PEORIA, Ill. – The latest batch of troops to be deployed from the Peoria-based 182nd Airlift Wing of the Illinois Army National Guard received a send off Tuesday morning.
Around 180 members of the 1st Battalion of the 106th Aviation Regiment were recognized at a ceremony in front of family and friends, as well as Governor J.B. Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.
The battalion will be sent to Fort Hood in Texas before being sent to Middle East.
Battalion Commander Jason Celletti says some members of the group have been training with the Victor model of Black Hawk helicopters, which has a digital cockpit for the first time.
Celletti says the battalion was selected in 2021 to be one of the first in the country to test and train on the Victor model, which was done at the same time as deployment training.
“This summer, we actually did a phase where we had to go test with the Department of Army. So for 30 days at Fort McCoy, we were able to execute all the tasks that they needed to sign this thing off, which was just signed off February 3rd,” Celletti said.
Governor Pritzker echoed those sentiments in his remarks to the battalion members.
“Your willingness to help advance our military capabilities, to take us into the future, that’s what makes our Illinois National Guard the best in the nation,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker added that serving as the Commander in Chief of citizens soldiers in the state was a “humbling responsibility.”
Those who spoke at the ceremony also stressed the importance of the role of family support to those deploying and relatives back home.
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