We got our branches at OCS drill this weekend, and I've been assigned FA. I was a little surprised, as I had a para/line # memo for an Infantry PL slot from my home unit. I'm not unhappy with FA, as it was in my top 3, just not very familiar with it, other than our Call for Fire exam.

Any FA officers here that can give me some insight as to what I can expect at BOLC (the page on Ft. Sill's website is pretty sparce) and as an FA 2LT?

You will enjoy it a hell of a lot more than INF. First position is typically Fire Support and will be detached to a line unit. You'll spend your time playing infantry or armor as a fire support guy. I spent most of my first year with a Tank Company - lots of fun; crazy bunch of dudes. Then you'll move up to Fire Direction with a gun battery then Platoon leader. Sort of inverse to most line units; however, as a young LT you are responsible for firing planning and working hand-in-hand with the line unit CO. My CO was great and understood artillery fires; however, a lot of line unit CO's don't know the first thing about the use of artillery.

With that aside, Fort Sill sucks! Worst 6 months of my life at OBC. If you like nature, hiking, hunting, etc., it's a great place to be stationed;however, the night life has much to be desired. Plan on spending weekends in OKC or (and yes, it's a step up from Sill) Wichita Falls.

Overall, I think you'll enjoy being a Redleg. Not sure how the assess anymore, but you can go heavy or light artillery. I spent my time heavy, but knew a bunch of guys that went light and loved it. OBC focuses on light - CFF, fire direction, etc. You'll find a bunch of Aggies as both students and instructors. In my class we had 3 Aggie instructors and 5 Aggie students (2 Army and 3 Marine).

[This message has been edited by cmac98 (edited 6/13/2011 10:32a).]

Thanks for the info! Hopefully I'll get my unit assignment this week, and can start working on finding out when I can schedule BOLC.

The best part was graduation, when you get to leave Sill. Also, the whole watching Marines win all of the awards, that part's always enjoyable!

Obviously can't compare it to any of the other BOLC's, but the soldiers were treated like kids there. It was baffling how little trust was granted to the (Army) 2ndLt's. It was like leadership middleschool: constant micromanagement, low academic standards, closely supervised everything. Very strange.

Do all of the homework and examples. You'll see everything that's going to be on the exams. For Gunnery, double, triple check your work. FS, you might be able to argue points or have some inherent wiggleroom in answers. Gunnery, virtual zero margin of error.

That first day of Gunnery, bring ALL of your materials. All of them. Guarantee your buddies won't, and you'll all get to wait out in the hall while they drive back to Lt Village and get them. Bring a book that first gunnery day.

FAOBC was a good time. You'll get into it with the Marines from your class. Fire Support is fun. Manual gunnery and FDO was incredibly boring and sucked. Sill is a **** hole. Of the 7 months I was there I only spent 4 weekends in Sill. The remaining 24 were in Dallas, OKC, Wichita Falls, College Station, etc. All of the strip clubs suck.

[This message has been edited by Mooch98 (edited 6/14/2011 11:22a).]

And, beware of the women at Cameron University. They are looking for a way out of that hell hole and will do anything for the ride.

In the current OE, FA lieutenants that are assigned to maneuver units become the de facto company intelligence officer. They manage this animal called a COIST, which collects and disects company-specific intel for the company commander. FA lieutenants assigned to the brigade FA battalion learn gunnery in their home station, then morph into pseudo-infantrymen while deployed. (This is all active-duty based, I don't know much about the National Guard).

Well, I got my unit assignment today, and it's the same unit I was assigned to between finishing BCT and starting OCS, HHC 3/144 IN in Fort Worth. So I assume I'll be assigned as a FSO in one of the companies in the BN?

OH YEAH, try to make sure nobody shoots themselves during CAG. See that visceral loathing you feel at the mere sight of the word? CAG.... Learn to hate life when it's associated with that acronym.

Just go to Meer's and get one of their hamburgers, it will make your Sill experience much better....

OP - good questions, ill be their as well and have been looking for this information.

to everyone else thanks

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Obviously can't compare it to any of the other BOLC's, but the soldiers were treated like kids there. It was baffling how little trust was granted to the (Army) 2ndLt's

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That applies to SOBC and SCCC as well...in some cases even to ILE.

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OH YEAH, try to make sure nobody shoots themselves during CAG. See that visceral loathing you feel at the mere sight of the word? CAG.... Learn to hate life when it's associated with that acronym.

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CAG can be fun, like everything else I assume it depends on the command climate. And I'm trying like hell to get into the other CAG/ACE, so it's not always a bad thing

I report to Sill on the 14th for BOLC. Thanks again for all the advice and answers!

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Cameron University

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Yes indeed, UCLA (University of Cameron, Lawton Area).

CAG was nothing more than an inept, halfassed attempt to "round out" the FA soldiers. It was a waste of time that would have been better spent making sure that they didn't have to sneak through any more substandard performers than they had to.

If the Army wants a TBS, that's cool, I get the appeal. I also understand that the sheer number of Army Officers makes a consolidated Basic Schoolesque course both prohibitively expensive and logistically unfeasible.

I suppose the bottom line is if something's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

Looking back just now, I think we might be talking different CAG's.

The one I'm talking about is the compilation of nonartillery courses that are foisted upon the BOLC students. Convoy tactics, patrolling, infantry tactics, civil affairs, intel, etc. It's as if they went through a TBS curriculum, cherry picked appealing courses of instruction, and assigned a couple of hours per topic for a class. I wish I had a breakout of the hours spent on that garbage so I could portray it with hard numbers.