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A very important part of We Do Care’s Freedom Festival is the opportunity for the Northern Illinois community to hear first-hand from the military. In between our entertainment acts we will have the opportunity to learn how important our support is to the troops in addition to an receiving updates on the war on terrorism, from the following military personnel. This year's Family Freedom Festival speakers include:
Brigadier General Paul M. "Dutch" Van Sickle
Mobilization Assistant to the Commander
U.S. Southern Command, Miami, FL
 Brig. Gen. Paul M. "Dutch" Van Sickle is the mobilization assistant to the Commander, Headquarters U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla. The general is responsible for situational awareness and control of operational activities in the USSOUTHCOM theater including the Caribbean, Central America and South America. USSOUTHCOM encompasses 32 countries and territories with an excess of 14 million square miles and a population nearing 450 million. The Operations Directorate plans and coordinates future operations; directs and controls current operations; trains and maintains joint forces; protects forces and critical infrastructure. As the Vice Director of Operations, General Van Sickle plans and coordinates future operations for both deliberate and crisis actions, as well as directs, coordinates and controls current operations. He is the primary adviser to the Commander, USSOUTHCOM, for execution of theater contingency plans and functional plans, and trains and maintains readiness of assigned or designated joint forces. As an Air Force Reserve mobilization assistant, General Van Sickle advises the USSOUTHCOM Commander on all aspects of Reserve issues and manages reserve recruiting, training and personnel manning within the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
Complete Biography
Colonel James W. Schroeder
Illinois Air National Guard
 Colonel Schroeder is Chief of Staff, Illinois Air National Guard, Springfield, Illinois. The colonel is responsible for assisting in command, control, and operations of all plans and programs affecting more than 3200 Air National Guard members located in Peoria, Springfield, and Scott AFB. He insures the combat readiness and mission capability of the three state wings comprised of tanker, tactical airlift and fighter aircraft along with five mission support units. Colonel Schroeder also interacts jointly with the Army State Command concerning the homeland security mission.
Colonel Schroeder received his commission in 1982 as a graduate of the USAF Officer Training School. He has served in numerous assignments in flying, operations and maintenance; his last serving as the state Director of Operations for Air. His other assignments included 126th Aircraft Generation Squadron Commander, 108th Air Refueling Squadron Flight Commander, and Senior KC-135E Instructor Pilot. Colonel Schroeder is a command pilot with more than 4000 military flight hours, primarily in the KC-135. Additionally, he is a commercial airline pilot.
Linda Chapa LaVia
State Represetnative, 83rd District
Vice Chair of Veteran's Affairs
 While working towards her BA in Political Science at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Chapa LaVia was a cadet in the ROTC program. She later served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army until 1993, followed by service in the National Guard until 1998. Chapa LaVia’s military service has driven her to work as an advocate for men and women in uniform. Chapa LaVia believes military men and women who fight for our country deserve quality health care, employment and financial benefits in return. She helped create a program to provide health care to low-income veterans and increase admissions to Illinois’ VA hospitals. She also created the Illinois Military Relief Fund, and passed legislation to honor our fallen soldiers by prohibiting protests at military funerals, enabling families to bury their loved ones in peace and dignity. Chapa LaVia is active in military organizations throughout the state such as the Navy League, Post 84, MOAA, and AMVETS.
Caitlin Fitzgerald
 Airman Caitlin Fitzgerald at the age of 23 and a 2003 Barrington High School graduate.
Caitlin currently calls the USS Enterprise home where only 6 pull-ups are keeping her from qualifying for diving school. As focused and committed as Caitlin is, she is working hard everyday to build up to these additional reps. She is committed to making it happen because her goal is to become a U.S. Navy Diving Medical Technician. This will require successfully completing a 119-day course designed to provide qualified Hospital Corpsman the needed expertise in advanced diving physics, medicine and underwater physiology as well as the treatment of diving related injuries such as the bends and gas embolisms. As the motto of the Navy Dive School claims, that is "Performance Under Pressure!"
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