Military Wife, Military Life

GARY SINISE AND LT DAN BAND "ROCKIN' FOR THE TROOPS"

NOT LONG AGO, I HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET CHICAGO NATIVE AND ACTOR GARY SINISE AND HIS LT. DAN BAND.

CLICK HERE TO SEE STACEY'S ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW WITH GARY SINISE.

I WROTE ABOUT IT ON THIS BLOG.  AND, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, SOMEONE COMMENTED AND SAID HE IS THE "BOB HOPE OF OUR GENERATION."

IT SEEMS FITTING, DOESN'T IT.  

WELL, GARY SINISE AND HIS BAND WILL HEADLINE A FUNDRAISER ON SATURDAY, JULY 18TH, AT CANTIGNY PARK IN WHEATON.  THE FUNDRAISER IS CALLED "ROCKIN' FOR THE TROOPS," AND BENEFITS OPERATION SUPPORT OUR TROOPS ILLINOIS .

CLICK ON THE LINK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION AND/OR TO PURCHASE TICKETS.  TICKETS ARE $25.00 A PIECE, AND THERE ARE VARIOUS LOCATIONS TO PURCHASE THEM.

AND IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN SINISE AND HIS BAND - THEY'RE"ROCKIN!"

USO OF ILLINOIS RECOGNIZES IL NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIER

 

DANIEL SMILJANICH IS JUST ONE OF HUNDREDS OF ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARDSMEN WHO HAVE SERVED TIME IN AFGHANISTAN.

AND THIS QUARTER, THE USO OF ILLINOIS IS RECOGNIZING THE FIRST LIEUTENANT FOR HIS SERVICE.

SMILJANICH, A CHICAGO NATIVE, DEPLOYED IN AUGUST, 2008, WITH THE 33RD INFANTRY BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, ACCORDING TO THE ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD.

WHILE DEPLOYED, THE GUARD REPORTS THAT SMILJANICH EARNED THREE ARMY COMMENDATION MEDALS, AND ONE OF THOSE WAS FOR A FIREFIGHT WITH THE ENEMY THAT LASTED AN HOUR AND A HALF.

SMILJANICH RECEIVED THE USO'S QUARTERLY SERVICE SALUTE, WHICH HONORS COL. JIM O'ROURKE, WHO DIED DECEMBER 23, 2006.  THE USO OF ILLINOIS REPORTS THAT O'ROURKE HAD A LONG TENURE OF SERVICE AND LEADERSHIP WITH THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

WAR GAMES - YES, THIS IS A CONTROVERSIAL HEADLINE

WAR IS NO GAME, GRANTED. 

HOWEVER, HAVE YOU SEEN THE RECENT DEBATE ABOUT VIDEO GAMES AND WHETHER THEY SHOULD INCLUDE LIFE-LIKE BATTLES IN PLACES LIKE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN?

ANY THOUGHTS?

WELL, ILLINOIS SOLDIERS ARE USING SOPHISTICATED VIRTUAL REALITY GAMES TO PREPARE FOR WAR.  THAT IS NO GAME.

THE FOLLOWING PICTURES AND ARTICLE WERE SUBMITTED BY ARMY CADETS CALE FULTON AND ALANNA CASEY.

SIMULATOR PROVIDES TROOPS WITH COMBAT CONVOY EXPERIENCE

By Cadet Cale Fulton, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

MARSEILLES – There are not many jobs where you can play a sophisticated virtual reality video game and get paid for it, but Illinois Soldiers had that opportunity June 7 during its annual training.

The 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, based in Springfield, trained on the Virtual Convoy Operator Trainer (VCOT) at the Illinois Army National Guard’s Marseilles Training Center.  The 232nd includes the 1344th Transportation Company based in East St. Louis and the 1544th Transportation Company based in Paris, as well as maintenance units in North Riverside and Springfield.

The VCOT is a tool that allows up to 10 Soldiers to participate in a simulated convoy mission.  The convoy consists of four humvees and includes drivers, turret gunners and a convoy commander.  Soldiers don head monitoring devices that allow them to see 360 degrees in the virtual environment.

“The VCOT has more than 300 adaptable scenarios and operators can change variables each ‘mission,’ making for a unique experience each go-around,” said Ed Voss, the Illinois Guard’s Training Aids, Devices Simulations and Simulators Facilitator.

Gunners are immersed into the experience of a combat convoy mission through a helmet that shows what they would see all around them during a patrol. The stations for drivers include all the truck’s controls. The station for gunners includes any number of weapons a truck gunner might have, including machine guns or automatic grenade launchers.

“It gives you the ability to get into a virtual simulation and trains you to react to a hostile situation,” said Capt. Bradley Roach, of Bloomington, commander of East St. Louis’ 1344th Transportation Company.

Sgt. Joshua Hayes of Edwardsville said the training as very realistic.  “Even though it was a simulated task, I wanted to perform as though I was in country,” said Hayes, also of the 1344th Transportation Company.

