| These are some personal notes that describe some of my memories and opinions of the organizations that I served with in an Army career that spanned nearly 30 years. If you find this site by accident through a search engine you are welcome to contact me and share your thoughts. Thanks. My e-mail address is BradenClan@ gmail.com. |
Engineer Officer Basic Course (EOBC)
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
1967
The Engineer Officer Basic course (EOBC) was the initial officer training for new engineer lieutenants. It was a nine-week course that
Bonnie and I rented a furnished apartment in the area and Bonnie found some other EOBC wives to hang with while the men were doing their training.
It turned out that there was a Roy Braden in the class - distant cousin. Small world.
I do remember one of the field training exercises where the class was turned loose in the woods at Camp AP Hill and expected to evade "enemy" soldiers and get back to a designated camp. Most of the class was caught and spent part of the night being abused in a POW camp. Somehow I made my way alone until I could see the lights of the camp just ahead. The only problem was that there was a large swamp between me and it. I just went ahead and waded through the muck, which was sometimes chest deep. As a reward I was something like third back in camp, and I stood under a hot shower fully dressed until I could get the stink out. Then I completed showering and got about seven hours rest, while most of my fellow students got perhaps three hours.
I recall that I graduated third in my class. Bonnie and I were soon off to Fort Lewis, Washington
included both classroom and field training.
Bonnie was wonderful to me. The training was physically demanding, including daily PT. Bonnie would meet me coming up the stairs to our apartment and help me get into a hot bath to soak my sore muscles.