Illinois National Guard Soldiers return after consecutive deployments

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FT HOOD, TEXAS (06/25/2015)(readMedia)-- 1st Lt. Patrick A. Clark of St. Louis and Sgt. Joseph E. Prehm of Chicago with the 108th Sustainment Brigade based in Chicago, returned home after two consecutive deployments, totaling 18 months in the Middle East. The Soldiers are in the demobilization phase of their deployment at Fort Hood.

The Brigade's mission was to provide logistical support in the Central Command area of operations. Its mission concluded in the fall of 2014, but Prehm, Clark and eight other Soldiers stayed to support the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, which replaced the 108th.

Prehm served as a cook aboard an Army watercraft during the first few months of the deployment and visited Oman, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain before finally spending the rest of his deployment at Camp Arjidan, Kuwait, with the 3rd Sustainment Brigade based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, in the ammunition and supply section.

"It went by quickly," said Prehm. "We did a lot with the Saudis by building a relationship with their military."

Clark served as the Kuwaiti National Guard Liaison with the 108th SB and the Kuwaiti Military Forces Liaison for the 3rd SB.

"My job was to open up lines of communication with Kuwaiti military forces to set up communication and military exchanges," he said. "I organized the first bilateral training exercise between Kuwaiti National Guard and U.S. Armed Forces in Operation Knights Support."

Clark said he was proud to work with active duty Army Soldiers. He also enjoyed serving in various leadership roles, which he said demonstrated the high-value performance that the National Guard troops provide to missions abroad.

"It was a very rewarding experience and I'm glad our unit, with the 108th, was able to demonstrate to the regular Army that National Guard Soldiers perform at a high level," said Clark.

One mission that stood out to Clark, the humanitarian relief mission, where the 108th SB assisted in delivering supplies to 40,000 Iraqis surrounded by ISIL on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq.

"We tracked and coordinated humanitarian air drops of water and MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat) to help those people being threatened by ISIL," he said. "This is what triggered our involvement in Operation Inherent Resolve, during the second half of the deployment."

Despite the important role of their missions, both Clark and Prehm are happy to be on their way home.

"I haven't seen family and friends since I've left," said Prehm. "Communication was easy though, we used Skype and USO phones."

Overall it was a lot of fun, but it's nice to be back in the states with cooler weather, said Prehm.

"It felt rewarding to see the results in real-time for my efforts, making friendships and developing new partnerships," said Clark. "Most importantly, doing things I've never done before."

Four of the 10 Soldiers who stayed to support the 3rd Sustainment Brigade remained for an additional nine months including, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Judy Holzmer of Springfield, Illinois, Sgt. 1st Class Justin Gehr of Berwyn, Illinois, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Smith of Georgetown, Illinois, and Spc. Vashawn Mitchell of Peoria, Illinois.

Photo Cutline: Soldiers with the Illinois National Guard's 108th Sustainment Brigade pose for a picture in Kuwait on June 11. Back row: Sgt. 1st Class Justin Gehr of Berwyn, Illinois; Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Smith of Georgetown, Illinois, Master Sgt. Elvis Townsend of Richmond Park, Illinois; 1st Lt. Patrick Clark of St. Louis; Capt. Tyler Tavares of Severn, Maryland; Sgt. Joseph Prehm of Chicago; Staff Sgt. Christopher Garza of Chicago; Staff Sgt. Glenn Ballance of Decatur, Illinois. Front Row: Sgt 1st Class Tatshee Simmons of South Holland, Illinois; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Judy Holzmer of Springfield, Illinois; and Spc. Vashawn Mitchell of Peoria. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Tanjie Patterson, 3rd Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)