IU95

Currently the new officer clothing allowance is $600. It is a one time deal. It would be ideal to try the items on first, but if this is not an option, here is a link to Ranger Joes PT clothing. http://www.rangerjoes.com/clothing-pt-c-100_105.html BTW, a yellow reflective belt is considered part of the PT uniform and is mandatory.

The cheese spread made the crackers and wheat wafers semi-edible. Maybe that was part of my problem! Then let's not get started on the Hooah bars!!

You know what MRE stands for, right? Meals Refusing to Exit!

Good luck and safe journey. When you are thinking of that crappy galley food, remember the Soldiers like me eating MRE's!! Lol, I was a sailor for 8 years in a previous life so can relate. Take care.

It used to be 2 weeks. I have several classmates that are Guard or Reserve and they are here for the entire 7 weeks.

I am currently in my last week of OBLC and have never heard of this 70% requirement. It has been the standard 60% for my class.

as long as you can run a word processor, printer, and microsoft powerpoint, you should be fine. not necessarily. many of us have families that are not with us. it is my understanding that if you are "permanent party", that is staying in the fsh area after oblc, then you will find a residence here locally and can move family here. you will need to check further on this. you can enter your specific values into that spreadsheet. you need to pass each single event with at least a score of 60, and you must pass all events to pass overall. for enlisted folks the higher scores help them advance in rank. from what i have been told so far, as an officer it only really matters that you pass. watches varies widely and i would say if it isn't garish or outlandish, you would be fine. certainly does not have to be an "army" watch. all kinds of shoes. again , avoid garish shoes and you will be ok.

Yes. So far those are the only 2 uniforms we have worn.

There are still many signs here that say OBC. I believe that is a fairly recent change so you know how long it takes to change signs, etc. I am to report to Ft. Benning after OBLC. I am new to the Army but what some prior enlisted Army have told me that if I am PROFIS'd (sp?) to a CSH (Combat Support Hospital) I could go to the sandbox. Won't know that until I get to Georgia though. Thanks, IU95

There are still questions about the class "A"'s and blues at this time here. As of this moment, we are being told NOT to buy either one. Of course that could change on a moment's notice.

O2-E over 21 years!! I can live with it too!!

Heh, I would love to do a Navy PRT now. I am doing the Army PFT now and am old and it is rough!!

OBLC = Officer Basic Leader Course. This course is for AMEDD (Army Medical Department) officers. This is what the Army calls it. Other services have different names. The military loves acronyms! OBLC is held at Fort Sam Houston and is 7 weeks. Each AOC (Area of Concentration) aka your job, then has a specific track which most are 2 weeks. Another term you will hear is MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). You will hear officers use this but it is technically incorrect. Enlisted have MOS's, officers have AOC's. By the way, the other term you may hear or read is OBC (Officer Basic Course). That is the old name for OBLC but is still used sometimes.

Everyone here had the same report and start date regardless of prior service status.

7weeks for all, then AOC specific tracks which range from 0 days to 5 weeks. Mine, 71E, is 2 weeks. ANC is also 2 weeks.

The shorts are a standardized Army PT uniform short. Be sure and have the winter components too as the mornings can be chilly and it is a requirement that you have those components also. http://www.rangerjoes.com/shorts-army-summer-p-1619.html Varies, but usually around 1630-1700. Not every day starts so early. Sometimes we don't muster until 0745. Depends on what is happening that day. And the 0330 time I gave was waking up for a 0430 muster time. Well, this first week we actually did not have any organized morning PT. I believe there was supposed to be one day but something happened and we did not. Many of us have been doing our own PT in the evening though. It is my understanding organized AM PT will happen from now on though. 3 days a week for all and 5 days a week for those who do not pass the PT test tomorrow morning.

