Soldier Honored: Chester W. Hosford

Army Sergeant Chester W. Hosford, 35, of Hastings, Minnesota was assigned to the 2^nd Battalion, 106^th Calvalry Regiment, Illinois Nation Guard, based out of Dixon, Illinois. In August of 2008, his first deployment was to provide Police Mentor Teams to train and mentor the Afghan National Police. He died on July 6^th, 2009, of wounds he suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was promoted to Sergeant posthumously.

Sergeant Hosford graduated from Sage Creek High School in Peyton, Colorado in 1993. Upon graduating, he joined the Marines. In 2006, he joined the Minnesota National Guard as a cavalry scout and transferred to the Illinois National Guard in 2008 as part of the Illinois Training Site Detachment in Marseilles.

Known as Wayne to his friends, he was remembered as an exceptional artist. He would talk to anyone about anything and always willing to help others before himself. Sergeant Hosford left behind his fiancé and one son.