PARIS TOWNSHIP, Ohio — For decades, much of the former Ravenna Arsenal sat largely dormant, a relic of America's wartime manufacturing past.
News 5 was granted rare access to the 21,000-acre installation, now known as Camp James A. Garfield Joint Military Training Center, as it trains the next generation of soldiers.
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"We are a modern premier training site," said Lt. Col. Shaun Robinson, the camp's garrison commander.
LTC Robinson, who has been at the site since 2016, told News 5 that C-JAG, as it's known today, has received about $50 million in new facilities and training infrastructure, including 20 new buildings constructed in the past 10 years.
Among the newest additions is a recently completed training trench designed to prepare soldiers for modern battlefield conditions, mirroring what they're seeing in Ukraine and Russia.
The camp also features a wide range of firing facilities, from close-range marksmanship courses to long-distance ranges stretching nearly a mile.
"The reason why pop-up targets are important is it gives you more of a reality check and a picture you might see in the field—it confirms your lethality," Lt. Col. Robinson said. "A paper target isn't very challenging but when you're practicing all your correct firing techniques and knocking down targets, it gives you that mental and emotional confirmation that you are confirming your lethality."
One standout attraction is a .50-caliber machine gun range that opened in 2024.
"This is the only range in the state of Ohio you can do that," said 1st Sgt. Martin Marino, operations training manager.
As a result, the number of soldiers training at Camp James A. Garfield and the amount of training conducted there have quadrupled over the past decade, making it a destination site for military units across the Midwest.
That amounts to about 20,000 boots on the ground during their peak summer months. To help break down that number, LTC Robinson explained that 10 soldiers on site for 200 days amounts to 2,000 boots on the ground.
During World War II, the Ravenna Arsenal was a major manufacturing center for military munitions. During the Vietnam War, the facility was all but shuttered and remained underutilized for decades.
News 5 went inside the Ravenna Arsenal in 1986 and 1987 as many wondered what was next for the property.
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"Their mission was to be productive to the country and produce munitions," Robinson said. "Our mission is to have trained and ready soldiers."
Today, soldiers come to Camp James A. Garfield to prepare for potential deployment, using many of the same types of munitions once manufactured on site.
"We're firing the bullets, we're using the detonating cord, we're using the Bangalore torpedoes, the kind of munitions they were building before," Robinson said. "Now we're using them as training aids."
Despite all the upgrades, remnants of the former tenant can still be seen on the property.
Fifty-six original arsenal-era buildings are still standing, and more than 600 earth-covered ammunition magazines, also known as igloos, remain scattered across the property.
"I do like coming here because it shows the difference of what was and what we're trying to become," Lt. Col. Robinson said.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
