Ohio National Guard News

Soldiers earn Expert Infantryman Badge at Camp Ravenna

Ohio National Guard photos by Staff Sgt. George Davis

Soldiers who earned the Expert Infantryman Badge at a qualification event held June 9-13, 2013, at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, pose with the cadre who trained and evaluated them. Hosted by the Ohio Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, the event tested the infantry knowledge of more than 120 active-duty and National Guard infantry Soldiers.

Sgt. Jeffery Rush, of Company A, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment and a Toledo, Ohio, resident, prepares to test on the urban operations lane of the of the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) qualification, June 9-13, 2013, at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, near Newton Falls, Ohio. Rush would go on to qualify for his EIB “true blue,” or without error, in the event, the only Soldier tested to do so.

Staff Sgt. Sean McGreevy (center) of Company B, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment and a Swanton, Ohio, resident, carries a Soldier role-playing as a casualty during the urban operations lane of the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) qualification.

Above, Left: Eight Soldiers earned their EIB (Expert Infantryman Badge) at a qualification event held June 9-13, 2013, at Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, near Newton Falls, Ohio. Just eight out of more than 120 active-duty and National Guard infantry Soldiers who went through the evaluation achieved success: 1st Lt. Matthew Viers (from left), Spc. Douglas Bouillon, Spc. Justin Hyde, Sgt. Cory Mescher, Sgt. Jeffery Rush, 2nd Lt. Matthew LaFleur, Staff Sgt. Sean McGreevy and Spc. Jacob Langdon.

CAMP RAVENNA JOINT MILITARY CENTER, Ohio (6/9/13) — More than 120 active-duty and National Guard infantry Soldiers tested their warrior skills, knowledge and sheer will in the unforgiving and grueling Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) qualification event held June 9-13, 2013, at Camp Ravenna, near Newton Falls, Ohio.

Hosted by the Ohio Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, the event was conducted using a new concept in evaluating EIB candidates. Rather than several different task stations to test infantry knowledge, tasks were incorporated into three different testing lanes, which used event-based scenarios requiring Soldiers to employ their knowledge in a contextual manner and prioritizing their tasks in a real-world environment. The event began with an Army Physical Fitness Test and land and night navigation, and culminated in a 12-mile road march, during which Soldiers were required to wear 35-pound rucks as well as their body armor and carry their individual weapons.

Eight Soldiers earned their EIBs during the nearly weeklong event: Spcs. Douglas Bouillon, Justin Hyde and Jacob Langdon; Sgts. Jeffery Rush and Cory Mescher, Staff Sgt. Sean McGreevy, 2nd Lt. Matthew LaFleur and 1st Lt. Matthew Viers.