SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois National Guard aviation unit in Springfield is headed for the Horn of Africa.
Illinois Army National Guard, Detachment 5, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment is a fixed wing operational support airlift unit.
They will be attached to Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, flying C-12 aircraft based at Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti.
Soldiers will provide operational support airlift to Department of Defense components as well as other government agencies operating in the Horn of Africa area of responsibility.
The soldiers in this unit are from Pawnee, Riverton, Decatur, Highland and East Peoria, Illinois.
A mobilization ceremony was held Wednesday morning at the Illinois Military Academy, Camp Lincoln, in Springfield.
