Sibling soldiers welcomed home as Illinois honors 660 in 9 ceremonies

When Josh Soloff heard in 2007 that his brother Ben was part of a group of Illinois National Guard soldiers who would deploy to Afghanistan, he did the only thing he knew of that might help put his mother's heart at ease: he also joined and promised to "protect his little brother."

The siblings were then part of the largest deployment of Illinois National Guard troops since World War II, and on Sunday, a ceremony at the National Guard Armory at East Aurora High School celebrated the return of 65 Charlie Troop 2 - 106th Cavalry soldiers. They were among about 660 honored during nine ceremonies held in the past three days in Illinois.

While in Afghanistan, Josh said not knowing the whereabouts and condition of his brother was difficult. "There was a feeling of helplessness," said Josh, who at 23 years old is one year older than Ben. "I didn't get to talk to him more than one time, if that."

The Soloffs were part of mentor teams that trained the Afghan National Army and Police during a nearly yearlong deployment that ended in July.

During the training, Ben Soloff took charge and trained a company transition team in Kabul. Partly based on this experience, he received an Army Commendation Medal in honor of exceptional meritorious service from Brig. Gen. Steven Huber during the ceremony. The moment had Sharon Soloff failing to fight back tears.

"There's overwhelming joy that it's over, at least for now," Sharon said of her sons' return. "There's just a lot of pride. Not just for our boys, but for all of them."

Several local and state officials welcomed the troops home, and those in attendance observed a moment of silence for troops killed in action. These included Charlie Troop 2 Staff Sgt. Paul Smith, who died June 19 in Kandahar after a roadside bomb blew up near his vehicle.

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner said he felt he didn't deserve thanks that he had received for helping with the event.

"It's really we who are thankful for all of our troops and all they have done," he said.

Since his return home, Ben Soloff has met his firstborn son Ryley and is now a volunteer for the Sandwich Fire Department.

He said he appreciated the ceremony, which took many volunteers to organize. He also said he was glad he and his brother were both back home.

"We are a really close family," he said. "The hardest thing was knowing he was out there and not knowing if anything had happened to him."