Army
GalleryIllinois National Guard soldiers return from 10-month Europe deployment
Stars and Stripes
April 15, 2026
Tia Petersen hugs her son, Illinois Army National Guard Capt. Tucker Petersen, after his return Tuesday from a roughly 10-month deployment to Europe. Petersen was one of about a half-dozen soldiers who arrived at the University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy, Ill. (Brad Leighton/Illinois National Guard)
Members of the Illinois Army National Guard’s 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion returned on Tuesday from a deployment to Europe that lasted about 10 months.
Groups of the Illinois soldiers returned home this week to different airports, where loved ones waited.
Among the reunions: Capt. Nicholas Limentato was welcomed back by his girlfriend, while Sgt. 1st Class Jason Turley greeted his wife. Capt. Tucker Petersen spoke with his two-year-old nephew for the first time, as the child was too young to speak when Petersen deployed.
The battalion of roughly 70 soldiers deployed in June 2025 to Poland, where they were responsible for logistics operations in a region that included multiple countries, a service news release said.
The unit relieved members of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in July.
Sammye Geer, wife of Illinois Army National Guard Maj. Drew Geer, captures the moment the couple’s daughters, Gracee, Paislee, and Parker Geer hug their father after his arrival at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Ill., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Barbara Wilson/Illinois National Guard)
Capt. Nicholas Limentato embraces his girlfriend, Audrey Newlin, after arriving at the University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy, Ill., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Brad Leighton/Illinois National Guard)
Illinois Army National Guard Lt. Col. Dan Johnson walks with his wife, Kristi, and two daughters, Kaitlyn and Bella, at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Ill., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Barbara Wilson/Illinois National Guard)
Illinois Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Jason Turley is greeted by Ashley Broaddus, his wife, during his Tuesday arrival at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Ill., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Barbara Wilson/Illinois National Guard)
Capt. Tucker Petersen plays with his 2-year-old nephew, Wade Petersen, upon arriving at the University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy, Ill., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Brad Leighton/Illinois National Guard)
Adlynn Kirkpatrick, 10, hugs her father, Sgt. 1st Class Mathew Kirkpatrick, at his Tuesday arrival at the University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy, Ill., on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (Brad Leighton/Illinois National Guard)