I am currently at OBLC (Officer Basic Leader Course) in Ft. Sam Houston. I will try to give a brief overview so future students can have an idea and hopefully be prepared. I am not in the ANC (Army Nurse Corp), I am a Clinical Laboratory Officer in the MSC (Medical Service Corp). I am a licensed practical nurse and am working on my BSN. Our class started on April 9th, 2007. This 1st week was mainly administrative type tasks, like ID cards, filling out travel vouchers, submitting dependent information, brief dental exam, immunizations, etc. We did have lectures and workshops on things like military leadership, writing skills, etc. too. Even though the OBLC website showed a class size of about 230, our class is only about 135 soldiers. Thoughts from week 1: 1) Many of us are prior service. Learn from the prior enlisted Army soldiers! Incredibly helpful. My prior service was Navy so some basics like military courtesies and military bearing I knew, but the Army does do many things differently. Be patient and listen. They will teach you. 2) I have noticed that a few soldiers who are straight from civilian life have had some issues with being on time for formation. Trust me, you do not want to be late!! You are not in college anymore!! This is the military. Be early!! You do not want the huge negative attention you will receive not to mention the anger of your fellow soldiers that have to be there earlier and earlier because some can't make it on time. 3) Bring all of the documents listed on the OBLC website. Makes life easier for you. Don't forget shot records. You can't prove it, you get stuck again! 4) You definitely should get at least 1 set of ACU's (Army Combat Uniform) prior to arrival. We wore PT outfit 1st day and ACU's after that. A few did not have ACU's and wore PT gear the 2nd day. You don't want to stick out like a sore thumb. There are mail order sources if you are not near a post. Don't forget ACU name tags. I ordered mine through U.S. Cavalry and am very pleased with them. 5) Do NOT fall asleep in class!! It is hot, humid and sometimes you have been up since 0330 or so. Again, you do not want this negative attention on yourself. Only water is allowed in the auditoriums and classrooms, so I bring Vivarin and take if I need. Also, standing up and moving to the back is acceptable and not a negative on you. 6) If at all possible bring a laptop or desktop computer. It will make your life easier. Bring a printer if you can. I was one of only a few that had a printer in their room so many people were coming to me to print stuff. Thoughts from week 2: 1) Sadly we are still having issues with some people being tardy. The unfortunate consequence of this is all of us will now have to be in formation 3 times a day for accountability. This takes away from our already sporifice free time during the week. I realize this will seem strange to non prior service. In the military you are a team and even if only a few do not conform, frequently there will be consequences for the whole unit. 2) PFT (Physical Fitness Test): Oh boy, this was unpleasant for many. You would be wise to heed their advice to be in shape when you arrive here. Approximately 1/3 of my class did not pass the PFT. The test consists of push ups, sit ups, and a 2 mile run. If you fail any part, you fail it all. Most people had problems on the run. Now, usually when you fail a PFT, you are "flagged". This basically means you are ineligible for positive actions including promotion. The PFT is taken quite seriously. For those who failed, they do morning PT 5 days a week. The rest do PT 3 days a week. At the end of the course, there will be another PFT test for those who failed the 1st one. You can download an Excel spreadsheet from here which will show you what your minimums are for your gender and age: http://www.cs.amedd.army.mil/187medbn/alpha/ I have been told direct commissions "off the street" are a special category and have 180 days to pass, but they really strive to have everyone pass before leaving OBLC. 3) This week has kicked into high gear with PowerPoint presentations. They jokingly call it "Death by PowerPoint". Some of it is interesting, other subjects quite dry. Not being able to drink coffee in there is absolutely brutal for many of us, including me. Oh well. Don't forget, standing up in the back of the class is OK if you can't stay awake. 4) A little item I did not know before this. Apparently in the Army (not sure of other services), 2nd lieutenants do not salute 1st lieutenants. I do get a salute from a 2nd lieutenant occasionally, but rarely. 5) There are a lot of E-1 through E-4's here. Here is a website showing the rank insignia: http://www.military-quotes.com/ranks/army-rank-insignia.htm Many are just out of BCT (Basic Combat Training). Some, for whatever reason, walk by without saluting. At first myself and my classmates were unsure how we were supposed to handle this situation. Our cadre (our instructors and leadership) instructed us that we DO NOT have the authority to "smoke" them (Make them do push ups, etc.). But, they told us that if we do not correct the problem, then we are part of the problem. So, now if it happens, we get their attention and ask them if they forgot to do something. Most at this point come to attention, apologize and salute. You don't have to be an ass to help them. They get enough of that from their drill sergeants! Thoughts from week 3: 1) The long PowerPoint days continue. We each had to give a short PowerPoint presentation. This is another time you will be happy if you have a personal computer. Also very nice to have PowerPoint installed and if you have no clue how to use PowerPoint, at least learn the basics before you get here. 2) PT continues 5 days a week for those who did not pass initially. Just another reminder that reporting here in decent physical condition will make life easier on you. 3) We are going to the field the next 3 weeks for FTX's (field training exercises). We do come back to FSH (Fort Sam Houston) on the weekends. 