The mission of Heart of Illinois Chapter is to benefit the members of the uniformed services, their families and survivors, and to advocate for a strong national defense, while providing support to the community and programs to grow our members.

In order to continue these great programs and activities we need great members, that’s where you come in. We still meet at the Lariat Steakhouse 2232 W Glen Ave Peoria on the third Tuesday of the month except June, July, August and December.  We have added the ability to join Chapter meetings using ZOOM if you cannot attend in person. The Camaraderie before the meeting is vibrant and we all learn from each other during our meetings.  To join our Chapter, Please reply to our Chapter president  david.zabinski@comcast.net

Our members are involved supporting such endeavors as “Tee it up for the Troops”, Honor Flights, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, ROTC, JROTC, Veterans Affairs, and others.  In addition, our programs range from current affairs such as Ukraine & Middle East, critical military impacts such as Tricare changes, “Planning for Military Spousal Benefits” and military historical learnings. We are always looking for other ways to support the military in our Chapter region.  Contact us with requests.

Our reason for existence is to influence legislation that affects the military, especially retirees, and there is much of that floating around these days – such as 2025 Tricare changes. And we track what affects Active and Reserve/Guard as well. With so little military experience in our legislature these days, they need our voice.

Future Planned Programs: Venezuela and Ukraine update

Chapter’s Program on 20 Jan 2025 will be "Cyber is one more battlefield domain where defense is critical. " The Cyber Protection Teams are tasked with defending against cyber threats by analyzing networks for vulnerabilities, detecting malware, and responding to cyber incidents. They work to protect critical infrastructure and support both state and federal cyber defense operations.  Come learn about Illinois Army National Guard  (ILARNG) CPT from John Thomas, currently the leader (Officer in Charge) of the 176th Cyber Protection Team out of Bloomington, a Cyber Branch officer. Cyber (17A) is one of the newest branches established in 2014.

CPT Mission Areas are:

Threat Hunting - Actively searching for and identifying cyber threats within networks to prevent attacks.

Defensive Operations - Protecting Department of Defense Information Networks (DODIN) and critical infrastructure.

Incident Response - Responding to cyber incidents and breaches, utilizing specialized tools and techniques.

Training and Support - Providing training to other military and civilian organizations on cybersecurity best practices.

Collaboration - Working with local governments and organizations to enhance overall cyber defense capabilities.