Preperation for IOBC

My preparation for IOBC started when I was a cadet by having MS4's to look up to and instructors that were like minded. Outside of the normal classroom instruction and PT, I always strived to be the best in everything that I did, and again I learned this from MS4's who lead by example. So when you become an upper classman remember there MS I's and II's that are looking up to you for guidance and leadership (take it seriously). Once I received my orders I wanted to set up housing and travel and try to line up schools and plan everything to a T, but just relax. For most of the administrative work you have to wait until you are commissioned, so just get your PT up to par and study your FM's. I had a great HR secretary at my ROTC department and she helped every step of the way, if you have people like that use them, but don’t abuse them. During the course of my time as a GBR I was able to take care of all of my affairs, the only snag for me was housing. Armor Officer Basic Course has recently moved to Fort Benning, so the on post housing is overwhelmed, and the possibilities for Lt’s with dependants to receive on post housing is slim at best. Have a plan B for housing and all other arrangements for that matter. After the administrative duties were checked I started looking for packing list and suggestions for equipment to purchase for the course. The list can be extensive and expensive if you wait until you get to Benning to purchase all at once. I will get together a packing list for the course and a suggested list for things to buy prior to. The most important thing to do is be prepared mentally and physically for the course, it’s not a rigorous course, you get the weekends off so don’t stress out. I leave in less than a month and weather in Georgia will be a good change from Kansas weather in April. Until then keep driving on.

Introduction

Well I have been thinking of how to start this and I decided that an introduction would suffice. So I attended a small high school in Missouri by Ft. Lost in the Woods, living by a military base had a huge impact on my life. I knew from a very young age that the military was the place for me and being from a small school, it gave me the opportunities to be a leader in athletics as well as other areas. Prior to my graduation I received offers from schools for a four year ROTC scholarship, and after much deliberation I decided to go to a smaller school in Kansas with a very prestigious program. My 4 1/2 years....Yes 4 1/2 at Pittsburg State University was the marked by failures and accomplishments, like many incoming freshman I did not understand the impact of an education and the work it takes to succeed in my academics. After a rough start, the cadre at my university coached and mentored me (a little tough love sometimes, the best way I learn) back to the cadet that I should have been. The other significant events that changed my outlook on life was marrying my wife and the birth of my daughter, let’s just say I was a little more focused. After crunching 2 years into two semesters I was back on a level playing field with my APFT was back to 300, LDAC was looming in the near future. I completed LDAC without any trouble, and returned to campus in the fall to command the Ranger Challenge team. If any of you reading this are from the Midwest, you should know the history of Pitt State's Ranger Challenge team. We are the smallest school to compete at our competition and we finish in the top 3 every time. This year was no different, we trained hard and competed harder, but again fell short of the number one spot, although we finished second and third with our two teams. The opportunity to lead peers in a situation like Ranger Challenge was a great honor, and I learned a lot about other people and even more about myself. The rest of the semester was a wait game for me because I was waiting on my branch, and after agonizing months of anticipation my prayers were answered and I was given what I had been seeking for years. INFANTRY. I could now breath and focus on graduation, and preparing for IOBC. When my orders finally came in it was met with mixed emotion, I received the coveted Gold Bar Recruiting slot and would start 3 days after graduation, but my follow on assignment was to Ft. Bliss. My career goals have been to be a PL of a light infantry airborne unit, and the First Armor Division was far from that. Although I knew my fate was not sealed I am ready to be the best mechanized infantry Lt as I can. Well that’s about it, I really wanted to keep this short but once I got started I realized I was writing a small book. I welcome any questions about ROTC, LDAC, or anything else in between. I will try my best to keep this blog updated and as detailed as I can, I know that it is hard to go into schools without an idea of what to expect, that is really the point of this blog.