I commissioned in July, graduated in May, and finally got all my information today. I still have to sit around and beat my meat until April 15 of 2012, but I'll be heading down to Benning for IBOLC. I still don't know where I'll be stationed after, but I got AD and my top choice was Ft. Bragg.

I've got 2 friends down at IBOLC right now and going to Ranger School before too long. For those of you that have been through IBOLC, do you have any advice as far as how to prepare?

Been 3yrs since I have been, and they have changed shit since then but Ill throw my $.02 anyway.

They break shit down barney style for you while there. Get ready for them to feed you with a firehose when it comes to the OPORD. I had a blast at IBOLC and my entire time at Benning. Just enjoy and take in as much as you can. Also dont be afraid to ask questions. Your instructor will have had multiple deployments, utilize their knowledge.

As far as prior preparation study the OPORD and your PLT level tactics. Having a good base of knowledge before going will help. Also GET IN SHAPE NOW! Not necessarily for IBOLC (PT was a joke during IBOLC but you'll run your ass off at the LTO) but for Ranger school after. One of the most important things while you are there is to get your tab! Dont leave without it.

Other than that they will teach you what you need to know.

Enjoy not having any responsibilities because that will change soon.

I had a buddy snowbirding when a few airborne slots came down to the LTO.  They picked the guys with the best RPFT scores to go.



My advise is to knockout what you can (IMLC, Pathfinder, etc) when you are down there.  That can be the deciding factor in you getting a 2nd platoon.



BTW, I'm not infantry...I traded my blue cord for the ability to IPB .



 

I appreciate the advice. My buddy just came home for the weekend and had a bunch of OPORD homework to finish. I didn't take a look which I should have, but I know he said it was a lot of work. We had an awesome instructor, 20 year infantry E8, tabbed, Sapper instructor, everything under the sun, and he hit OPORDs and tactics real hard. PT was also a huge thing. I'll make sure to keep up on all of it before I leave.

It sucks having to wait so long between commissioning and BOLC, especially since I was told I no longer will have a GBR slot due to a lack of funds, but it's nice to have some time to myself before my life changes.

Thanks for the input...any and all advice is welcome.

In my last week of IBOLC (A Co), heading to Ranger in a week. 2 big things I can think of off the top of my head are OPORDs and PLT level missions. The OPORDs are in depth, and you will use graphic overlays with symbols. Know how to do an OAKOC analysis and a war fighting functions analysis. For the PLT missions, know your battle drills, particularly ambush and recon. Also, it wouldn't hurt to study up on MOUT a little as well. PT isn't bad if you are in shape. The runs are nice. Put a 60-70lb ruck on your back and walk for an hour or so. Get your body conditioned to carrying a lot of weight like that. Keeping a sub 15 min/mile pace while toting 65lbs can be fairly taxing.

You have quite a bit of time until your report date. Don't get soft, and don't forget what you have learned up to this point.

Definitely ease into this though.  Start light (35lb or so) and work your way up.



 

i graduated last august and here are my standard tips:

1) Learn to ruck 10-12k over hilly terrain in 100 degree heat and 100% humidity

2) Same with the 6,8,10,12, and 18 mile road marches.  The 18 was to a company attack and people were sucking.  by mile 5 i traded my saw for a 240, and at mile 10 I had the 240, and man pack radio (which didn't work), plus spare barrels and ammo, and when we arrived at the orp i became a SL because i was one of the 12 guys in the PLT still coherent.

3) drink a shit load of water, drink a shit load of sera sport, and buy the camel bak elixir tables (the lime ones) they will save your ass

4) don't drop you popsicle stick on the EIB standard 12 miler (or you will have to go back and get it ) 13+ miles in 2:45 thank you very much!

5) the ranger 5 mile course is a bastard and you will run it to determine the OML for ranger fallow on (the guys who score best on RPFT go first to ranger, the rest stay and pull shitty details and get smoked daily) i was running 37 min 5 miles prior to benign, and just barely made the 40 min time there.  Lots of hills! Also make sure you can do 10-12 perfect pull ups.

6) PT on your own, you will spend a lot of time in the field where you will get weaker and slower

7) get all your maps laminated at ranger joes if your command doesn't specifically tell you not to, the class before me had a 30% first time land nab fail rate because it rained and everyones shit decintegrated

8) the nike boots are the shit for road marches and even the field.  not a lot of ankle support, but the dry very quick and weigh next to nothing.  get at least 1 pair to keep in your ruck

9) the OPORDs you used in ROTC to get an E, would fail as a warno at IBOLC.  I went with another LT from my NG unit, and we were in the same PLT, OPORDS would take 25-40 hrs to perfect.  Go to office depot and get an old fashion try-fold (science fair) board and tape all your shit to it with clear tape in the order you need to cover it (and write yourself a script, IE 4) Enemy SITTEMP  See Annex B, Enemy SITTEMP. so that as you read it you know to refer back to the board) would have gotten a perfect score if my commander gave out any.

