Jason Ratka
Jason Ratka was born on February 19, 1975 in Belleville Illinois. He graduated from Belleville Township High School West in June of 1993, and subsequently attended college and graduated from Belleville Area College with an Associates in Art, and was awarded a scholarship from the School of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting. He also began Graduate studies in Fine Arts at Southern Illinois a University (Edwardsville, Illinois) and Cameron University ( Lawton, Oklahoma).
He entered the United States Army on June 6, 2000 and was honorably discharged in 2002 after serving his two year contract. He then rein listed on September 11, 2006 after caring for his family.
He has honorably served Ten years in the United Staes Army. He served as an infantry squad team leader on a MITT( Military Team or Transition Team), Quick Reaction Force, and escort security, during his combat tour in Iraq that lasted 15 months through 2 separate campaigns. He has been on several assignments to include the United States Military Academy( West Pointe,) Task Force Strike, South Korea during During the first days of Kim Jong Un assuming power over North Korea, and multiple training exercises in White Sands, New Mexico.
He was Medically retired in 2014 for Having Chronic PTSD, and other combat-related injuries.
He is currently certified in international and advance Family Law Mediation.
He is developing a program that uses instruments and music/songwriting in order to assist Military Veterans and their families trying to cope with PTSD.
Experience:
West Pointe Trainer/facilitator
Patrol Base Operations expert/facilitator
Land Navigation expert/facilitator
Urban Warfare expert/facilitator
Sticks Lanes observer
Graduation assessment team member for Cadet’s summer training expert/facilitator
Non-Commissioned Officer Certifications-
Schools for advancement and promotion
Warriors leader course Honor grad
Advanced Leaders course Honor Grad
Cold weather Leaders Course Winter (Extreme Weather Survival Course) expert/facilitator
Computer Combat simulation instructor/facilitator (Battalion representative.) expert/facilitator
USFK United states forces Korean Theatre and 2 ID Specific training
Schools for positions and expertise from US Army*
Master fitness Trainer (Battery MFT) expert/facilitator
Crossfitt Level 1 Trainers course (Brigade trainer) expert/facilitator
Combatives trainer level 2 (Battery CT) expert/facilitator
Combat Life savers Course (medical combat medic.)
Local Hazardous materials training expert
Nuclear Biological Chemical (Battery NBC) expert/facilitator
Alcohol and Drug abuse prevention training. expert/facilitator
Sexual assault and Rape Prevention (S.H.A.R.P.) Battalion representative). expert/facilitator
Equal Opportunity/ Sexual Harassment (battalion EO). expert/facilitator
Publications management certification expert/facilitator
General Technical Study Course (GT improvement)
Publications management certification. expert/facilitator
*expert/facilitator- I was considered the subject matter expert and certified to develop and instruct all aspects of the training in these particular areas as I see fit. Which would cover the Battery, Battalion, and Brigade elements of Combat Arms.