Coles County (Illinois) Sheriff and Combat Veteran Retires After 21 Years in the Illinois Army National Guard

Photo By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton | 1st Sgt. Tyler Heleine speaks during his Sept. 10 retirement ceremony on Camp Lincoln, Springfield. Heleine, the Sheriff of Coles County, Illinois, retired after more than 21 years of service in the Illinois Army National Guard including a 2004-2005 tour in Iraq with the 1544th Transportation Co.  

SPRINGFIELD, IL, UNITED STATES

09.10.2022

Story by Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton 

Joint Force Headquarters - Illinois National Guard Public Affairs

Coles County Sheriff Tyler Heleine, the first sergeant of the East St. Louis-based 1844th Transportation Co., retired today, Sept. 10, after more than 21 years of military service with the Illinois Army National Guard during a ceremony at National Guard headquarters on Camp Lincoln, Springfield.
"If you take care of Soldiers first, everything else will fall into place," 1st Sgt. Heleine said during the ceremony.
Heleine enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard's 1544th Transportation Co. in August 2001, a year before he graduated from Paris High School in 2002. He would spend the majority of his military career in the 1544th Transportation Co. including the unit's 2004 to 2005 deployment to Iraq where he was promoted to sergeant and earned a combat action badge.
From 2016 until 2019 he served as a senior instructor and branch chief with the129th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) based in Springfield. In January 2019, he was selected as the first sergeant for the 1844th and served as that unit's senior noncommissioned officer until his retirement.
Lt. Col. Mike Barton, the Commander of the 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, called Heleine a "truth teller."
"I could always rely on 1st Sgt. Heleine to give me the straight truth about what was going on in the unit and as the battalion commander, I needed that information. While my background on what was going on with a Soldier in the unit might go an inch or two deep, 1st Sgt. Heleine's understanding goes about a mile deep."
Command Sgt. Maj. Mary Groy, the Command Sergeant Major of the 232nd CSSB, praised Heleine's ability to improve processes and improve other Soldiers. "He mentors other first sergeants," Groy said. "He'd always give a course of action to make a Soldier better."
Heleine was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal upon his retirement, adding that to a long list of awards and decorations he has earned throughout his career.
1st Sgt. Heleine thanked his spouse, Heather, and his family for their support of his military career. The couple lives in Ashmore, Illinois, with their 2-year-old son, Jagger.

• Date Taken: 09.10.2022
• Date Posted: 09.10.2022 18:10
• Story ID: 428998
• Location: SPRINGFIELD, IL, US