Decatur Based Soldiers Return Home from Deployment to Afghanistan

Story by Sgt. James Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Lt. Col Randy Sikowski leads Command Sgt. Maj. John Starbody Maj. Christopher McIntyre and Chief Warrant Officer (5) James Gaddis to meet Soldiers of Detachment 36 as they return from Afghanistan.

DECATUR, IL (09/23/2011)(readMedia)-- Friends, family and colleagues gathered at the Decatur Airport Sept. 22 to welcome home the Soldiers of Detachment 36 of the Illinois Army National Guard, which had been deployed to Afghanistan for the past 10 months.

While deployed Detachment 36 joined Company B, 306th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), as part of Task Force ODIN (Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize).

"Task Force ODIN logged over 14,000 flight hours of reconnaissance missions which is quite an accomplishment over a one-year period," said Lt. Col. Randy R. Sikowski of Decatur, the state aviation officer.

The task force was made up of 55 Soldiers from Illinois, Delaware, Mississippi, Washington and New Hampshire split between Bagram Air Force Base in central Afghanistan and Kandahar Air Force Base in southern Afghanistan, said Sikowski.

"Our unit was split into two platoons, one in the northern part of Afghanistan, one in the south but the missions were very similar," said Chief Warrant Officer (4) Mike Maroon of Springfield, a C-12 pilot with Det. 36 in Decatur, "Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance was our primary mission which enabled the units on the ground the opportunity to enhance their missions."

The unit's mission was to provide aerial reconnaissance photos used by ground forces to get a better understanding of their area of operation and identifying various threats. The majority of Detachment 36's missions remain classified and detailed information on their mission cannot be released.

photo 1) U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Lt. Col Randy Sikowski of Decatur, leads Command Sgt. Maj. John Starbody of Decatur, Maj. Christopher McIntyre and Chief Warrant Officer (5) James Gaddis of Springfield to meet Soldiers of Detachment 36 of the Illinois Army National Guard as they return from Afghanistan to the Decatur Airport Sept. 22. Det 36 returned to central Illinois after a yearlong deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

photo 2) U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment / Sgt 1st Class Doug Slater of Teutopolis is greeted by his wife, Nicole, and 14-month old daughter Reagan, Sept. 22 at the Decatur Airport after returning from Afghanistan. Slater was part of Task Force ODIN (Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize) which flew aerial reconnaissance missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

photo 3) U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment / The Soldiers of Detachment 36 during their welcome home ceremony Sept. 22 at the Decatur Airport. The unit from Decatur had just returned from yearlong deployment to Afghanistan where they joined Company B, 306th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation), as part of Task Force ODIN (Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize).