ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD AVIATION UNIT TO ASSIST AT SOUTHERN BORDER

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SPRINGFIELD, IL (06/22/2015)(readMedia)-- By Staff Sgt. James McDonnough, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – More than twenty Illinois National Guard aviators, aircraft mechanics and support personnel will soon deploy to the southern border of Texas to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in their fight against drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Most of the Soldiers, who are members of Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Regiment, based in Decatur, Ill. will serve six months on the mission, known as Operation Phalanx II. Addressing the group of Soldiers and family members during a ceremony June 20 at Decatur, U.S. Army Col. Randy Sikowski, of Riverton, Ill., the Chief of the Joint Staffs for the Illinois National Guard, said this type of mission is no less important than serving in a combat zone.

"Normally when we deploy overseas we are deploying to a country with citizens we have never met and with different cultures," said Sikowski. "However this mission is supporting the citizens along our southwest border in a multi-layered approach with customs and border patrol agents to combat illegal trafficking of people, drugs, weapons and money. This is a very important mission for the United States."

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tad Simpson, of Atwood, Ill., a maintenance officer with the detachment, said some details are sensitive due to the law-enforcement nature of the mission, however he did say the group would be assisting with approximately 200 miles of the nation's southern border.

Simpson said the group will be taking one of their own aircraft to assist in the cause but the entire mission will be a team effort between National Guard units from numerous states.

"When we get there it will all be pooled maintenance and pooled pilots and airframes," said Simpson. "Our maintainers will work together with Rhode Island, New Jersey and Maryland's maintainers and whoever else is down there. There will be anywhere from four to six airframes there so I could be flying with someone from Texas one night and Rhode Island the next. We are there to support our own equipment but the reality is that everyone will help out everyone else."

The detachment's commander, U.S. Army Capt. Mike Verdun, of Pontiac, Ill., said the group has a good mixture of experience levels and this mission will make the unit more capable in the future.

"We have some very experienced Soldiers and we are mixing them in with less experienced Soldiers," said Verdun. "I think our youngest Soldier has been in about two years, but on drill weekend everyone works hard and they know their jobs. This will be good to get them out there and do it in a real-world scenario outside of a flight facility and training scenarios."

One of the junior Soldiers Verdun spoke of is U.S. Army Spc. Jamie Carley, of Champaign, Ill., a petroleum supply specialist with the detachment. This is Carley's first military deployment.

"I was nervous at first but this is why you join," said Carley.

"You join to get called up to serve your country. That's why I joined the National Guard."

Though he is not sure exactly what to expect, Carley said he has received advice from the senior members of the group.

"Just get your job done, enjoy it, learn from it, then bring back the knowledge and give it to someone else someday," he said.

In addition to his Soldiers who will be working long hours in the Texas heat, Verdun said family members are just as important to this mission.

"We understand it's tough when we pull a family member away for an extended period of time," said Verdun. "It's like taking half your team and putting them on a court and expecting the same result. We appreciate the sacrifices our family members make and we need their continued support. Without their support our Soldiers just couldn't do their jobs."

One such family member in attendance at the unit's deployment ceremony was Jodi Pearce, of Paxton, Ill. Pearce is the mother of U.S. Army Spc. Kayla Erwin, of Champaign, Ill., an aviation operations specialist.

Erwin volunteered to be part of the deploying group and Pearce said she supported her daughter's decision from the moment she was told about it.

"I think it's great," said Pearce. " She called me when she got the opportunity to go and I told her you have to do it. She has wanted to be in the National Guard since she was ten."

When the Soldiers of Detachment 1, Company B report for duty on the dusty southern border of Texas they will bring with them experience, the desire to learn and improve, teamwork and the support of their families back home.

Photo Cutline 1: U.S. Army Col. Randy Sikowski (left), of Riverton, Ill., the Chief of the Joint Staffs for the Illinois National Guard, presents an Illinois state flag to U.S. Army Capt. Mike Verdun, of Pontiac, Ill., the commander of Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Regiment, during a deployment ceremony June 20 at Decatur, Ill. Verdun's detachment is deploying to the southern border of Texas to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents with border security. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James McDonnough, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
Photo Cutline 2: U.S. Army Capt. Mike Verdun, of Pontiac, Ill., commander of Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation Regiment, leads his detachment during a deployment ceremony June 20 at Decatur, Ill. Verdun's detachment is deploying to the southern border of Texas to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents with border security.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James McDonnough, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Posted Monday June 22, 2015 at 01:14 pm by Illinois National Guard

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