program relationship with the Polish military,” said Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, The Adjutant General and Commander, Illinois National Guard. 

BEST A25, whose mission it was to advise and support the Polish military contingent in Afghanistan, deployed in early May to the U.S. Central Command area in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, arriving in theater amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The Soldiers are from various communities in Illinois, including Champaign, Chicago, Frankfort, Tinley Park and Collinsville. The Soldiers were selected for the mission based on their training and skills.

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Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Vincent Weston, from Chicago, (right) and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Justina Acosta, from Whittier, Calif., attach ship’s bunting aboard U.S. 7th Fleet flagship, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), in preparation of her 50th Anniversary that was on November 14. Commissioned in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on November 14, 1970, 

Blue Ridge has served as a unique platform for global command and control coordination. Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the Navy and, as 7th Fleet command ship, actively works to foster relationships with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Claire Farin.

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) 

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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.

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