An Overview Of Quartermaster BOLC - - Part-Time

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I went to Quartermaster BOLC in the fall of 2011.

It is located at the Army Logistics University campus at Fort Lee, VA.  Quartermaster, Transportation and Ordnance BOLC are all taught at Fort Lee, and they combine to the Logistics branch when you are ready to attend Captain’s Career Course.

There are a lot of benefits to being a logistics officer, namely the civilian opportunities you will have after you are done being in the military.

Here is an overview of what I did at Quartermaster BOLC.

QMBOLC was four months long, with a lot of time spent in the classroom. We had PT very early in the morning, unless we had an exam, since those were scheduled during PT. We learned about each component of the Quartermaster Corps, which included a block of instruction on each Quartermaster MOS that is trained there.

This was beneficial for most people, so they could learn what their Soldiers were trained to do.

The essence of Sustainment is

• general supply,
• mortuary affairs,
• subsistence,
• petroleum,
• water,
• field services (to include aerial delivery and laundry/clothing repair),
• and materiel management (warehouses).

Other posts you may enjoy:

1. Five Reasons I Love Being a Quartermaster Officer
2. 3 Reasons to Become an Army Quartermaster Officer
3. Honorable Ancient Distinguished Order of Saint Martin Award for Army Quartermaster Personnel

There are nine Quartermaster MOSs that are trained at Fort Lee.

I went through AIT at Fort Lee for 92F (Petroleum Operations Specialist) years ago, but my favorite block of instruction at BOLC was in the Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department, because we got to become certified as Slingload inspectors and Low Cost-Low Altitude inspectors.

Some of my active duty classmates went on to specialize in Aerial Delivery, which meant they got to go to Airborne school and then complete Aerial Delivery and Materiels Officer Course (ADMOC). If I were active duty, this would have absolutely been my first choice.

We also had the requisite OPD, to include giving oral presentations and writing memos. We spent a week doing a Land Nav block of instruction, a week at the range, and a week doing a combined FTX with ALC and AIT students (previously called Log Warrior), called Sustainment Warrior FTX (SWFTX). This was a great experience when I was an AIT student, and was even better as a BOLC student.

Most of us prior service students were assigned as staff, which was a bummer, because I would have really liked to be a PL and work with the AIT students.  SWFTX is a unique training event, because it is literally the only TRADOC post that does something like this.

It was great to work with the other branches and get to integrate with Soldiers. For some officers, it was the first time they really did any combined training with NCOs and Soldiers.

Final Thoughts

QM BOLC was a great experience, and has valuable training for both seasoned Soldiers and new Officers alike.

What is your experience with Quartermaster BOLC? Do you have any questions?

Post all comments and questions below please. Thank you for stopping by.

Share Post Share Print Very Respectfully, Chuck Holmes Former Army Major (resigned) Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com Contact Me with Your Questions

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