What a news week it's been. Developments in the Drew Peterson case have multiplied exponentially. Authorities say it could be two weeks before a body found in the Des Plaines River can be identified, but already there's speculation the body could be that of Stacy Peterson or Lisa Stebic. Meanwhile Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky has promised to fight for Drew in the Kathleen Savio murder case, i.e., keeping the original judge,getting Drew's bond lowered, and reminding us of Drew's innocence.
There's obviously more going on in the world than this, but it is a big story and that's why it's been dominating the news. There's a long way to go in the case, and the families of Kathleen Savio and Stacy Peterson are the ones who really must be suffering, whether Drew turns out to be culpable in the murder in one case, and disappearance in the other. I've talked to many families of missing children, spouses, and parents, and the worry they express is palpable. We need closure. I'd like to turn my attention to the concerns of some other families in light of Memorial Day.
Memorial Day is the time we commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in times of war so that we here could live in peace. I know there are many families who'll be thinking of their loved ones on Monday, as they do every day. I'd like to bring attention to a group of brave men and women stationed just outside Kabul, Afghanistan who haven't gotten the attention Peterson has, but should. They are the members of the Illinois National Guard, and with more than 3000 members stationed there, it's the largest deployment of Illinois National Guard troops since World War II, according to Sgt. James Stroh, an Illinois Guardsman stationed at Camp Phoenix.
The men and women of Camp Phoenix are part of the 33rd Infantry Brigade. I confess a certain ignorance of numbers, and names of military units, but I do know that these brave people are putting their lives on the line for their country and for the Afghan citizens trying to find a sense of normalcy . Sgt. Stroh talks about two missions: Confronting the enemy and helping to deliver humanitarian aid. His upbeat attitude surprised me when we talked. He loves serving his country. He never said it was easy, but remains hopeful and is ful of purpose. As he told me, "things happen, good and bad." Stroh gave me the impression the troops really want peace and Afghans to become participants in their destiny. Osama bin Laden never came up.
Speaking of the good and bad, we saw a demonstration of both with WGN-TV reporter Tom Negovan telling us the story of how Taliban supporters burned books taken from a school Stroh's colleagues just helped deliver. Even as they were leaving the books were already being assembled into a pile outside the school and torched. Tom recorded the event which shows just what our troops are up against. Tom has a blog on his trip posted on our website, so read what he has to say and watch the video.
On Memorial Day we hope to have some of the members of the Guard on the morning show around 6:40am. We've invited the families of those who will appear from Camp Phoenix via satellite. I say "hope" meaning with satellites and war, anything is possible. Tom was going to be live for us earlier in the week, and he was transmitting through Skype. The communication line was running fine just up until the time he was to be live. Then it suddenly shut down. According to Tom, it could have been a sand storm somewhere, no one's sure. The point is, it's halfway around the world in a war-torn country. It's not as simple as calling across town.
Even with all the hi-tech communications technology Afghanistan is a country still in tatters, prone to electricity blackouts, suicide missions, and general resistance. I hope we have the broadcast, but we have to remember it's a war they're fighting, communication signals get thrown off. Stroh says missions can be called in the middle of night, so everyday is uncertain as to what or where the troops end up doing.
I have a number of mini-autobiographical forms sent to me soldiers must fill out if they're willing to talk or appear with the media. As I'm looking through these now, our Illinois Guard members mirror the people they serve, us. They come from all stripes, professions, ages--you name it.
There's Staff Sgt. Lydia Chen. She's a 23-year old student who hails from Aurora. Part of her mission is to protect and monitor the safety of the base. This brave young woman was deployed to Kabul last September, just days after becoming a United States citizen. I know from the brief conversations with her mother how proud, yet concerned the family is. SSG Chen is scheduled on our air Monday.
There's Lt. Jeffrey Fleming, a 26-year old police officer who calls McHenry County his hometown. Chicagoan Joshua Almodovar is there. He was a Guard recruiter who decided to enlist because, well, in his own words: That after 4 ½ years of recruiting for the Illinois Army National Guard that I volunteered to come to Afghanistan, I felt that if I was enlisting fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters that I should also make the same sacrifices they are willing to make. Joshua mentors thousands of Afghan police officers and has reported coming under attack.
This Memorial Day let' us remember our fallen heroes, but the selfless men and women still out there fighting an enemy sometimes impossible to identify. Americans can debate the merits of war and what we're fighting for, but doubts or not, the members of the Illinois National Guard don't have time for intellectual pursuits. They serve in earnest. Many have been in Iraq, others helped New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina devastation. They go where they have to, and they go in so many cases, because they hear the call, and want to serve.
So here's to them and their brave families, proud and concerned. That's the real news. Let's hope Monday we can bring them together. We thank them for agreeing to appear publicly to what will obviously be an emotional setting. Nothing is easy about families being separated, and this kind of separation has to be the most difficult. We salute each and every one of them.
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