125 Years after Illinois National Guard's 8th Infantry First Deployed, Its Association Awards Scholarships to Local Youth [Image 21 of 81]

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES

08.12.2023

Photo by Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton 

Joint Force Headquarters - Illinois National Guard Public Affairs

The 8th Infantry Illinois National Guard Association has kept the memory of the Illinois National Guard's all-Black "Fighting" 8th Infantry Regiment alive for decades by presenting scholarships to Chicago high school graduates. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the acclaimed unit's first deployment, arriving in Cuba on Aug. 13, 1898, for the Spanish-American War. On Aug. 12, the Illinois National Guard's Deputy Assistant Adjutant General - Army Brig. Gen. Justin Osberg and the 144th Army Band helped the association celebrate at its annual scholarship presentation and cook-out at the National Guard's General Richard L. Jones Armory on the South Side of Chicago. The association awarded more than $21,000 in scholarships. The Illinois National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment and 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment have participated with the association in the annual Bud Billiken Parade, the nation's largest African-American Parade, for decades as well. The scholarship presentation is held in conjunction with the Bud Billiken Parade and Festival. Illinois Army National Guard retirees started the association, which is now open to any military veteran. After the integration of the U.S. Armed Forces, General Jones established the 178th Infantry, which carries the lineage and honors of the "Fighting" 8th Infantry, which also fought in World War I and World War II. Jones, a veteran of both world wars, would later serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Liberia.

• Date Taken: 08.12.2023
• Date Posted: 08.19.2023 19:51
• Photo ID: 7969244
• VIRIN: 230812-A-OH563-9325
• Resolution: 2946x3345
• Size: 1.42 MB
• Location: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US