10) be a team player, it will help you prepare for ranger.  Volunteer to carry the saw or 240 a lot; you do peer evils just like in ranger.  You will not get peered out, however, it will affect your over all score in the course, and the review you commander gives you. The review your commander gives you will serve as your first OER and effect the assignment you will get when you get to your unit.  Carry extra pokey bait, pick people up when they are sucking, offer to help out in the field opord set up.  In the field, opords are still very detailed, and should include a detailed sand table of your AO, as well as a separate blow up of the objective.  Get the plt together and make up 2 or 3 complete sand table kits and give the pieces to people who are good at certain parts, i.e. there are 2 guys who do the sand table kit and they always do it, 1 guy does the route plan, etc.

11) get a weapons cleaning kit together, a couple q-tips, shaving brush, steel bristled toothbrush style cleaning brush, etc.  you will be required to maintain your weapon in the field (especially an MG, because they will just keep piling ammo on you, and if that bitch jams before you shoot your load, you or some other poor basted will carry it the next 10k for the fallow on mission.

recommended gear:

1) colemen camping TP (small compact rolls, work great and are water sealed) because there are shitters in a lot of far out places that are often gross and never restocked, and this is much better than the mre BS.

2) wet wipes, they sell them in small packs at commandos and ranger joes, they work great.

3) leatherman surge with the 2 extra bit holders, totally saved our asses a couple times

4) petzle head lamp with red lens that slide over the white light.

5) Catoma-BedNet-Combat-Shelter-with-Permethrin,  weighs nothing, deploys in second, packs up in second (with a little practice) and it is much more tactical than the mosquito net cities you see guys trying to rig up.  they run about $95 but you can get 30 extra min of sleep a night and won't get eaten alive.  sleeping in just your boxers in the summer is essential for comfort, but simply suicidal without a net.  It doesn't drop below 80's at night and you will sweat all night long without a net trying to cover up.

6) powerful led light with red lens cover.  The fenix LD20 was great because it was G2G for ranger also since it was AA bat. (check the ranger regs on their light policy, it changes constantly)  I am not ranger qualified (still fighting the NG for a slot), but i convinced a bunch of guys to take these lights and they were all first time goes at land nav.  It doesn't matter how bright the light is, it just has to be red!

7) 5.11 socks, or any good quality (read non-issued) socks

8) tons of gold bond, yellow for your nuts and blue for your feet

9) ranger joes protractor x3 (they are already cut out in the triangles and they are heavier duty plastic)

10) PERMANENT, ULTRA FINE, markers with 2 or 3 eraser pens.  They sell these are ranger joes and commandos (you will spend most of your pay checks in these places) there are permanent, but come off with the white eraser pens (if they let you get your map laminated)

Places to go:

1) Cheddars, tons of food for cheap, good people, cold beer, rarely a wait, and a nice treat after 2 weeks of MREs.  the area surrounding the base is getto as keel, but once you go up the road a few mile it get nice again.

2) Scruffy murphy's and oxygen (both great bars for meeting/ogaling half naked women) most of the strip clubs are off limits and gross.  a lot of guys went to atlanta on the weeks, but its 2 hours each way, 2x as expensive, and often spelled trouble for them.  in the old town columbus area, where the bars and shops are, it is pretty nice and cabs are plentiful. a lot of guys fucked their careers before they started by getting to drunk.  I went to West Virginia University, and did my party to make them a top 10 party school, but down there is not the place to go buck wild.  You are not the only soldiers that know about these places, and you can get in deep trouble for acting like an idiot.  Finally, those bars are often frequented by the wives and GF of deployed soldiers.  I had to go pick up a friend 2 different times because he was on his way home with them, and they told him about their SO.  One was a majors wife, and the other a ranger instructor.  NOT GOOD!

any other questions, or if you would like to see the Opord I made while down there, shoot me a PM with your email and I will send it along.  I am currently in iraq which means I have more time than Rolex. hope this helped!

I'm not headed to IBOLC anytime soon, but I'd like to see the type of Opord my PL's have to turn out to graduate IBOLC, does that offer stand for an 11b NCO?

Where in Iraq are you??

haha, as an 11A, i live to serve 11B NCOs!!! shoot me your email and I will send mine along

ETA: on a compound connected to VBC