“Not only is it excellent training, but the troops get a kick out of it,” said Lt. Col. Drew Dukett, of Roodhouse, the 232nd commander. “The troops get to do something fun and different than the usual training.” 

During their two weeks of annual training, May 31 through June 12, the battalion is also slated to do a 12-mile road march, an obstacle course, an Army Physical Fitness Test, convoy training on the roads, and urban warfare training with paintball guns.

 
Photo by U.S. Army Cadet Alanna Casey, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Spc. Phillip J. Bryan of Desota fights it out with the enemy as a gunner in the Virtual Convoy Operator Trainer at Marseilles Training Center. Bryan is a Soldier with the 1344th Transportation Company in East St. Louis.

Photo by U.S. Army Cadet Alanna Casey, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/  Pvt. Brenda Turner of St. Louis prepares to mow down the enemy with a machine gun while Sgt. Chayla Washington of Cakonia drives through hostile territory as they team up on the Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer at Marseilles Training Center. Both Soldiers are with the Illinois Army National Guard’s 1344th Transportation Company based in East St. Louis.

FOCUS ON THE WORKFORCE: THE JOBS LEFT BEHIND WHEN YOU SERVE

    IF MILITARY SERVICE TAKES YOU AWAY FROM YOUR JOB, WHAT SHOULD YOUR EMPLOYER DO? 

    WHO CAN ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS?

    WHAT LAWS MUST THEY FOLLOW?

    AND WHO CAN HELP YOU?

THESE ARE ALL VALID QUESTIONS, AND THERE IS A DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AGENCY DESIGNED TO HELP EMPLOYERS AND COMPANIES.  IT'S CALLED EMPLOYER SUPPORT OF THE GUARD AND RESERVE.

THE ESGR HAS AN ILLINOIS COMMITTEE - ILLINOIS EMPLOYER SUPPORT OF THE GUARD AND RESERVE.

BASICALLY, THE ESGR MISSION IS THIS - WORD-FOR-WORD:  TO GAIN AND MAINTAIN EMPLOYER SUPPORT FOR GUARD AND RESERVE SERVICE BY RECOGNIZING OUTSTANDING SUPPORT, INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE LAW, AND RESOLVING CONFLICTS THROUGH MEDIATION.

IN ILLINOIS, DR. MICHAEL AYERS HAS JUST BEEN APPOINTED CHAIR OF OUR STATE'S ESGR.  HE WILL SERVE A THREE-YEAR TERM, WHICH BEGINS THIS FALL, ACCORDING TO THE ESGR.

SO IF YOU'RE A CIVILIAN EMPLOYER, OR IF YOU ARE A GUARDSMAN OR RESERVIST WHO NEEDS HELP, OR YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, CHECK OUT THE LINKS IN THIS STORY.  YOU CAN ALSO CALL THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE AT 1-800-336-4590.

IL GUARDSMEN DELIVER SCHOOL SUPPLIES IN AFGHANISTAN

YES, AFGHANISTAN IS A WAR-TORN COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.  BUT THERE ARE ALSO SIGNS OF PROGRESS.  TWO ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARDSMEN SUBMITTED THIS ARTICLE AND PHOTO.

SGT. 1ST CLASS TERRY O'NEILL TOOK THE PICTURE, AND 1ST LT. LIONEL GONZALEZ WROTE THE STORY.  THEY ARE BOTH WITH COMPANY C, 1ST BATTALION, 178TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, WHICH IS BASED IN KANKAKEE.

Story by 1st Lt. Lionel Gonzalez- Company C, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan- Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, based in Kankakee, helped distribute school supplies to a once neglected area of Afghanistan May 25.  The Illinois Army National Guard group has done this several times in other districts with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).

    “What makes this school supply drop more special is that some of these supplies were donated to the people here from our families back home,” said Sgt. 1st Class Terry O’Neill, of Plainfield.    

    Early in their deployment, the 178th Soldiers learned local schools often lacked basic equipment and supplies to properly teach the children who attended.

    “How can a kid learn to read or write if they don’t have pens or paper?” asked Spc. James Watterson of Buckley. 

    Because of that question, Soldiers called, wrote and e-mailed home asking friends and family to donate school supplies.  The supplies donated from home, along with supplies donated through non-governmental agencies, were taken to the district of Kohband in Kapisa Province in eastern Afghanistan. 

    While this district may have been difficult to get to in the past, the people of Kohband are now benefiting from road projects completed by PRT Kapisa and Parwan.

    The new roads in the area are making it easier for coalition forces to reach the local population and easier for the PRT to conduct village assessments and meet with key village leaders and government officials to evaluate the local feelings toward coalition forces.  In addition to school supply drops in the area, the PRT is constructing more roads and three new high schools.

    The PRT Kapisa and Parwan works with intergovernmental agencies, local engineers and contractors to build schools, health clinics, roads, government buildings and other infrastructure throughout Kapisa and Parwan provinces in Afghanistan.

    The Kankakee unit is deployed as part of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.  The Kankakee Soldiers are expected to be home late this summer or early fall.