I'm devoting the space here to honor the members of the Illinois National Guard. With the July 4th holiday just around the corner, it's a good time to honor the fallen heroes, the wounded, and the members still over there. With about 3000 Guardsmen representing the country and state, they are spread throughout Afghanistan sacrificing their lives so we don't have to. Fourteen have been killed, about 50 wounded. They've been in Afghanistan since December, having been deployed last September
. Hopefully they'll be home this Autumn. It's not insignificant to mention this is the Illinois Guard's largest deployment since World War II.
Many joined the Guard for a six-year stint. Before they were called to active duty, many began as reservists. Their occupations ranged from working as police, nurses, pilots, and even students. Lydia Chen who we'll talk about later was in her third year at UIC when she was deployed to active duty. Some signed up for patriotic reasons, others to learn new skills. Whatever the individual motives, they now occupy one of the world's hottest hotspots, and with it comes a newfound appreciation for the freedoms we here may sometimes take for granted.
There are several missions, as outlined by WGN-TV reporter Tom Negovan, (click here) who spent several weeks with the 33rd Combat Brigade in Camp Phoenix, outside the country's capital, Kabul. One of the Guard's purposes is training ordinary Afghans to become competent police officers. Many of these citizens are illiterate, so it's quite a task. Other missions involve delivering humanitarian aid, such as making sure medical supplies get to hospitals, or bringing books to schools so the students can get the education every child deserves.
And yes, there's combat. One doesn't go into a war zone without properly knowing how to survive, and that means not being afraid to defend their lives and their comrades. For the Guard, it's been a mixture of what I've mentioned and more. From emailing and talking to soldiers there, my understanding of the mission is to equip Afghans with the tools they need to control the fate of their country. After decades of war, the mission could take a long, long time.
Recent reports indicate the violence in Afghanistan is escalating. A fact not lost on the Illinois National Guard. Two members were recently killed there, and the latest two casualties are back, pending funeral service. Even so, talking to Sgt. Jamie Stroh who recently returned here for two weeks, the morale of the troops is astounding. I've had the privilege of knowing him, first through emails, telephone calls, and now enjoying a short furlough, to meet him in person. He represents those who haven't talked to the media. He has a hundred stories, some he can talk about, others untold because of security risks.
No matter what one's view of our involvement in Afghanistan is, the effort displayed by all the troops serving our country is inspiring. I'm sorry I haven't been able to obtain the pictures of Staff Sgt. Joshua Melton, 26, of Germantown and Sgt. Paul Smith 43, of East Peoria. They died when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar. I'll be highlighting in the next couple days the story of Staff Sgt. Lydia Chen. She's with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a contingent of the Illinois National Guard. Her story is unique in that she gained her United State's citizenship while guarding the base 750 troops call home.
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