From the Armed Forces
•Army Pvt. Angus R. Beaton 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 in drill and ceremonies, rifle marksmanship, weapons, map reading, tactics, armed and unarmed combat, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, Army history, core values and traditions and special training in human relations. He is the son of Dolores Beaton of Algonquin.
•Army Pvt. Matthew J. Bell has been mobilized and activated for a future deployment to an undisclosed overseas location in support 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.
Bell is a signal support systems specialist normally assigned to the 378th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Sheridan.
He is the son of Mark R. Bell of Lake in the Hills. The private is a 2006 graduate of Harry D. Jacobs High School, Algonquin.
•Marine Corps Pvt. Jorge A. Reza, son of Iris Rivera of Hoffman Estates and Jorge Reza of Carpentersville, recently completed 12 weeks of basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif. designed to challenge new Marine recruits both physically and mentally.
Reza and fellow recruits began their training at 5 a.m., by running three miles and performing calisthenics. In addition to the physical conditioning program, Reza spent numerous hours in classroom and field assignments which included learning first aid, uniform regulations, combat water survival, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat and assorted weapons training.
They performed close order drill and operated as a small infantry unit during field training.
Reza and other recruits also received instruction on the Marine Corps' core values of honor, courage and commitment, and what the core values mean in guiding personal and professional conduct.
Reza and fellow recruits ended the training phase with The Crucible, a 54-hour team evolution, culminating in an emotional ceremony in which recruits are presented the Marine Corps Emblem, and addressed as "Marines" for the first time in their careers.
•Army National Guard Pvt. Corinna Soto has graduated from the Food Service Specialist Advanced Individual Training course at Fort Lee, Petersburg, Va.
The course is designed to train servicemembers to perform preliminary food preparation procedures according to Army production schedules and recipes; cook, bake and serve food in large and small quantities, field and garrison kitchen operations; and general operation of Army dining facilities, including cleaning and housekeeping, sanitation measures and storage of subsistence items.
Soto is the daughter of Arturo Soto of and niece of Javier Reyes, both of Elgin.
The private is a 2007 graduate of Larkin High School, Elgin.