Sergeant Major (Retired) Gavin L. McIlvenna entered the Army on November 21, 1989 and attended One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. After basic and advanced infantry training he graduated from the United States Airborne School and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team (ABCT) in Vicenza, Italy.
Following a deployment to Northern Iraq for OPERATION Provide Comfort in 1991, he re-enlisted assigned to the Pathfinder Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Returning to Italy he was deployed with 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of the initial entry forces for OPERATION Enduring Freedom in 1995. SGM (RET) McIlvenna ended his active duty career after volunteering and being selected to serve in the 3d United States Infantry (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer, Virginia where he served as a Squad Leader in the 1st Presidential Marching Platoon, 1st Relief Commander and Assistant Sergeant of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Joint Forces Color Team Squad Leader with the Continental Color Guard Platoon.
SGM (RET) McIlvenna demonstrated his personal commitment to the Army and his Soldiers after enlisting in the Oregon Army National Guard, and has advanced to positions of higher responsibility culminating to his current assignment as the Operations Sergeant Major for the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment. During his time with the Oregon Army National Guard he was called back to active duty and mobilized twice, deploying in support of OPERATION Noble Eagle to the Portland Air National Guard Base, before being selected to form and train cadre at the Army National Guard Warrior Training Center as the Chief Instructor of the Mobile Training Team Air Assault Course. He and his wife were also deployed to Iraq in support of OPERATION Iraqi Freedom from 2009-10.
SGM (RET) McIlvenna’s last assignment before retiring in October 2012 was with the United States Army Africa as the Senior Enlisted Advisor for an Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA) Team, which worked directly with the United States Department of State concerning national security interests on the African continent.
Throughout his 23-year career, SGM (RET) McIlvenna has held every key leadership position including: infantry team and squad leader, sniper and sniper team leader, pathfinder and pathfinder team leader, instructor, platoon sergeant and liaison, chief instructor, branch manager, first sergeant, and operations sergeant major. His military education includes the all levels of the Non-Commissioned Officers Education System and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. His other notable schooling consists of the US Army Sniper School, Pathfinder Course, Advanced Airborne (Jumpmaster) Course, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Air Assault School and SPIES/FRIES Master Course, Rappel Master Course, and the High Risk Personnel Security Course.
SGM (RET) McIlvenna’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, seven Army Commendation Medals, ten Army Achievement Medals, Air Force Achievement Medal, three Army Good Conduct Medals, three Army Reserve Component Achievement Medals, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, two Armed Forces Reserve Medals with “M” device and the Bronze Hour Glass, Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze service star, Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze service star, Humanitarian Service Medal, NATO Medal with Former Yugoslavia suspension bar, Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), NCO Professional Development Ribbon with “4” device, Army Service Ribbon, Army Reserves Overseas Training Ribbon, four Overseas Service Ribbons, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Meritorious Unit Award, Army Superior Unit Award, two Oregon National Guard Faithful Service Ribbons with “M” device, and two Oregon Army National Guard Superior Soldier Ribbons.
His other decorations include the Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge, both the Combat and Expert Infantryman Badges, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Botswana Parachutist Badge, French Parachutist Badge, Ecuadorian Parachutist Badge, and the German Troop Duty Proficiency Badge in Gold.
After retiring in 2012, SGM (RET) McIlvenna continued serving the State of Oregon as a Senior Trooper in the Oregon State Police. Assigned to the Patrol Division, he is also the Medic Team Leader for the OSP Special Operations, with assignment to the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and the Mobile Response Team (MRT). He is also a First Responder Instructor, and member of Honor Guard.
In 1999 SGM (RET) McIlvenna was one of four former Tomb Guards who created the non-profit organization Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS) where he served as the first Secretary. A member of the Board of Directors he continued to hold various committee chairs including the Centennial Committee. He has served as the Vice President, and is the current President of the Society.
SGM (RET) McIlvenna is married to the former Captain Amy Gilbert, RN of Indianapolis, Indiana. Both are Life Members in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). They have two daughters, Alexandra and Kamelia, and one granddaughter, Amaya. CPT McIlvenna still serves in the US Army Reserve and is a Hospice Nurse in the Columbia River Gorge area.