BOLC II and BOLC III

The last couple months I spent in Fort Sill Oklahoma, where I was refreshed on the basics of soldiering skills as well as some of the leadership aspects I learned in ROTC.
We did some things I've done before, and some things I haven't:

What I found interesting and rather entertaining was the combatives that we trained in. The army used to use a closed fighting system, which while effective did not offer as many possibilities and combinations as the current system. This current system is based on Judo and is extremely effective, and a good workout.



In the picture above one soldier has the other in his guard, however the soldier in the guard is starting to pass the guard and soon will have his sparing partner stacked and and then in side control.

We will be doing combatives again and get certified during BOLC III (where I am now at Fort Huachuca)

Another training event we did was night and urban operations. We used NVG's (night vision goggles) and lights mounted on our M-4's to identify targets at night as well as navigating in the dark. This was a very new experience and rather exhilarating because your vision is severely reduced to a small field of view. However, without the NVG's you can't see anything in pitch black. Its rather amazing how they amplify the light and if needed have an infra-red capability. Combining that with the mounted lights makes for a twilight-zone-like feeling.




As far as MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) goes I finally got trained. Basically what MOUT is-is swat team tactics for entering and clearing buildings in teams and or squads. I have a short video from my training that has some MOUT in it. You will get the idea.



A new program they have at BOLC II is the convoy life fire where we are in a vehicle traveling about 30 mph and we engage targets on the left and right sides of the vehicle. It was a worthwhile experience but took a full day most of which was picking up the spent ammo. It really could have been done better.



The most valuable experience I had at BOLC II was after running OPFOR ops (opposition forces operations) against our own company for 24 hours straight, I went back into the FOB (Forward Operating Base)[a type of non-contiguous battlefield organization]{meaning that our forces are in a base surrounded by enemy territory, where lines if communication and transportation are not controlled by friendly forces} and after 24 hours of running operations as the platoon leader I became the Battle Captain for the entire FOB. I set up in the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) and with the assistance of my PSG Davison managed FOB security, QRF (quick reaction force) and all communications and TOC operations for another 30 hours. After 24 hours I had 2 hours sleep and coordinated all operations coming in and going out of the FOB for another 30 hours. This was almost entirely a personal choice. I could have handed off the responsibility and slept. However, I wanted to see how well I made decisions with such a lack of sleep and how long I could be effective under pressure:





BOLC III (Basic Officer Leadership Course Phase III)(previously known as Officer Basic Course)

Now I am in sunny Sierra Vista AZ, approximately an hour and 15 minutes South East of Tucson. I am training in military intelligence at Fort Huachuca; one of the oldest Forts in the US.





'Military Intelligence Corps. Military Intelligence involves electronic warfare, counter-intelligence, classified security, surveillance and determining the capabilities and intentions of the enemy.'

Specifically what I will be doing is linguistics as a platoon leader in one of the last linguist units around. That is after my training here and after the Defense Language Institute at Monterey.

The curriculum here is challenging, both mentally and physically. We do an intensive workout everyday starting at 6am until about 715 where we do any number of exercises for upper, lower, or core body strengthening as well as running between 3 and 5 miles at an elevation of a mile :) The atmosphere is different here. I was sucking wind for the first couple weeks running here, especially when we go up hills. I am getting used to it though. It really helps that the countryside here is so beautiful in the way that only the desert can be. The mornings are calm and quiet with the exception of the UAS/UAV's that are flying lazy loops over our heads gathering imagery intelligence.



After PT we have class for about 7 hours studying the different roles of intel in the world and all the systems that allow us to do our jobs and maintain the information and technology advantage. Additionally, we are learning how to be an S-2 (intelligence officer) for a combat arms Bn, which doesn't directly apply to me but will help me relate to commanders in all different branches. A lot of it is interesting and comprehensive. I was worried that it would be boring and thus I would have a difficult time paying attention and doing well in the courses, but the material intrigues me. So far I hit my benchmarks for the first two tests; a 96% on my first test and a 95% on the second and hardest of the course. Tuesday is the PT test which will be interesting. This PT schedule has been very good for me and I feel confident the test will reflect the hard work I've put in the last three weeks.

The latest activities have included a terrain walk where we got 'eyes-on' to a piece of terrain that we were designing offensive and defensive operations on from a map. This was helpful because it showed us that you really cannot fully plan an operation based on a map recon. You really need Human Intelligence or Imagery Intelligence on the area that reflects the real time situation.


This is our class 07-503. I am somewhere in the back right.

We recently had a road march. I pride myself in road marching. I like it not because it is fun but because it is difficult and there are several techniques to it. I started my road marching 'career' at Ft. Knox Kentucky, which is known for its three huge hills: Agony, Misery, and Heartbreak. I believe a Drill Sergeant had a heart attack on one of these hills during a basic training road march. I haven't seen anything that can compare since.
We have the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge competition coming up and part of it is an 18 mile road march in under 5 hours. I plan to do the whole thing, why not?
The last road march we had, myself, Liy, Stewart, Pavlo, Sergei, and Birkholtz finished a 35 lb 6 miler in an hour and 20 minutes. It's not a great distance but for our first we were pretty quick (faster than everyone else anyway :)



Sierra Vista isnt a bad town. Its very pretty in the morning and has the conveniences and entertainment that your average young person requires. The population is rather young which is nice, however that is primarily a reflection of the Basic Training, AIT and MIBOLC classes at Fort Huachuca. Regardless it means that there is a fair amount for me to do:



My apartment is quite nice. I have two bedrooms and two baths. One bedroom I have converted into an office and one bathroom is just for guests. It is fully furnished and overlooks the pool and BBQ area. I am quite happy with it.