Second lieutenant Lillian Polatchek, the first female Marine to attend the Army’s Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, graduated at the top of her class April 12, 2017.
Polatchek, a New York native, was commissioned in November of 2015 after attending Connecticut College. After graduating The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, she reported to the Marine Corps Detachment at Fort Benning, Georgia to attend the U.S. Army’s Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course.
The Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course is a five-month course which both trains and inspires armor officers in order to provide the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and allied nations with confident, competent and agile armor officers capable of conducting and leading unified land operations as part of a combined arms team.
“It teaches them the fundamentals and tactics that apply to armor,” said Gunnery Sgt. Justin Gindlesperger, an ABOLC instructor. “It also teaches them the basic technical knowledge they’ll need to know just to operate the tank safely and effectively. It’s also where they’re introduced to what it takes as a leader of a crew, first, and then a platoon.”
ABOLC is broken down into three phases: the foundation phase, the crew phase and the mission phase.
During the foundation phase, students are taught a foundation of how to effectively plan and execute a tank mission from a leadership position. Throughout this phase, students will be expected to compete in a series of additional physically demanding events in both a team and as individuals.
Students are also given the opportunity to become certified in the Modern Army Combative Program and conduct an initial Ranger physical assessment test for placement on the Order of Merit list for an opportunity to attend Ranger School.
“The first phase is primarily where we learn tactics and the orders writing process,” said Polatchek. “It’s really a helpful refresher for all the Marines who learned the start of those tactics at an infantry level at TBS, but then learning to adapt it to the speed and firepower that tanks have was probably the most challenging part.”
ABOLC students spend the first 12 training days of the second phase learning about and training on the tanks. Polatchek and other Marine students specifically trained on the M1A1 Abrams tank. Each student receives a five-day block of instruction on each vehicle that includes hands-on training and simulator training. Day 11 of the crew phase is a comprehensive day of testing that includes the Gunnery Skills Test and Gunnery Table I at the firing range. Completion of this event signifies student’s readiness to execute live fire.
During the range density of this second phase, Marine students have the opportunity to execute Machine Gun Baseline and Tank Live Fire. Machine Gun Baseline serves as a bridge between the simulated engagements that the students have been executing and actual execution on the M1A1 Abrams tank-platform.
During the Tank Live Fire, students execute five distinct engagements which test their comprehension of the tasks that they have been taught, as well as demonstrate all of the skills that are necessary to succeed in crew-level gunnery assignments at their first respective-units.
“We learn the technical skills that we’ll need and we learn to do basic maintenance as well as gunnery skills,” said Polatchek. “It gives you a real appreciation for what the gunners are going to be doing. For all of us here at ABOLC, we’re going to be in the tank commander seat, as a platoon commander, so we got a better feel for all the skill that goes into the other positions. I think it’s really important for each of us to know what our Marines are doing, even if those aren’t roles that we’re fulfilling ourselves. You shouldn’t really ask your Marines to do anything that you couldn’t do yourself. It was really important for us to learn at least the basics of what each crew member is going to be doing.”
The third and final phase of ABOLC combines both the tactical skills learned from phase I and the technical skills of the second phase. It consists of 27 training days designed to train and assess students in a tactical field environment. Four days of Phase III are spent in a classroom or simulator environment, in either the train/educate mode or in a simulated graded practical-exercise. These days are designed to review doctrine and the operation order process with students in order to prepare them to successfully lead a tank or scout platoon in a tactical field environment.
Students spend 11 days in this third mission-level phase conducting Situational Training Exercises focused on tank platoon, scout platoon and troop-level operations. Following successful completion of STX, students transition to the Competitive Maneuver Exercise for a seven-day summative assessment of information learned in the course through hands-on application and demonstrated proficiency of the student’s accumulative learning and ability to effectively plan and execute a tank mission.
“Phase three was pretty high tempo,” said Polatchek. “There’s a pretty quick turnaround from the planning process, but phase three was also easily the most fun part of ABOLC. It’s where everything really comes together and you get a chance to be out there doing what you’ve spent all that time preparing to do.”
The Army’s Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course is the only school Marines can attend to earn the MOS title of Tank Officer.
“What makes this course unique is it’s the only place in the Marine Corps where you train officers to be tankers,” said Gindlesperger.
“The small group of Marines in the class worked really well together and that reflects in the class rankings,” Polatcheksaid when explaining how the course was unique in the Marine Corps.
Polatchek’s graduating class had five Marines in a class of 67 total students, with four of the five graduating on the Commandant’s List, which honors the top 20% of the graduating class.
“With the course being from a school that’s from another service, you get a chance to work with some of our peers from the Army, which is also just a great experience,” said Polatchek. “You almost, in a way, learn more about the Marine Corps seeing how the Marines do things differently.”
