Hornbeck deployed for his fourth Middle East tour in 19 years

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By KATIE ROYAL HAMPSHIRE - Sergeant First Class Bill Hornbeck of Hampshire was one of many Illinois National Guard soldiers to leave for Afghanistan last Sunday in the largest deployment of the National Guard in Illinois since World War II. Hornbeck is no stranger to a soldier’s life overseas. He joined the U.S. Army after he graduated high school nearly 20 years ago. “Since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to serve my country,” he said. Since then he has also served in the Army Reserve and currently serves full-time in the National Guard. This deployment will mark his fourth Middle East tour in the last 19 years, including previous missions in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This tour to Afghanistan is scheduled to last about a year. He will be serving as an infantry platoon sergeant, overseeing approximately 40 soldiers in charge of security. While he is proud to serve his country, he also hates to leave his family at home every time he goes on tour. This time, he said goodbye not only to his wife of 15 years, Denise, and his three oldest children, Angela, 14, Jimmy, 11, and Jared, 9, but also his 10-month old son, Alex. “Leaving my family is one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do," Hornbeck said, "but it makes it a little easier thinking what I’m doing makes life safer for them." Saying goodbye isn’t any easier for his wife and children. “It’s devastating,” Denise said. “Every second of every day you’re wondering where he’s at and what he’s doing. I’m on pins and needles until he gets home. It’s like we’re not a whole unit without him. After he got back from Iraq, I joked that I’d lock him in the basement because I didn’t want to let him go again.” She thinks about all of the things Bill will miss while he’s gone, including his baby son’s first birthday, his older sons’ football games, and his daughter starting to drive. “I’m proud of him, but it’s hard for us,” Angela said. “But I know we can get through it, because we’ve done it before.” Though it’s hard to see his family upset, Bill knows that what he is doing is important. “Each time I get to do the job I trained for, and some people never serve in combat,” he said. “I do feel fortunate that I get to do my part.” In order to make the transition a little easier, the American Legion and others in town have offered to help the family with whatever they need while Bill is away, and Denise is planning to stay busy with the kids. Even though he just left, the whole family is already making plans for when he comes home in about a year. They are hoping to go to Disney World as a family upon his return.