(MCT) — BLOOMINGTON — As the U.S. representative for the 16th District, Adam Kinzinger is often asked to speak to groups both in Washington, D.C., and Illinois. Few of those speaking events, though, bring Kinzinger as close to his roots as he was Sunday afternoon, speaking at the McLean County Composite Squadron’s Civil Air Patrol annual banquet.

“It’s neat because usually when I speak, I know about the group, but so many times, I’m not deeply involved,” he said. “With a group like the Civil Air Patrol, I joined when I was 12 years old and I started learning about leadership at a young age. You see how it has put me on the path to where I am today and I see all of the great examples of it and I am proud to be here. It’s almost like coming home to an extent.”