Introduction

Well as I leave for 5 months for Basic Officer Leadership Course, I have been wondering how to account for my time gone. You know, the who, what, why, when of this adventure. So, I have decided to blog the next 5 months of my life so others can share in the misery of training with me. I expect that I will learn much about myself, and thus you will learn much about me as well. And through it all I want to accomplish 1 thing: I don't want to answer too many "so what have you been up to" questions when I get back. It will all be here.

For those who don't know that much about me, or know varying things about me but not the whole story, here is the most concise description of my life thus far. I was born in Chicago, Illinois. I am from some of the most poor housing projects and neighborhoods around the city but I have also seen my share of nice neighborhoods as well. I was raised by a plethora of people; my mother for 8 years, next my maternal grandmother after that a combination of an uncle and my brother. During my childhood, I was a very mischievous kid, I found different ways to get in trouble (most of which I cannot discuss here), but my ability to take tests (standardized, IQ, it doesn’t matter, I am a test taker) kept me out of serious danger. That ability to take tests helped me attain the title of “gifted” in school. (I laugh at the idea of being “gifted,” because I am not in any way a gifted student. I was put in programs with genuine geniouses and my only “gift” was the ability to decipher tests, BIG FREAKIN DEAL, lol. Thus, I will always quote the word “gifted”). However, I can seriously say the “gifted” programs I entered, offered to me in error or not, have had a significant impact on who I am today.

I went to Indiana University for college and graduate school. I did this partially because I liked the school, partially because of my inability to run track at a DI level (I will explain that in some detail at a point in the future), and a need for diversity in my life. You may ask, “why would Will need diversity in his life” and the answer is simple. My high school was almost 99% Black and I had a jaded idea of how the world operated. I needed perspective, and I got that more holistic look at life at a school that was over 90% white at the time I attended. While at IU, I played club volleyball, joined the greatest fraternity in the world (PHI BETA SIGMA), did student government (IUSA), met some lifelong friends, lost a couple lifelong friends, and got a couple degrees. I also met an amazing girl, who became a woman and my wife. I don’t know how she wrangled this bull-headed, psychotic, idiotic, wild-child in, but she did it, and now she is stuck with me. She has done the rest of the women on this earth a great service!

While at IU, I joined as an enlisted soldier in the US Army Reserves. My exact date of enlistment is Sept 3, 2002. I did it for a couple reasons: I needed some discipline, and above all, I needed money for school. 9/11 played some part in my decision, but to say that was a major contributing factor in my joining the Army would be a lie to you, a lie to myself, and a disservice to the nation. I became ultra-patriotic some time later, maybe after 2 years of being in the service. In my military career, I attained the rank of specialist and was promotable to Sergeant when I had a change of heart and decided to become an Commissioned Officer in the Army. I joined Indiana’s ROTC program my senior year of undergrad and completed the program at the end of my first year of graduate school. I am now a Second Lieutenant and will be promoted to First Lieutenant in November.

At the end of grad school, I was hired by Crowe Chizek and Company LLC to do process consulting (I will explain later). I can say that I have been so utterly happy with my job thus far, I am not sure how everyone doesn’t work for this firm! I work out of the Chicago office, but I really haven’t worked there much. I have done most of my work in Indianapolis. Strangely enough, this works well right now because my wife still live in Indianapolis.

That gets everyone caught up to the present, except no one knows what Basic Office Leadership Course (BOLC) is. Directly from the BOLC II page on Fort Sill’s site:

Our mission at BOLC II is to train, educate, and (most importantly) acculturate you into our Officer Corps in order to develop competent, confident, and adaptable officers able to lead Soldiers in the contemporary operating environment. When you graduate, we hope to have reinforced in you the Army Values, given you an understanding of the culture of Army Officers, and to have contributed to your embodiment of the Warrior Ethos.

Your pre-commissioning BOLC I experience has exposed you to basic Soldier skills. At BOLC II, we will reinforce some of those skills that we consider most critical towards building the Warrior Ethos (i.e., combatives, marksmanship, and physical fitness). Most importantly, we will transition you from a cadet or candidate into an Officer and a Leader. No longer merely in the receive mode as a student--you, lieutenants, will lead and instruct your classmates throughout the course, and you will be coached and evaluated on your leadership by combat-seasoned non-commissioned officers and captains.

Upon completion of BOLC II, you will report to your branch-specific BOLC III course where you will learn the specialized skills that you need to succeed in your first job in the Army. Regardless of your branch, though, you will leave BOLC II with a stronger Warrior Ethos, more comfortable in a fight, and mentally and physically prepared to engage the enemy in close combat and win. We hope that you maintain that which we instill in you throughout your career as an officer and leader of Soldiers.

Yup, that sums it up. If most of you read that and noted that “Warrior Ethos” is mentioned 3 times in 3 paragraphs, and also took notice of the section that said “At BOLC II, we will reinforce some of those skills that we consider most critical towards building the Warrior Ethos (i.e., combatives, marksmanship, and physical fitness)” you can probably deduce that I am going to be fighting, shooting, running, jumping, and doing a whole bunch of push-ups over the next few weeks, in addition to becoming a leader in the army.

Good Times ladies and gentleman, good times.