Ohio National Guard News

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Nancy McMillan
Joint Force Headquarters-Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Remember basic training? Remember leaving home and going to a place that seemed foreign; where you went with other young men and women to learn new rules and a different way of life? From hair styles to clothing, eating habits to sleep routines, organization to discipline, the world as you knew it changed and at times you wondered what you had gotten into…if only you had known!

Well today, new enlistees have an opportunity to experience the first leg of military life before embarking upon the real thing. It is called the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP), and its mission is to transform new Army National Guard recruits into high-speed, fully-trained, mission-ready warriors.

The concept of RSP has been around for a while in a decentralized format at various units around Ohio—often referred to as “pre-basic”—but only in the last few years have National Guard recruiting commands formally conducted a standardized program with new enlistees that include classroom instruction and hands-on training in basic Soldiering skills to help prepare them for the rigors of basic training.

Ohio is the benchmark of the program and was ranked first in the nation for “ship rate” in 2008. Ship rate refers to the percentage of Soldiers who actually leave home and begin basic training. On average, for every 100 enlistments into the Ohio Army National Guard, 93 ship to basic training and 90 of those enlistees graduate.

“This program is great,” said Maj. Gen. Matthew L. Kambic, Ohio’s assistant adjutant general for Army. “It’s NCOs (noncommissioned officers) building proud, strong Soldiers…it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Highlighting the Ohio RSP is the two-day Spc. Joshua J. O’Bannon Memorial Warrior Challenge (see Spring/Summer 2008 Buckeye Guard, page 17)—conducted this year on April 25 at the Ohio National Guard’s Camp Sherman Joint Training Center near Chillicothe and April 26 at Camp Lazarus, a Cub Scout facility near Delaware—a culmination of the recruits’ training over several monthly drills where they are organized into teams, and can earn points by completing the Army Physical Fitness Test, individual skills test and the two-mile obstacle course.

“The obstacle course is the best part,” said Pvts. Patrick Dezendorf and Jearod Woods, from Team 3, Company D, out of Cleveland.
The teams, consisting of five Soldiers (of which at least one must be female) and coached by their recruiter, must scale a 15-foot wall, jump over logs, low crawl through mud under mesh wire, swing across a small gully on a rope, carry a fellow teammate in a litter, climb up a vertical ravine, rappel from a short cliff and balance themselves across downed trees.

“The Warrior Challenge is a great training event,” said Lt. Col. Chip Tansill, Ohio Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion commander. “Each of the teams...prepare all year for this. They strive for the bragging rights of being named the Warrior Challenge champions.”

Warriors earn one point for their teams when they score a “go” (success) during the individual skills testing on day one. They score a zero for a “no-go” (failure). Warriors completing all tasks correctly are awarded a five-point bonus. At the end of the day, all tasks are graded to determine the team/company with the most points.

On day two, the 29 teams run the obstacle course. At the finish line, each team’s time is recorded and ranked in the order from the fastest time to the slowest. Any team not completing an obstacle is penalized 15 seconds (per obstacle). After all teams have finished, the fastest team is awarded 29 points, with the second team earning 28 points, and so on.

Afterward, the points for each day are added together and thus, the winning team and company emerge.

Warriors march in formation during a formal pass and review ceremony, and afterward are recognized and honored with decorations and awards. Drill and ceremony is one of the many military skills the enlistees are taught by the RSP recruiters.

Team two from the Akron/Canton-based Company E took first place in the team category, under the direction of Staff Sgt. Justin Miller. The Newton Falls-based Company F, led by 1st Sgt. Rick Beadles, reigned as the overall top company with the highest cumulative point total from all teams.

“We are the defending champs,” said Sgt. 1st Class Teddy Kester, a recruiter with Company F, located at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center (CRJMTC) near Newton Falls. “The kids completed some phenomenal training and I feel confident that in 10 years, when I hang up my ruck (back pack) and boots, they will be our future leaders.”

At the conclusion of the event, members of the Warrior Challenge winning company were rewarded with a flight back to CRJMTC in an Ohio Army National Guard CH-47 “Chinook” helicopter.

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