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  • Airmen honor chief of maintenance’s legacy

    It was 1947 when Chief Master Sgt. Homer Wells enlisted with the 169th Fighter Squadron to work on F-51 Mustangs — the same year Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier and the Department of Defense was established.When Wells retired 37 years later, the

  • Cooking for the field

    How many MREs did it take to feed 47 military members for two weeks in field conditions? Zero, because services specialists from the 182nd Force Support Squadron were there to feed them. When the 182nd Civil Engineer Squadron departed their Illinois Air National Guard base to build veteran’s houses

  • What is mentorship?

    What is mentorship? Images may come to mind of a formal, rigid process in which an Airman gets assigned to study under a superior. However, the Air Force Mentoring Program states it’s more about a relationship in which one person guides and develops another person both personally and professionally.

  • Family, employers help keep Peoria Air Guardsmen always on mission

    The National Guard Bureau says that success in serving with the Guard is like a three-legged stool made up of the service member, the family and the civilian employer. If one of the legs can’t support the stool, the entire structure could collapse.For Airmen with the Illinois Air National Guard’s

  • Airmen answer the call to donate blood during national shortage

    It’s the job of National Guardsmen to “answer the call”, and the Airmen of the 182nd Airlift Wing did exactly that at an American Red Cross blood drive Feb. 5.In a follow-up to the Air National Guard unit’s December blood drive, 75 unit and family members signed up to donate at the event hosted by

  • How to survive winter weather

    Midwest weather can be notorious for giving pleasant temperatures one day and an arctic blast the next. However, there are precautions Airmen can take in order to ensure their safety during the frigid winter months.

  • Peoria Air Guard family celebrates holidays together

    Holiday cheer filled the 182nd Airlift Wing hangar Dec. 3 during the annual Christmas party. Airmen, families and community members came to share in the festivities, including snacks, crafts, games, music, children’s dog tag printing by the Peoria Vet Center, toys for the children and a visit from

  • Band Airman uses skillset to honor dying veterans

    It was in Afghanistan during a 2012 deployment when Tech. Sgt. Carrie Gatz saw her civilian and military careers overlap at Bagram Airfield's hospital. The Air National Guard Band of the Midwest instrumentalist and her ensemble had just finished performing an acoustic set at the nurse's station when

  • Peoria C-130 unit serves as proven choice for the warfight

    When it comes to serving the nation, the Airmen of the Illinois Air National Guard's 182nd Airlift Wing are always on mission and ready to answer the call. They are neighbors, friends and family, but when called upon fill the ranks of the world's greatest air force, and they do it well.With the best