Photo By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton | Illinois Army National Guard Col. Jayson Coble of Lincoln relinquished command of the...... read more read more
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The Joint Force Medical Detachment - a unit vital to maintaining the Illinois Army National Guard's stellar medical readiness rates - got a new commander on April 4 at the unit's headquarters on Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
Lt. Col. Melinda Weller of Springfield assumed command of the Joint Force Medical Detachment from Col. Jayson Coble of Lincoln.
Illinois Army National Guard Chief of Staff Col. Paul Metzdorff said that Illinois has ranked at the top or near the top of the nation in medical readiness for several years and he thanked the unit's Soldiers for their work contributing to that effort.
"Without medical readiness, we could not sustain the war fight," Metzdorff said. "What you do is absolutely vital to the Illinois Army National Guard and to the Army."
Coble, who is now the Illinois Army National Guard's State Surgeon, said a commander works for the Soldiers and not the other way around. "I hope I have not let anyone down over the last five years," he added. "You always try and leave it a little better than when you found it."
Weller, who will be promoted to colonel, returns to the Joint Force Medical Detachment after serving as the Commander of the 108th Multifunctional Medical Battalion based in North Riverside.
She said she is excited to command the Joint Force Medical Detachment after previously serving in the unit for many years.
She has served in various medical officer positions since commissioning in March 1997. From March 2020 to August 2020 she was ordered to State Active Duty as a medical planner playing a key role in the state's COVID-19 response. She was activated again from January 2021 until August 2021 as a COVID-19 vaccination medical planner. As a civilian, Weller is a registered nurse for the State of Illinois.
Coble, who has more than 32 years of service, has commanded three medical detachments in different areas of Illinois. He deployed to Afghanistan with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from 2008 to 2009. He deployed in 2022 to the Horn of Africa with the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and has supported operations throughout the world including Singapore, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Guyana. He also deployed as part of the Illinois National Guard's Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a civilian, he is an emergency medicine physician's assistant within the Hospital Sisters Health System.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2025 14:08 |
| Story ID: | 494657 |
| Location: | SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | LINCOLN, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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