Well, it’s official: I’m going to the Army Logistics University on 6 Sep 11 in Ft Lee, VA to attend TBOLC! I’m looking for any advice officers may have on this course and what to expect. Thanks! I’m thrilled at the opportunity!
Hi there, I am a sophomore cadet in ROTC at TCU in Fort Worth. I want to follow the same path. I am wanting more information on Transportation too. V/r, CT
LTC Sam Blanton
Mar 10, 2011 12:38 PMChris -- Feel free to contact me. I'm the Director, Office of the Chief of Transportation. Thanks
Chris Tengler
Mar 11, 2011 10:00 AMSir, I tried to message you at dirocot@conus.army.mil if this is not correct, please email me at chris.tengler@tcu.edu CDT Tengler
LT Harper
Mar 8, 2011 5:51 PMI can't speak to anything substantive about TBOLC, but I just came from 2 weeks at Ft. Lee and the ALU. If you haven't been there, the base itself is pretty small, but has a nice main PX (as well as a smaller PXtra and Clothing Sales). Petersburg isn't the greatest city, but it's a lot better than many of the cities outside other posts. The ALU is by far the nicest place on base, at it's one of the newest buildings. It has an in house cafeteria and small food court (Subway & Einstein Bros. Bagels), and the classrooms are really nice as well. The ALU has it's own gym (separate building next to the large parking lot), which is new and pretty nice.
The building itself is massive, and there's a ton going on there (civilians and foreign military train there from time to time). This makes for some interesting parking situations, depending on when you arrive. Aside from that, be prepared to be surrounded by Privates on post, as it's a major logistics AIT installation. Sorry I couldn't help out with advice on the course itself (I'm a JA), but hopefully it helped a little.
Luke Ulrich
Mar 8, 2011 6:01 PMThanks, LT Harper!
CDT Tengler:
TC has many paths: wheeled, rail, and water. It depends on if you are assigned AD, USAR, or ARNG and what unit you're assigned to. I will be a 40 FT Truck PL beginning in May, so I'll only be able to give insights on the wheeled area of the Army Trans Corps until I go through TBOLC and learn about it all. I'll keep you posted, though!
CPT Freda
Mar 9, 2011 12:28 AMI'm a TBOLC instructor. You can expect to be challenged but at the same time you will have some fun. We have excellent instructors and all of our civilians are retired military. You can prepare for the course by ensuring you are physically fit and by looking over the "55 series" FMs online. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Good luck.
CDT Luke Ulrich
Mar 11, 2011 12:04 AMCPT Freda
Mar 11, 2011 2:00 PMYour day will start with a physical training session begining at 0600. We focus on Physical Readiness Training and the new APFT. Class starts at 0830 and goes until approximately 1630-1700 with an hour for lunch. Classes will cover basic Army knowledge, officership, tactics, transportation tactics, movement planning and programming and others. There are a number of exercises you'll complete as well. These involve both tactical training and transportation training. Your time here will be boring sometimes, I won't lie. There's only so much spice we can put into movement planning. There are other days when you're so busy you'll feel like you've run out of time. The best way to learn is to participate and learn from others. Sometimes your peers are your best teachers. Your TAC officer will talk to you about becoming a platoon leader and basic officership. Use the experience of the facuilty to round yourself out and position yourself for future success. You'll love being a Transporter, trust me on this.
2LT S
Apr 14, 2011 10:49 AMCPT Freda,
I am attending TBOLC in May. Should I come prepared with FM's, AR's, and other like support pubs or will everything be made available at the school? Any other hints and tips would be greatly appreciated.
CPT Freda
Apr 14, 2011 1:15 PMLT S, I would have that stuff loaded onto your computer anyway, you'll need it beyond TBOLC. That said, we will provide a way for you to get what you need and/or show you where to find it. We no longer hand out hardcopies of manuals. Since it's all digital anyway, go ahead and download it now.
Cdt Pruitt
Nov 4, 2011 9:41 PMI'm not really sure who can answer this....
I will be a new Transportation Officer Dec, 2011. I haven’t received my orders yet, but from what I can tell all transportation officers go to the ALU for TBOLIC. My school only has 1 graduation a year, and that’s in May. Does anyone know if I can request leave during BOLIC to attend my graduation?
2LT Schwartzkopf
Nov 4, 2011 10:40 PMI graduated TBOLC 01September2011. I was prior service (+15 years) and I was very pleased with my experience at ALU/FTLee. No its not like some of the larger bases but since it is a TRADOC Base you will still get a good sense of base life. Bring yourself, basic load out for tradoc training (no fm's, tm;s, AR;s required), and an openmind.
DO's
-Be physically and mentally prepared
-leave all preconceived notions at home
-be professional at all times...remember you are an officer now
-always be a team player and more importantly know when it is your turn to follow
-always give instructors the respect they deserve.. they are your mentors and allies..they want you to succeed
-always identify where you are weak and improve (daily)
Do Not's
-do not let your fellow officers get away with mediocre work or actions unbecoming an officer...does you, your unit, ALU, Trans Corps, the Army and most importantly the soldiers under you a huge disservice.
