10 SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – The Illinois Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion is reaching beyond lunchroom displays and promotional items, and becoming part of the educational process in Illinois high schools and colleges.
“It is a mutual benefit between the learning institution and Illinois National Guard recruiting,” said Sgt. Maj. Chad McDannald of Franklin Illinois, the battalion’s operations sergeant major. “We have specific presentations that teach students about leadership, how to plan and obtain goals, financial planning classes and how the Guard can benefit them in all those areas.”
They also will bring in military equipment and teach the students about the equipment, allowing them to put hands on some equipment they may have only seen in photos or on film before.