"I am the Infantry, Follow Me!

We were privileged to travel to Fort Benning, GA to visit with our son, and to attend his graduation from IBOLC. (Infantry Officers Basic Leadership Course)
154 young men, eight of them from allied foreign armies, finished the sixteen week course.
Every newly commissioned 2LT, male and female attends a BOLC course that corresponds to their MOS. (Military Occupation Specialty)
The Infantry Officers Course is regarded as the toughest, both physically, mentally and spiritually. These young men truly earned the right to wear the coveted Blue Cord, signifying their ability to lead a platoon in combat.

They became experts in land navigation the old fashioned way, with a compass and charts, on both day and night courses. The Colonel told us it was the "Toughest Land/Nav course I have ever seen."
All U.S. small arms had to be mastered, and they all certified as marksmen, or better.
Our son qualified as expert, hitting 36 of 40 targets ranging from 10 to 300 meters.

Each day started with PT, including twice having to pass the far more strenuous Ranger PT test.
Virtually all of them qualified for the Army Physical Fitness Award, scoring 270 or higher out of 300. Push ups, pull ups, sit ups and running, both the two mile and the Ranger five mile in under forty minutes.

And as you can imagine, they marched, and marched, and marched!
In full combat gear, all of them carrying at least 70 pounds.
Since he was in the weapons squad, each man also had to take turns toting either the M240 machine gun (30#), an ammo can, tripod, or the SAW gun, which weighed over 15#.
No allowance was made for the soldiers size. Ariel's good friend Trottier, who cannot weigh more than 130# carried the same load as the rest of them.
They started with a 5 mile ruck march, and built up to the culmination of the course, the dreaded sixteen mile march. Their reward for finishing that was to immediately conduct a Company level exercise, a mock attack and settling of a Taliban village.
In between there was a lot of classroom time, learning communications, the Army paper trail, and legal issues.
Each soldier had to prepare two different platoon level OpOrders, complete with map overlays, and verbal presentations to the Officers Cadre.
They also took turns as Platoon Sargeant, and Platoon Commander.
His Company Commander gave him Superior ratings on everything, which made his old parents mighty proud!
During his graduation speech, the Colonel (The class C.O.) said "All of these young men are between the ages of 23 and 25 years old. There is no job in the world where someone so young has this much responsibility upon their shoulders."
And they all held their shoulders high, and their chests out!
They have earned our respect, and now go on to join their units as Platoon Commanders stationed all over the world.
Just as many young men have gone before them.
God Speed to them all!

I'll post pictures in the next blog.