4) Tardiness issue has improved drastically. Thankfully, people are getting the idea now. Thoughts from week 4: 1) Had our first FTX (Field Training Exercise). For those prior service Army/Marines, I'm sure it is a cakewalk, but for those of us who have never done this, it was a bear. Most days about 12-13 hours from reveille till your free for the day. Thursday was about 17 hours. A rough list of tasks: M-16 & M-9(9mm) training/qualification, CBRN(Chemical,biological,radiological, nuclear) training, land navigation, 3 mile ruck march, basic tactical formations, and a practice medevac casualty exercise on Friday. 2) Gas, gas, gas! Part of your CBRN training is enduring the infamous CS Gas chamber. Look, it sucks, but everybody has to do it and you will survive. Not one of us died! You also get to put that wonderfully hot chemical protective suit and mask on in the sweltering Texas heat until your instructor tells you all clear. Fun day, heh. 3) Land navigation. You will learn how to use a compass and map to plot and navigate. There is a daytime and night time land navigation exercise.You will also be taught a basic GPS handheld and will also have a mounted land navigation exercise in a vehicle. 4) You will learn how to field strip a M16A2 rifle down and reassemble it with a complete function check within 4 minutes. Many of you will be able to do this blindfolded! I never would have believed it but I witnessed it. Unfortunately I couldn't quite get the 4 minutes blindfolded, but I felt I did quite well considering I had never even touched this weapon prior to OBLC. You will also learn how to disassemble and reassemble the 9mm, which is easier. 5) Some items to consider that may not be on your packing list: Benadryl (if you need help sleeping) ibufrofen (or whatever your preferred painkiller is) moleskin plus (many people developed blisters) luggage tags or similar for your duffel bag (they all look the same) small knife/multi-purpose tool (always useful in the field) sunscreen (this is Texas!) bug repellent (these mosquitoes can be vicious) chiggers too; also recommend a small container of repellent you can carry with you. hand sanitizer earplugs (up to 38 people per tent, some snore!, alarms beeping, storms; I like the silicone type) wet wipes (at this time there are no showers) electric razor ziploc bags (to keep stuff dry) plenty of socks as many times they will get soaked from trekking through wet fields or if it is raining small pillow (I got a compressible Thermarest from REI) bed cushion (Those cots are rock hard, at least for me. I bought a roll able, self-inflating bed roll from the PX) hyrdrocortisone/Benadryl creme (for those inevitable bug bites) Gatorade/Propel, etc. to flavor that nasty tasting drinking water. Many brands come in little tubes that work well in a canteen. Small notebook (you can buy waterproof ones at the clothing sales PX) Extra sets of ACU's (they will get wet/filthy/smelly. Consider though, it is difficult to get them completely clean again so they will unlikely be "perfect" ACU's anymore.) Thoughts from week 5: 1) This week was group oriented type tasks versus individual tasks last week. We did things like LRC (Leader Reaction Course), MOUT (Military Operations Urban Terrain) which was 4 person teams clearing buildings and urban warfare training, 2 days of convoy ops training, and retesting for those who did not pass night and/or day land navigation last week. 2) This week still had some long days but seemed to be a slower tempo and less traveling around via the deuce and a halfs. Thoughts from week 6: 1) The op tempo seemed higher than week 5, but still less intense than week 4. This week was the grand finale AMEDD FTX. Monday was just movement to the FOB and some CLS (Combat lifesaver) classes. Tuesday through Thursday were the exercises. There were three groups which each day rotated through the 3 main areas. We also had the BOLC (Basic Officer Leader Course) group with us this week. 2) The mornings were more training sessions, then the exercise was in the afternoon followed by the evaluation/discussion. 3) I was lucky to be picked as a "casualty" a few times. This is a good experience as you get to see the whole process from a 1st hand perspective. Volunteer for this if is offered to you. 4) Friday we did a 5 mile road march and then toured a scaled down CSH (Combat Support Hospital). Thoughts from week 7: 1) Last week!! The tempo was definitely more relaxed this week. Still doing PT. Another PT test was administered for those that did not pass initially. 2) More classes on subjects like OER (Officer Evaluation Reports), NCOER (Non-Commissioned Officer Reports), writing awards, etc. Officership type material. 3) Next week we enter our AOC specific tracks. 4) Graduation ceremony was fairly quick and easy. Family members were allowed. Our uniform was ACU's. Well, it's done for me now. Hopefully this information will make future OBLC students transition into the Army a bit smoother. 1LT Joseph L Cheser

I am currently at OBLC in Ft. Sam with many new ANC nurses. Just last night a nurse who is going to Ft. Riley after she graduates here told me she was informed that her Iraq deployment would ne more like 4 months because Ft. Riley simply couldn't afford to lose nursing staff for longer periods. Of course this may be the exception.

Thanks all. I am excited to go. I am ready for a life change and new challenges. Gen, good to hear you might be able to get your situation worked out.

I am to report to Fort Sam Houston for OBLC no later than 1300 on April 8th!! Woo hoo!! :beer:

Sorry to hear this Gen. I know at least one of my nursing school classmates was in a tough financial situation and a state worker assistance group paid for her NCLEX. Worth looking in to.

http://armynurselife.blogspot.com/2006/12/obc-week-10-grand-finale.html Gives some insights for those of us going to OBLC soon!

I just graduated from Ivy Tech Bloomington LPN program in Dec 2006. Blloomington is also going to this initial combined track for both LPN/RN also.

Thanks Gen. I'll let you know when I get there, although I'm a lot older now than my sailor days!

Can one put in for a transfer request earlier than that?