Arriving

Your report date will be a Sunday.  That is, you must arrive at Fort Benning the Sunday before you class start date. The course directors make this very clear in the Welcome Letter.

You will report to Olson Hall.  Make sure you make a reservation as SOON as you know or even THINK you may be attending RC MCCC.  The lodging fills up fast and it's 50-50 if you will get a room on post.  By the way, you WANT a room on post.  I stayed at Wyndham Gardens which is a good 25 minutes from post, making the commute to and from Fort Benning a pain in the ass, especially on days that require you to drive both ways, multiple times.

Olson Hall
7130 Gillespie St, Cusseta, GA 31905
Phone:(706) 689-0067

You can call them on your way into Fort Benning and ask in advance if you will have billeting - and if not, where they will be sending you.  I suspect you can drive straight to your hotel without going to Fort Benning, but that theory is untested.  Had I known that, I would have been asleep by 2200 the night before class start.  Instead, I was not sleeping until midnight.

Rental Car
Do not let your state tell you, "You will be on post - you do not need a rental car."  That's what my state told me and I flipped the bill for the car.  When I found out I was staying off post, I pushed hard for reimbursement (which they finally granted).

If you are on post, you probably still need a car.  The DFAC is not open on holidays and weekends (sometimes) and... well.. you're a captain, for Pete's sake.

Flight
Do not fly into Atlanta - fly into Columbus.  The fare is about the same and the Columbus Airport is about 10 minutes from Fort Benning,

Getting In

If you have a state that will book travel before you have a reserved seat at RC MCCC, then you're golden.  They do not turn away anyone who shows up for the course, that is, within reason.  I realize that's ambiguous, but in my first class, we had 5 or so 'no shows', and they found spots for all the students who were not in a reserved status, but still showed for the class.  The course manager, CPT Garvin, sent emails that reflected the student would "most likely to get in if they show up".  Many states accept that and will book travel.  Some states do not.

Rather than hawking ATRRS every day to see if you can get in or have a reserved seat, contact CPT Wohlschlegel... for now.  The SGLs change and if you are reading this a year from now, CPT Wohlschlegel will be on to bigger and better things.

Lloyd B. Wohlschlegel
CPT, IN
MCCC Team 4 SGL
Office: 706-626-3703

Anyway, contact him and tell him you want in and ask what your chances are for a reserved seat.  He may send one of those 'you're likely to get in if you come here' emails, and from that, your state may be satisfied enough to book travel.

Introduction

Unlikely the first blog about RC MCCC, and certainly will not be the last.  Especially considering the changes coming to the program in 2015, 2016, and 2017.  My aim is to help any other LTs or CPTs prepare for and successfully complete each Phase of RC MCCC, and with that in mind, offer input, commentary, tell me I'm wrong, or contribute however you feel will best help your colleagues and the community that benefits from this information.

At the time of this post, I am a 1LT serving in an HHC in California.  Like you, I have a tremendous amount of pride in our Company, Battalion, Brigade, and State.  When you go through the courses of each phase, make sure you soak up as much detail you can that will help your peers in your CO, BN, or BCT.  I was wholly unprepared, sans the guidance my CO offered prior to leaving for Fort Benning.  No one's fault, but I found out only days before that I would be attending the RC MCCC, never received a Welcome Letter, and went into the course relatively blind.  I hope this blog will be an aid for you regardless of the timing of your reserved spot in ATRRS.

I came from MI, so my sand box has been limited to "red" (the ENY).  I did not attend IBOLC, so Phase 2 demanded lots of catch up for me - weapons systems, operational graphics, TTPs, and good ol' doctrine.  This blog will present from that perspective, so it may be a bit Barney Rubble for you high speed tabbed types.  Your mileage may vary.