Hello, I am Brian Rivera.
I joined the Ohio Army National Guard in 2005 out of Cleveland, Ohio. My first unit upon graduation from A Co. 2-81 Armor at Ft. Knox, KY was Charlie Company, 1-107th Armor in Stow, Ohio.
Following the train up/pre-mob for the 37th IBCT at Camp Grayling in 2007, I volunteered to deploy in support of their mission for Operation Iraqi Freedom. I found myself transplanted into Delta Company, 1-148th Infantry out of Sandusky, Ohio. We deployed to Iraq in 2008 where we successfully completed our convoy security assignment.
Upon returning home, I ended up in Charlie Company, 1-145th Armor, as the 1-107th had been deactivated. I finished out my career in C Co, and ETS’d in 2011. I ended up hiring out on the railroad as a Conductor, and then Locomotive Engineer at CSX Transportation. I stuck with that for nearly a decade, before circumstances brought me back home to Ohio, where I now co-own a railroad switching and consulting service, the Crooked River Railroad.
I found my way to USABOT in 2025 while looking for a veterans organization to call home. The instant comradery ended up being exactly what I was looking for, and the rest is history. I volunteered to help stand up the then-inactive Buckeye division, which is where I remain today.