Deployment ceremony for specialized Illinois National Guard team

SPRINGFIELD, IL (05/03/2016)(readMedia)-- WHO:

• Illinois Army National Guard

• Bilateral Embedded Staff Team (BEST) A17

WHAT:

• The Illinois National Guard will host a deployment ceremony for the five deploying Soldiers who are part of BEST A17.

• The Soldiers originate from the Springfield-area, as well as Chicago and Louisiana.

• The team will train for a brief time at Fort Bliss, Texas, before deploying to Afghanistan.

• The team is anticipated to return in November 2016.

• The mission of the BEST is to assist Polish forces to conduct smooth, continuous operations as part of the U.S. led NATO collation.

• Co-deployments and training exchanges are essential to maintaining the Illinois National Guard's strong partnership with Poland. This partnership, established in 1993, is considered to be the oldest and largest of its kind as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program.

• Since 2003, the Illinois Army National Guard has co-deployed with Polish forces on every Polish deployment, to include five deployments to Iraq and 17 deployments to Afghanistan.

WHEN:

• Thursday May 5, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:

• Illinois Military Academy, Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, Illinois 62702

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Media personnel attending the event should arrive 30 minutes early and RSVP to the Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office at ng.il.ilarng.list.staff-pao@mail.mil or 217-761-3569 no later than 4 p.m. on May 4, 2016.