Galesburg Army National Guard Unit Returns from Deployment

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GALESBURG, IL (12/22/2012)(readMedia)-- Holiday cheer took on a whole new meaning for the family and friends of the 115 Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers of the 444th Chemical Company of Galesburg.

The unit returned to Illinois on Saturday, Dec. 22 after a 9-month deployment to Kuwait. The Soldiers were mobilized in February and trained for a brief time at Camp Shelby, Miss., before deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Stationed at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, the unit operated as a base command cell supporting units stationed at the base and operations in the region. The command cell implemented base improvements that saved more than $500,000 in government contracts and increased the billeting capability of Camp Virginia by more than 4,000 Soldiers. The 444th was instrumental in transitioning Camp Virginia from a short-term stop for Soldiers heading into theater into a long-term billeting area. The 444th also conducted more than 3,000 patrols and secured 71 unexploded ordnances without loss of life or equipment.

Photo cutlines:

121222-Z-OH563-020 - U.S. Army photo by Maj. Brad Leighton, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs/ Rachel Kuehnel of Gillespie, Ill. wipes away a tear of joy as her husband, Spc. David Andrew Kuehnel, holds their son, 3-month-old Jackson, for the very first time. In the background, another couple gets re-acquainted. Kuehnel's unit, the Illinois Army National Guard's 444th Chemical Co. of Galesburg, Ill., was deployed to Kuwait for nine months. It returned home on Saturday, Dec. 22.

121222-Z-OH563-022 - U.S. Army photo by Maj. Brad Leighton, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs/ Sgt. Evan Guthrie of Roseville, Ill. hugs his friend, Jason Sears, as his mother, Rose, and sister, 10-year-old Mary Grace Guthrie, look on. Guthrie returned from a 9-month deployment to Kuwait with the Illinois Army National Guard's 444th Chemical Co. of Galesburg. The unit returned Dec. 22.

121222-Z-OH563-024 - Sgt. Tim Partington of Kankakee, Ill. plays with his son, 8-month-old Rowan, as his wife, Lori, smiles. Rowan was born a month after Partington's unit, the Illinois Army National Guard's 444th Chemical Co. of Galesburg deployed to Kuwait. The unit returned home, Saturday, Dec. 22, after the 9-month deployment.

121222-Z-OH563-046 - Staff Sgt. Marshall Shearer and his fiance, Staff Sgt. Stephanie McCurry, both of Farmington, Ill., smile after the couple returned from a 9-month deployment to Kuwait with the Illinois Army National Guard's 444th Chemical Co. of Galesburg, Ill. on Saturday, Dec. 22

121222-Z-OH563-041 - After a whole lifetime of waiting, 3-month-old Amelia Porter got to meet her godmother, Staff Sgt. Stephanie McCurry of Farmington, after McCurry and her fiance, Staff Sgt. Marshall Shearer, returned to Illinois after a 9-month deployment to Kuwait with the Illinois Army National Guard's 444th Chemical Co. of Galesburg, Ill.

High resolution photos are available over the weekend by e-mailing ng.il.ilarng.list.staff-pao@mail.mil or calling 217-725-2265.