15 Sep 2021

Air Force Chief of Staff visits Peoria Air National Guard Base

The highest ranking member of the U.S. Air Force made a surprise visit to the Peoria Air National Guard Base in Illinois Tuesday, Aug. 17. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the chief of staff of the Air Force, hosted an all-call with the 182nd Airlift Wing to take questions and discuss maintaining air superiority against U.S. adversaries.

30 Jul 2021

Chicagoland launches first Total Force Air and Space Force recruiting office

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the nation’s first Total Force Air and Space Force recruiting office was held in Gurnee, Illinois, July 27, 2021. The Gurnee Mills Mall storefront station will provide recruiting services for the active duty Air Force, Illinois Air National Guard and Space Force — all components of the Department of the Air Force. Each component supports aspects of the department’s core missions, but offers varying options of benefits and service experiences dependent on a recruit’s personal and professional desires and goals. 

8 Jan 2021

Wing commander awards 2020 Outstanding Airman of the Year trophies at workcenters

U.S. Air Force Col. Daniel McDonough, the commander of the 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois Air National Guard, awards the Outstanding Airman of the Year award to wing-level winners in their workplaces in Peoria, Ill., Nov. 6-8 and 19, 2020. The awards are typically awards during an installation commanders call, which have been postponed due to on-going COVID-19 social distancing requirements.

30 Sep 2020

Peoria photojournalist wins 1st place in National Guard Bureau Media Contest

A photojournalist with the 182nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs won first place in the commentary category of the 2019 National Guard Bureau Media Contest April 1, 2020. Airman 1st Class Wynndermere Shaw’s April 24, 2019 article, “I’m not running for myself,” described her first-hand experience in participating in a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program awareness run and why the event was important to her as an Airman.

15 Apr 2020

COVID-19 Response from McCormick Place, Chicago

This is NOT a hospital. It’s an alternate care facility that may be needed if hospital beds become scarce, and it’s the first of its kind according to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzger. The governor, during a visit on April 3, 2020, described the alternative care facility as an intervention for citizens in the Chicago area not assigned to critical care related to COVID-19. He credited the work of all the agencies involved. “Monumental, round-the-clock dedication got this done before we need it-preparing for saving lives in the event things become as bad as some have predicted," Pritzker said.

13 Apr 2020

Illinois Air Guard C-130s join the fight against COVID-19

What could have been a three-day trek across 2,150 miles of interstate highway was shortened to overnight delivery by Air National Guard C-130H Hercules aircraft joining Illinois’ fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Two aircrews assigned to the 182nd Airlift Wing departed their Peoria air base for the West Coast April 7 to pick up and transport 250 medical isolation pods from the Oregon manufacturer to Chicago Midway International Airport the next day. The negative-pressure tents are for use in an alternate medical facility assembled inside Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center. Transporting them fit the C-130’s tactical airlift mission set, which allows for a wide variety of oversized cargo and flexible design configurations.

13 Aug 2019

Peoria Airman and Family Readiness Center provides school supplies to military families

Community and military service members in Peoria, Ill., gave a helping hand at the Illinois Air National Guard’s 182nd Airlift Wing for the nationwide Back-to-School Brigade hosted by “Operation Homefront” Aug. 4. The Back-to-School Brigade campaign gives children of military families the opportunity to start the school year with all the supplies they need to be successful.

29 Jul 2019

C-130 aircrew performs combat airdrops at Northern Strike 19

The rear door of a C-130H Hercules opens in mid-flight, exposing the lush landscape of northern Michigan just a few hundred feet below. Tethered inside the aircraft, Tech. Sgt. Trent Barron, a C-130H flight engineer assigned to the 169th Airlift Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, is preparing for a piece of military cargo weighing more than 1,000 lbs. to slide from the back of the plane, and — after being caught by a quickly deployed parachute — descend gently to Earth. “I’m going through my head mentally, going through the checklist to make sure we’ve accomplished all the items for the air drop, that we are ready for something big to exit the aircraft,” Barron says.

7 Apr 2019

264th Combat Communications Squadron named 2019 rodeo champions

The 264th Combat Communications Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, took 26 personnel to the Combat Communications Rodeo March 4 to 14 and their performance brought home the title of 2019 champions. The 5th Combat Communications Group hosted the CCR at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. Personnel who took part in this event were from multiple specialties that included client systems, cyber transport, cyber operations, cyber security, radio frequency transmissions, power productions and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Other units — including the active duty and Reserve components — came from across the country to participate.

1 Mar 2019

182nd fire chief retires, names new department leader

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Clifford Otto, a fire protection chief with the 182nd Civil Engineer Squadron, transfers his position to Master Sgt. Joel Armendarez at Otto's retirement ceremony in Peoria, Ill., March 1, 2019. Otto is responsible for managing emergency services for Peoria’s Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and international airport facilities.