Illinois Army National Guard commissions 18 new lieutenants

Related Media

The Illinois Army National Guard’s 129th Regional Training Institute Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Camp Lincoln in Springfield commissioned 18 Soldiers as second lieutenants, Aug. 17.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (08/18/2014)(readMedia)-- The Illinois Army National Guard's 129th Regional Training Institute Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, commissioned 18 Soldiers as second lieutenants during the OCS graduation ceremony at Springfield High School, Aug. 17. To meet the commissioning requirements, an officer candidate must complete more than 658 hours of classroom and field instruction. Candidates are evaluated on leadership abilities along with academics. They must also complete many physical and mental tasks, such as road marches and tactical exercises. One traditional class is held one weekend a month for 16 months with two weeks of continuous annual training. The accelerated class is completed in 57 consecutive days out of state. The 129th has commissioned 2,310 officers from the program.

The five newly commissioned accelerated program officers are:

• 2nd Lt. Sonji Davis of Waukegan, Illinois, with the 1244th Transportation Company in North Riverside, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Reasudeen Katideen of Rockford, Illinois, with Company A, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Mattoon, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Michael McPeek of Springfield, Illinois, with Company A, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Mattoon, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Matthew Mullins of Normal, Illinois, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 33rd Military Police Battalion in Bloomington, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Jeremy Wenthe of Carterville, Illinois, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Marion, Illinois

The 13 newly commissioned traditional program officers are:

• 2nd Lt. William Adkins of Nokomis, Illinois, with Detachment 1, Company A, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Sullivan, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Martin Anderson of East Peoria, Illinois, with the 5th Civil Support Team in Bartonville, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Joseph Hahn of Deerfield, Illinois, with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery in Milan, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Matthew Maddox of Troy, Illinois, with the 445th Chemical Company in Shiloh, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Carlos Ortiz of Princeville, Illinois, with the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Forward Support Company in Milan, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Brian Ramirez of Chicago, with Company B, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Elgin, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Sarah Roth of Chester, Illinois, with the 445th Chemical Company in Shiloh, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. David Smejkal of Wheaton, Illinois, with Company C, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in Kankakee, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Kevin Spears of Edwards, Illinois, with Company C, 1st Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment in Litchfield, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Andrew Trine of Sherman, Illinois, with the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Support Company in Milan, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Brandi Tyne of Urbana, Illinois, with Company A, 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Mattoon, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Alfred Vidrio of Aurora, Illinois, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion in Machesney Park, Illinois

• 2nd Lt. Juan Villa of Peoria, Illinois, with the 5th Civil Support Team in Bartonville, Illinois

Outstanding OCS graduates were awarded the following:

• 2nd Lt. Juan Villa received the Erickson Trophy after being named the class distinguished honor graduate for top overall cumulative performance in leadership, physical fitness and academics.

• 2nd Lt. Matthew Maddox received the Leadership Award for the highest overall leadership evaluation score over the entire OCS program.

• 2nd Lt. William Adkins received the Physical Fitness Award for the highest average score on the OCS Army Physical Fitness Test.

• 2nd Lt. Carlos Ortiz received the Academic Award for holding the highest academic average in the class.

Individual high-resolution photos of each Soldier are available, please contact the

Illinois National Guard Public Affairs Office

ng.il.ilarng.list.staff-pao@mail.mil

Photo caption:

The Illinois Army National Guard's 129th Regional Training Institute Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Camp Lincoln in Springfield commissioned 18 Soldiers as second lieutenants during the OCS graduation ceremony at Springfield High School, Aug. 17. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kassidy L. Snyder, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs)