Army amedd reserve component (rc) bolc fy2018

[DJT104]

Hello everyone from Fort Sam Houston!

I am currently in BOLC class 18-185. The dates are August 6- August 31 2018. It is approximately 26 days of classroom and field training exercises. I wanted to start a new thread because there are absolutely no full on Basic Officer Leadership Course guides online that are up to date!

Day 0: I arrived early on August 5 (which is allowed for OCONUS soldiers or soldiers who live on Guam, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, etc.). Any individual living CONUS can check in early but will have to pay for the extra night. I suggest EVERYONE check in the day before. It allows you time to settle in and also familiarize yourself with the post and amenities. If you are Reserve or National Guard in certain AOCs then you will do the short course. There are other students here who are classified as "long course" individuals. They are mostly active duty, 70B, or ROTC new grads.

I arrived to building 592 that is directly in front of the Harry Wurzbach gate. The receptionist was really nice and helped me select a room that would be convenient to come and go from. If this is not something you care about then you just show your orders and your military ID. You will be asked for a credit card for incidentals. I was told that I would be housed in building 1384, which may be older and will be shutting down in a year or so, BUT the a/c is amazing and does not shut off when you leave the room. If you have a car or the ability to rent one... DO IT! at least for the first week. You really need it to get your ASUs done and to go out and buy stuff you need for the field.

Day 1: Everyone else checked in at this time to building 592. Your orders will say to report to building 592. For those of us who checked in early, report to building 592 at 0900. I arrived a little early and presented my orders and RECORD APFT card/ht/wt information and I was done with in processing. I was given a folder and was told to report at 0530 the next day by the Helicopter at AMEDD Center and School. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting organized.

Week 1: The first morning you should arrive 15 minutes early and park in the designated area. You will form up by alphabetical order and then file into the Blesse Auditorium. It's pretty easy going in the beginning, but you will probably have one or two soldiers who want to take over. They say the hardest thing to do is lead a bunch of leaders. I commend these individuals for wanting to be gung-ho, but there's really no need to yell at all of us on the first day. (Don't be that guy/girl). You will do some in-processing with the Cadre and you will fill out a form to get your first uniform allowance-- $400. $200-- will come later on down the road.

Classes, classes, classes. Spend time trying to find your "group". My last name was in the beginning of the alphabet so I immediately bonded with the short-course platoon peeps. You will be eating, sleeping, living with these individuals for the next two and half weeks in the field. I enjoyed the didactic part of this week because we got out around 1700 and were able to have dinner with friends and get some stuff done at clothing and sales.

*NOTE ON THE APFT CARD: Make sure it is filled out to standard. For those of you who do not, you will be required to take a PT test. If you don't pass you have till the end of the course to pass. Also, if you want to go for Citizen Soldier- Short Course- you must take a PT test. They also have an award for top male and female APFT.

*NOTE: If you have your ASUs done, you are set. If you don't you will be stressed and looking for a ride here and there. Kim's off-post can alter, dry clean, and put all your medals on if you have them. For those of you who are new... you are only authorized to wear the National Defense Ribbon and the Army Service Ribbon. Nothing more than that.

Week 2: The Sunday before, I spent a lot of time packing my stuff in my duffle bag. The less you bring the better, but I had some friends bring pillows, blankets, etc. Here are my suggestions for packing

*Try to pack a shower bag that has enough supplies for 4 days: shampoo/conditioner, body wash, face wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, wipes, hairbrush, hair ties, gel, baby powder, glide (to prevent chafing), foot powder

*Dryer sheets- to prevent bugs from climbing in your boots at night/day

*Febreeze- make it fresh--- I wore a pair of OCPs for 3 days and they were pretty crispy, but everyone will be

*Red flashlight- for the mornings when you want to get up

*External battery and a powerstrip--- you can use your phone/smart watch in the field

*Duct tape/electrical tape- black

*Nail clipper, scissors or knife, notebook, pen, PERMANENT Marker x2, pencils

*Feminine products

*Pack your clothes in sets-- shirt, socks, underwear into gallon sized bags

*Pack your OCPs in a set- pants and blouse

During the week you will eat hot chow for breakfast and maybe dinner, depending on the training. The tents you sleep in will be cots with a/c after 1730. it wasn't bad. Showers are available in the field and there was more than enough time to squeeze in a quick combat shower here and there. I will say everyone showered.

Week 1: M16A2 familiarization, qualification, zeroing. M9 familiarization. Grenade familiarization. Role 1 and 2 introduction. 9 line MEDEVACC practice.

* A lot of people did not qualify. Do not sweat. This is not a go/no go event.

* You will need to only carry about 50lbs for 50m to pass BOLC.

You will sweat a lot the first week in the field and will probably be a little miserable. But it's okay, if you have good friends and a strong platoon you should be good.

We did combatives training wed-fri. It was fun, but use your dirty OCPs for this. Practice some mat drills. they are not easy.

Tips for Week 2: I am heading into Week 2 of the field training. When you get back on Friday evening from the previous week, do your laundry OFF BASE. There are ton of nice laundromats around and instead of 2 hours it will only take you about an hour to do all your laundry at once. It was great to go there and get it done and have the whole weekend to yourself.

You do have classes on Saturday but the cadre try to get you out by 1530. I will update this blog as I go. Feel free to ask questions.

Thanks!