Feature Search

  • 80 years of service ends on a final note

    After more than 80 years of military service through music, the final note has been played for Peoria’s Airmen musicians. The 566th Air Force Band had a diverse career, playing for governors’ inaugurations, Tuskegee Airmen, wounded veterans, deployed locations and retirement ceremonies all around

  • Hard work paid the Price

    “[Success is] up to the individual,” said Chief Master Sgt. Micheal Price, the new command chief of the 182nd Airlift Wing, Peoria, Illinois. “You've got to fight for it, but the only one that's going to limit you is you. If I can make it this far, anybody can make it this far.”Price hasn’t

  • A child's dream leads to more than 41 years of military service

    Tiny hands reach to grab the control wheel while his eyes dance around the flight deck, filling with wonder. Control panel switches are just within fingertip’s reach. He can’t see over the dash, but the boy imagines what it might feel like to soar through the air. He is in love with the dream of

  • Faces of the Defender: Security Forces

    U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Luis Vasquez, a security forces specialist with the 182nd Security Forces Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, describes the duties and responsibilities of the career field in an interview Oct. 2, 2021. Security Forces personnel are the first line of defense for Air Force

  • An Airman's American Dream

    U.S. Air Force Airman Rashid Hussain, a services specialist with the 182nd Force Support Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, came to the United States as a student and immigrated to become an American Airman. Hear this naturalized citizen’s story of independence realized and an American Dream

  • Conquering Fear

    “I was scared, so I took a lot of vitamins,” said Senior Airman Destiny Zuniga. The 182nd Logistics Readiness Squadron traffic management specialist had initial concerns after being placed on state active duty with the Illinois Air National Guard for a COVID-19 domestic operation at McCormick Place

  • Faces of the Defender: Flight Engineer

    U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jared Hildebrand, a C-130 flight engineer with the 169th Airlift Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, describes his job in an interview recorded Nov. 7, 2020, in Peoria, Ill. Flight engineers inspect and operate the mechanical systems of the aircraft.

  • The First 115 Days

    In what’s become the most chaotic year in recent American history, the 182nd Airlift Wing took a formidable step towards normality July 2020, paved by months of balancing the so-called “new normal” with military operations. This is the story of four herculean months that won’t soon be forgotten.

  • War medal returns to family after 61 years

    No matter whether they were in Illinois, Wisconsin, or anywhere in between, Annie and Rich would see contrails in the sky from a jet plane flying high overhead, and their mother would remind them, “There’s Dad flying up in heaven. Dad’s watching.”Ann J. Ward was just 2.5 years old and Richard L.

  • Faces of the Defender: Cyber Surety

    U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jacob Morgan, a cyber surety specialist with the 182nd Communications Flight, Illinois Air National Guard, describes the duties of cyber surety during in an interview recorded in Peoria, Ill., Dec. 2, 2019. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Tech. Sgt. Lealan