From the armed forces
• David Arteaga has graduated from the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Leader's Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky.
The four-week course is a leadership internship for cadets that can lead to the ultimate goal of becoming an Army officer. College students experience and examine the Army without incurring an obligation to serve in the Army or ROTC, and are eligible to receive two-year college scholarship offers and attend the Advanced ROTC course at their college.
Cadets are observed and evaluated during classroom and field training exercises to determine their officer potential in leadership abilities and skills. The cadets are trained to have a sound understanding of traditional leadership values during the challenging, motivating "hands-on" training. The training develops well-disciplined, highly motivated, physically conditioned students, and helps improve the cadets' self-confidence, initiative, leadership potential, decision making, and collective team cohesion. The cadets receive training in fundamental military skills, Army values, ethics, warrior ethos, rifle marksmanship, small arms tactics, weapons training, drill and ceremony, communications, combat water survival training, rappelling, land navigation, and squad-level operations field training.
The cadet is a student at Western Illinois University, Macomb.
He is the son of Alfonso and Elvira Arteaga of Tree Lane, Prospect Heights.
• Army Pvt. Justin J. White has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
White is the son of Marla White of Willow Parkway, Buffalo Grove. The private is a 2006 graduate of Buffalo Grove High School.
• Army 2nd Lt. Richard D. Kim has graduated from the Army Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.
The training is designed to ensure a tough, standardized, small-unit leadership experience for officers. The primary mission of the course is to develop and produce adaptive officers with increased maturity, confidence and competence that share a common bond with their combined arms peers and are prepared to lead small units upon arrival at their first assignment.
Kim, an infantry officer, is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, Fort Benning. He is the son of John H. and Dal S. Kim of Highmeadow Court, Long Grove. In 2003, Kim graduated from Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, and received a bachelor's degree in 2007 from Penn State University, University Park.
• Army Staff Sgt. Lauren L. Zlatkin is currently deployed in Iraq to support the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operation Iraqi Freedom is the official name given to military operations involving members of the U.S. armed forces and coalition forces participating in efforts to free and secure Iraq. Mission objectives focus on force protection, peacekeeping, stabilization, security and counter-insurgency operations as the Iraqi transitional governing bodies assume full sovereign powers to govern the peoples of Iraq.
Members from all branches of the U.S. military and multinational forces are also assisting in rebuilding Iraq's economic and governmental infrastructure, and training and preparing Iraqi military and security forces to assume full authority and responsibility in defending and preserving Iraq's sovereignty and independence as a democracy.
Zlatkin, a detachment sergeant with six years of military service, is normally assigned to the 207th Medical Detachment, Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, N.C. She is the daughter of Bruce A. and Cynthia M. Johnson of Road 33, Mancos, Colo.
Her husband, Erik, is the son of Eugene and Helen Zlatkin of Katherine Court, Buffalo Grove.
• Army Pvt. Daniel K. Pappas has graduated from Basic Combat training at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission and received instruction and training exercises in drill and ceremonies, Army history, core values and traditions, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, rifle marksmanship, weapons use, map reading and land navigation, foot marches, armed and unarmed combat, and field maneuvers and tactics.
Pappas is the son of Teresa Pappas of Boardwalk St., Elk Grove Village.