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When a young American is commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army Reserve their next step is attending the Basic Officer Leader Course in their assigned field. For some, this training is conducted at Fort Lee, Virginia, home to the Army’s Quartermaster School. Here, U.S. Army Reserve lieutenants join their active duty and National Guard counterparts, spending 16 weeks training on skills they will use throughout their military careers.
Schools like the Quartermaster Basic Officer Leader Course ensure young leaders develop skills that keep the U.S. Army Reserve the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal Federal Reserve force the Nation has ever seen.
U.S. Army Capt. Robert Yauger is an active duty instructor at QM BOLC. Yauger enjoys his role as an instructor, mentor and coach. He stresses the importance of teaching each student the fundamentals so they all leave with a solid foundation.
“I believe my mission is to prepare them to lead America’s sons and daughters,” said Yauger. “When they come here we have to give them a baseline on how the Army is currently working.”
The students appreciate this baseline of instruction. U.S. Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Gabrielle Lynch, a student in Yauger’s class assigned to the 363rd QM Battalion, works in the logistics field in her civilian career. She was grateful for the baseline focus.
“I know zero military language,” admitted Lynch. “I work logistics in my civilian career so I understand how to move supplies but I don’t know any of the terminology or how the Army does it. They did a really good job of explaining it and breaking it down.”
Fellow student U.S. Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Alec Oshner, a member of the 79th QM Company, agrees that starting from a baseline allows you to build. Being from a unit that focuses on water operations, he was most excited to start the course’s water module.
“It is good to start as if we know nothing and build up from there,” said Oshner. “I think it is really beneficial, the way they are breaking it up. This way we are able to focus on what we will be doing at our units.”
The course brings together U.S. Army Reserve, Nation Guard and active duty Soldiers in the same classroom. Yauger said it is essential to have Soldiers from different components working together, enhancing everyone’s learning experience.
“It is absolutely a good thing. This is how we are going to fight downrange,” said Yauger. “Without active duty, National Guard and the Army Reserve working together, we would never get to come home. It is important that we know how to interact, that we know each other’s limitations and advantages.”
U.S. Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Junrui Yan, also from the 79th QM Co, appreciates the examples of his classmates. He keeps a leadership journal where we he writes down the lessons he learns from his peers.
“We learn from each other,” Yan shared. “I write down the things I need to improve as an Army Reserve Soldier. When I get back to my unit I want to be squared away, I don’t want to be slacking.”
Yan originally enlisted in the Army as a 91B wheeled vehicle mechanic before receiving a 2-year ROTC scholarship that allowed him to commission as an officer in the Army Reserve. As a ROTC cadet enrolled in the simultaneous membership program, Yan had the opportunity to train with an Army Reserve unit while finishing school.
“I was a cadet at a transportation unit in New Orleans,” said Yan. “I went to the operations meetings and had hands on time in the motor pool. It was really helpful because I can see how convoy operations relate to quartermaster.”
U.S. Army Reserve lieutenants bring valuable experiences to the course. Yauger said that some of these lieutenants have been waiting for school dates after commissioning, and have already had a chance to start civilian careers or report to and work with their units.
“Everybody has different experiences and different backgrounds, they came from different schools and different commissioning sources,” said Yauger. “They each have stories and experiences that really enhance the class.”
Lynch sees a lot of cross over and synergy between what she is learning here and her civilian job. During the course she has been able to share her civilian experiences with her peers.
“Logistics is logistics,” Lynch said. “Whether you’ve done it in this uniform or not, you are going to be able to give a unique spin on how things are done.”
Even though the way the Army does logistics is different from her civilian operations, Lynch said she is learning things she can bring back to her job.
“The Army is still very paperwork based. I can take that to the civilian side because I’ve become dependent on digital systems,” shared Lynch. “If certain tools were to crash in my civilian career I would be lost because we don’t back up in the same manner.”
Oshner was surprised his civilian skills related to his military job. He found unique ways to contribute with his civilian skills and sees how it will be a benefit throughout his career.
“I am an architect,” Oshner shared. “I never thought it would relate to the Army, but when you think about innovation and planning spacial concepts, it all relates back. I think being able to bring that to the active duty side has a lot of value.”
2nd Lts. Lynch, Oshner and Yan are scheduled to graduate QM BOLC in just over a month. This course is just the beginning for these young leaders, but with their drive and dedication to mission accomplishment the future of the U.S. Army Reserve is in good hands.
| Date Taken: | 08.30.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2017 17:33 |
| Story ID: | 248158 |
| Location: | FORT LEE, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 558 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The making of a quartermaster lieutenant, by LTC Brandon Mace, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
