INTRODUCTION
Mr. Jeff Ludwig is a retired First Sergeant with 20 years of service. Originally from Knox, Indiana. He enlisted in the Army in 2002 and retired in June 2022. Upon retirement, he chose to stay in Charleston, IL and worked for the Decatur and Eastern Illinois Railroad. Mr. Ludwig returned as instructor for EIU ROTC in August of 2023.
Mr. Ludwig’s assignments include the 173ABCT from 2002-2011 where he served and deployed three times. He was part of the 173ABCT combat jump into Iraq and deployed twice to Afghanistan. Mr. Ludwig served with the 1-509 ABN GERONIMO OPFOR as a Platoon Sergeant. Then he was assigned to 1-310 as an Observer/Controller and Trainer at Ft. McCoy Wisconsin. His last operational assignment was at Ft. Stewart, GA where he served as an Operations NCO and as a Rifle and HHC Company First Sergeant with 3-15 IN.
In 2018 Mr. Ludwig made his last move and served as the EIU ROTC Senior Military Science Instructor from 2018-2022.
Mr. Ludwig has a Bachelor’s Degree from Indiana University Bloomington. He is a graduate of many US ARMY NCOES courses as well as Airborne School, Jumpmaster School and Pathfinder School. He retired as a Master Rated Paratrooper having completed 65 jumps and earned Italian, British, German and Polish foreign jump wings. He completed the Bataan Death March in 2019 and the Nijmegen 4 Days March (100 miles) in 2010.
Mr. Ludwig and his fiance’, Katie Jo Pierson reside in Charleston, Illinois. They have a newborn son, Hudson James born in October 2023.
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