Polatchek expressed her eagerness to lead Marines using the knowledge she learned from ABOLC.
“Learning the importance of planning, maintenance, and understanding your platform as best as you can is what I took away the most from the course,” said Polatchek. “A tank platoon has 16 Marines, and that small leadership-size really gives you, as a platoon commander, the ability to directly work with the Marines you’re leading. I’m excited to take everything we’ve learned here and to get a chance to go out to the fleet and apply it”
Polatchek will now report to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and serve as a Tank Officer with 2nd Tank Battalion.
10 comments
In reply to Edward L Dodd, 1st Lt, USMC (forever).
SEMPER FI, DEVIL DOG!!! Congratulations for being tops in your class. Good luck and keep on track. My mother is a 94 year old WWII Marine and gives you a big SEMPER FI, also! My father was a retired Marine Major, and I am a retired Marine LtCol. So, our Marine Corps family wishes you Godspeed, Fair Winds and Following Seas.
Marines thrive on being first. “First to Fight”, that being said why do we keep making such a big deal about the first female to do this or do that? Oh Yeah it’s the whinny politically correct group that has nagged and sued the rest of us to change the requirements to earn or accomplish something, then that same group wants the rest of us to celebrate, as was done with the Navy Seals physical and mental requirements to get that coveted first female seal. Our Military’s main objective is to KILL the enemy and break they’re things,. We don’t hire our Military, we recruit or increase for enlisted, and commission for officers. Just the words Commissioned Officer require me to have higher level or respect for an individual, but first female only makes me think the bar has been lowered. From the articles I’ve read Second lieutenant Lillian Polatchek is not claiming to be the next Joan of Arc or anything like that. Second lieutenant Lillian Polatchek as with any green Officer will have to earn the respect of those under her command by demonstrating her knowledge and ability! Well I for one will hold my celebrations for real accomplishments. Who knows we may have a Polatchek tank in the future.
Congratulations LT. You are well prepared, make sure you learn from your NCO’s and SNCO’s don’t be afraid to ask them what they would do in any situation. Good luck! Oorah , Marine forever!
Ronald Renfro Just a reminder there are no former Marines. We are Marines forever. Congratulations to Lt. Polatchek. Semper Fi Marine.
In reply to Edward L Dodd, 1st Lt, USMC (forever).
Semper Fi, Marine!I am glad to see more women in these roles! When I was a WAC, we were not allowed in these positions. I do know where Ft. Benning is, and I met and married my Marine in Alabama.
As a Former U.S Marine I simply want to say a hardy Congratulations and a very Loud OORAH for you and doing “The Corps” a proud service. Your TOP of the Class for your skills and abilities. SEMPER~FIDELIS Lt. WE ARE VEY PROUD OF YOU.. Ronald C Renfro USMC 1972~1979 Military Police
It is important for women to earn respect in the Military, especially- the United States Marine Corps- as sometimes being in a situation – combat or otherwise – the mission accomplishment should be the main objective- and I hope that a man or woman in a decision making capacity would think alike- and sometimes a different ways to analyze a problem could be a plus for survival. Sometimes some senior NCO’s or even officers will ask someone junior how they would handle a situation- in training you could be dead wrong or right- but getting the chance to think out loud can prevent future mistakes or make you more competent- as the strongest best ideas- could fall on a weak ling in the chain. Gung Ho- or work together is the answer- all pulling together to see a threat overcome.
Good luck Lt. I’m sure you will enjoy your assignments and perform well. I was in Armor Units from 1950 – 1956. Took basic training at Ft. Knox. M4A3E8’s (Shermans) M46’s (Pattons). Had assignments in both Europe and Asia.
Semper Fi Marine!!!! Great job coming in first!!!
Wow ! In 1968 I reported to Del Mar, California for my introduction to the M48A1 Medium Tank. This was the main battle tank of the Marine Corps, and was the predecessor of the M60 used in Nam. We were schooled for four weeks, but never even got to live fire the tank. After that I reported back to 2nd Tank Battalion at Camp Lejeune. I was assigned 1st Platoon, Bravo Company and had SSgt John Harrington as my Platoon Sgt. The first thing I did was get John aside and say, “By rank I am responsible for this platoon, and all it encompasses. You have two jobs, run the platoon, and secondly teach me to be a tank officer.” We got along great and he did a great job. I had the same platoon for 14 months of which I was assigned all most entirely to one Infantry unit or another, and was gone, and on my own. This training would have been a god-send to me. I did get to Fort Knox later for a 4 month course on wheel and track vehicle maintenance which was great. We ha 9 of us (2 Marines) for a class designed for 200.