My first true army assignment is to Fort Leonard Wood, MO to attend Engineer Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC). Due to the glut of lieutenants showing up during the summer (after college graduations), many of the early summer BOLC courses are filled to capacity. Engineer assignments provided me a BOLC date of 22 September. As I did not have enough leave time built up to take leave until then, I reported early and became a “snowbird” essentially waiting for my course to begin. I had heard different things from my classmates about snowbirding. Some said it should be avoided at all costs, others said it was not so bad. Really it all depended on what tasks you were assigned.
The first few days after reporting in were filled with in-processing paperwork and shuffling around post. Following that, I was assigned to an “OPFOR” (Opposition Forces) detail, acting as both an insurgent setting off IEDs and as a civilian on the battlefield in different training scenarios. OPFOR hours were less then optimal, often bridging both day and night hours, so I felt fortunate when the following week (starting August 23rd), a dozen other snowbirds and myself were assigned to take a Military Search class at the Counter Explosives Hazards Center. During the two week class (plus a week of search advisor training), we learned about topics ranging from the precursor chemicals used to make homemade explosives, to the different types of military munitions, to the use of search dogs, and methodical searching procedures. I was glad to have a consistent schedule and to be learning something useful.
Over the weekends my new snowbird friends and I made trips to the surrounding areas. Fort Leonard Wood (not unlike many other army bases) is notorious for its location far from “exciting things to do,” hence the nickname “Fort Lost in the Woods.” Naturally, the definition of exciting is subjective. I quite enjoy the surrounding woods and streams. Unfortunately, there are no major mountains or whitewater rivers nearby, but there are hunting and fishing opportunities, which I look forward to experiencing. I have also purchased a mountain bike and checked out some of the local trails. Over Labor Day Weekend (4-6 September), my roommate Beau and I decided to head north and bike a portion of the Katy Trail built atop a former railway bed. We biked from Jefferson City (Missouri’s Capital) to Booneville and beyond camping along the way. At one point, five miles out from the town of Easley, the pedal fell off my bike—it was a cheap Chinese made bike—throwing a monkey wrench in my plans. I had to jog the five miles back to town and then try to fix it myself. The next day, the homemade repair rapidly disintegrated and I knew I had to take it to a bike shop. I found the nearest bike shop with my GPS and was surprised to find an 80 year old man working the repairs. He turned out to be a great guy and a fantastic bike tech, getting me back on the road in no time. Beau and I enjoyed our final afternoon at a winery restaurant atop a perch overlooking the Missouri River and the Katy Trail. It was a great way to end the trip.
Other weekends during BOLC have been spent visiting the Lake of the Ozarks (a regional recreation area with numerous water based activities) and Springfield (where both a major university and the Bass Pro headquarters are located). Finally, this past weekend, I made the drive down to Tulsa, Oklahoma to visit my grandfather and extended family. Granddad really enjoyed showing me around the new office/residential complex he had built and put on the market (he is a former Army Engineer and after retirement worked in the construction industry). We also played a few games of pool and went to the range to shoot the rifle he had given me as a graduation present intermixed with visit from my aunt and cousins. It was good to see the family again.
Today, I had the privilege of presenting at the Pulaski County Rotary Club meeting, located just off post. I talked about my experiences as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and shared many stories from my year in New Zealand. I think they really enjoyed it and the atmosphere was quite nice. Perhaps I’ll have the opportunity to make good on their offer and come back for a few more meetings during my time at Ft. LW.
The last week of snowbirding has been pretty good. We now do 5 am physical training (PT) every morning and report in at 8 for assignments. I’ve worked a few reloading, inventory, and minor construction projects in the meanwhile, but that is all about to come to an end. Tomorrow, my BOLC class begins. I’m glad to put this “snowbirding” business behind me and get to work—it means one step closer to getting to my final duty assignment: Germany!
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