-Do not piss the course manager off..she is out to get rid of the fat...do not become the fat or you will be trimmed
-do not get in trouble with the law...or you will be done
-do not live on base if you can help it (live at Aqua or Addison apartments)
-do not miss a single day of training or you are done
-do not piss your tac off
-do not disrespect the CORPS or those who came before you
brian.k.schwartzkopf@us.army.mil
Schwartzkopf
Nov 4, 2011 10:46 PMCDT Pruitt,
SKIP YOUR STUPID GRADUATION! ARMY TRAINING and YOUR EXPERIENCES HENCEFORTH WILL ALWAYS MAKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN YOUR LIFE A MOOT POINT! YOUR GRADUATION FROM ALU WILL BE MORE MEMORABLE. INVITE YOUR ENTIRE SCHOOL TO ALU FOR THE CEREMONY SO THOSE WHO RELY ON YOU TO FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOMS CAN GET A REAL SENSE OF WHAT GROWN UPS DO ON A DAILY BASIS! just my opinion
CPT Freda
Nov 7, 2011 9:22 AMCDT Pruitt,
You should have orders shortly. Check your personnel section. Please read the posts below from 2LT Schwartzkopf. He was pretty squared away when he was here and is definitely not giving you poor advice. Like he said, the TAC officers are there to help you so don't be afraid to ask them questions. Although no longer a TAC officer, I am still at Fort Lee and have ties to the course through my current position and I can tell you that we love it when a young officer shows an interest on their chosen profession. I think your class actually starts in January so that may be the reason for the delay in your orders. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions!
LT Barrington
Nov 17, 2011 1:04 PMCPT Freda,
How long is TBOLC? I just switched from NG to Reserves and I am also thinking of switching branches to possibly Transpo. I'm trying to find a BOLC that would get me home before my husband deploys.
Thanks,
2LT B
CPT Freda
Nov 17, 2011 3:08 PMLT Barrington,
TBOLC is 13 weeks long. HOWEVER, plan on travel and getting here a few days early. So plan on 14 weeks. Shoot me an email to discuss details, I don't want you to put your information on this site.
anthony.l.freda.mil@mail.mil.
CPT Freda
2LT Nicholas Pruitt
Dec 31, 2011 11:46 AMHello
Im not sure who can answer this, but will I need a vehicle while attending TBOLC? I will be attending BOLC in March and Im not sure if my car will be fixed by then. So before I started stressing about buying a car before I leave, I thought I would ask.
Thanks
CPT Freda
Jan 3, 2012 8:48 AMCDT Grindle
Feb 20, 2012 9:50 AMI am graduating in May and just got my BOLC date for Trans and I will be reporting May 20. My question is once I have graduated from BOLC (Sept 7), how long before I report to my unit? I am going active duty and I am still waiting to get my duty station. I was planning on getting married this summer, but my BOLC date caught me by surprise because it was so early (apparently it was merit based this year). My PMS told me that normally you will have 30 days to report to your new unit, but early report would be authorized and those 30 days would come off your leave time. Is this right? Any info and advice would be greatly appreciated. We are trying to set a date for Sept now and I need to know sooner rather than later if i can take a little leave to get married before I report to my unit.
Thanks!
CDT Bennett
Mar 23, 2012 3:09 PMCDT Grindle, I am also graduating in May and my BOLC date is also 20 May. I am curious to know the answers to the questions you asked because I am in a similar, not exact, situation. Thanks.
CPT Freda
Apr 2, 2012 9:56 AMBoth of you should graduate 7 September. Most people take 14 days of leave in between duty stations. Plan it out that way.
2LT McKee
Apr 11, 2012 3:18 PMHey everybody, I was suppose to start my TBOLC on May 20th but have torn my meniscus in my left knee and have been rescheduled for June of 2013. Which means I will miss an army buddie's wedding in which I am a groomsman. Can any body tell me if its possible to request weekend leave for something like a wedding. It will be in September 2013 so towards the end of training. Thanks
2LT Pruitt
Apr 11, 2012 10:13 PMHello 2LT McKee
I am currently at TBOLC and you can request to leave for the weekend. The biggest issue is missing instruction. If you have to miss instruction then you may have a problem, however if your trip is not going to cause you to miss instruction, you should be ok. You will have to make sure your request is in early, so it has time to be approved. I have flown home for the weekend during my time here. I hope that helps.
2LT McKee
Apr 12, 2012 9:44 PM2LT Pruitt,
Thank you for the information. This does help me and at least makes me feel a little better at the possibility of making his wedding.
I have one other question for anybody who might know the answer. I am slotted to go into the National Guard for transportation. Are there ever active duty slots that become available and are offered to Reserve Officers while at BOLC?
Thanks
CDT Cangany
Apr 18, 2012 10:37 PMShould we really not live on post for BOLC? I did not want to buy any furniture or anything. Would it be a bad idea?
CPT Freda
Apr 19, 2012 8:59 AMCDT C- You're probably not going to have a choice. They're constructing a new hotel right next to the ALU campus but it's not scheduled for completion until September. You may be able to find a furnished apartment or just get a few things to get by with.
2LT Ho
May 7, 2012 4:55 PMCDT Tengler
May 7, 2012 10:55 PMCPT Freda
May 8, 2012 9:06 AMLT Ho-You will get an AER no matter what. If you are a RC officer, you will also receive a DD214.
CDT Tengler-You may be stationed anywhere the Army has troops, however, realize we are drawing back from OCONUS assignments so chances are you will be stationed CONUS. That said, if there's someplace you would like to go ask for it and see what happens. What's the worst they can say? No?
| Affiliation: | Army Reserve |
|---|---|
| Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Branch: | Transportation |
| MOS/AOC: | 88D |
| Location: | Omaha, NE |
| Hometown: | Colorado Springs |
Success
Chris Tengler
Mar 8, 2011 4:41 PM