- Credibility:
CHICAGO — The Illinois National Guard is helping out around the state, officials said Monday as they tried to squash rumors about the military group’s activities.
Rumors of the National Guard transporting weapons or setting up checkpoints around Chicago are untrue, Adjutant Gen. Richard Neely said during a Monday briefing on coronavirus with Gov. JB Pritzker.
It’s true the National Guard has been deployed to help during the coronavirus crisis in Illinois — but its members have been doing things like providing coronavirus tests to first responders and distributing protective equipment for health care workers, Neely said.
“When we show up in camouflage we tend to drive a crowd, but we’re not bringing weapons or anything like that …,” Neely said. “When the governor talks about the professionalism that’s brought out by the National Guard, these are your citizen soldiers … that are trained in many different skillsets.”
Rumors have been swirling for weeks, but Neely and Pritzker dismissed them Monday. The National Guard has also dispelled some of the rumors on social media:
