“You are a BOLO!”

kBob

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An unqualified Shooter in the US Army in my day was called a “Bolo” and not promotable.

The Marksman’s Qualification badge ( lowest qualification level) was also called the “Bolo Badge”

So….. where did you hear the term came from?

Keith Laumer wrote a series of stories about AI controlled “tanks” that only required a human in the system to make moral or judgment calls that he called Bolos.

(Interestingly his first AI Tank had no human and was called Ogre…. and it would seem we are there on the battlefield of 2024)

Best That I Know he never explained where he got the name, though it was certainly later than its use in the US Army.

I was given to understand that it came from the Philippines Campaign following the Spanish American war.

Supposedly US Army troops training local Philippine Forces had only limited Rifles and ammo to give their new charges.

Supposedly after a brief period of instruction on rifle use the Philippine volunteer was given a rifle and a very few rounds of ammunition and told to shoot at a near by target.

Those that proved to be the worst shots were awarded a large “Bolo” knife for use as a machete for brush clearing or close range weapon and their rifle rifle taken away for someone else to try.

Interestingly half a century later Fidel Castro in Cuba would issue his folks that could not hit a wall of a barn from inside a Machete and take their rifle away for someone that might more effectively use it. Ever the PR guy Fidel made speeches about the strong hearts of the Machetero of his command and their important role in the success of the Revolution.

So Bolos were those that got a bolo because they could not shoot to the minimum standard in the Philippines and so were issued a Bolo Knife. US units returning to “the Interior” of the US brought the title for useless gun bearers with them.

So what did you hear, Bolo?

-kBob
 
Used to tell this story to the IET soldiers to motivate them prior to qualification during Basic Rifle Marksmanship. (as an Infantry Drill Sgt at Benning & Jackson.)
So often those old Army phrases just creep back up...

Even today, when somebody gets a case of the dumbass... "You are a no-go at this station."
 
A fellow in our company had a serious nervous condition. Getting a full spoon of cheerios from the bowl to the target was 75%.
We were worried about him at the grenade range. But he did his throws without a hitch.🫡
 
The term "bolo" comes from the Philippines. It is a large heavy knife used by Filipinos like a machette for clearing brush, and it makes a wicked fighting knife/sword.

If the Filipino soldiers trained by the US Army during the Philippine Rebellion failed to qualify with a rifle, due to the limited supply of rifles were not issued one. So, their only weapon would be the bolo knife and they would get stuck with the menial labor jobs, like clearing paths in the jungle with said knife. It became a slang term in the US Army for someone that doesn't deserve a rifle.

1920px-Luzon_bolo_chisel_ground.JPG


A US Army M1918 "Bolo" Knife

$_12.JPG
 
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I always liked "rock" soldiers.

In basic you are always tired, sitting in the bleachers at a range, while listening to the NCO in charge, was even more tiring.

Someone always dropped their rifle, NCO always said, come on down, don't pick up your rifle. Pick up that "rock" and carry it for awhile. Push ups were also a great way to stay awake.

The trick was to wrap the sling around your arm. That way if you fell asleep, you didn't drop your rifle.😉
 
I remember the term predominately from BCT; ETS in 1975 and never heard it again. Attended college on the GI Bill and moved on in life. I still run into Vietnam Vets to this day - some moved on from the war and some still live it everyday. That entire conflict was a BOLO, time to move on.
 
And I thought it meant Be On Look Out when someone was missing.
BOLO is used a lot in the LE world. Be On the Look Out. Usually for someone wanted. Never heard it used when looking for a missing person but I suppose it could apply in that setting too.
 
My father was in WW2 and when he used the word Bolo it meant someone who didn’t have a clue as to what was happening.
Also, it referred to someone being an A- Hole.
 
Oh this thread has made me laugh and brought back some memories. I remember the BOLO's and NO-GO's and yes some were ate up with a serious case of the dumbass. I would have to work with the BOLO's since I was a marksmanship trainer in a few units I was assigned to.

And never, ever send the NUG/FNG to the 1st Sgt's office for a copy of the ID10T-IC manual. :rofl: If Top has a good sense of humor and was in a good mood, then he would send the NUG/FNG on a wild goose chase. If not, then all hell broke loose.
 
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physically i would be the equivalent of a bolo in the navy. however as a emfn it was me that fixed the heli pad crane, the electric short in the foward anchor locker, and the yard arm blinker lights. not the e5 or the e6 in our gang.
...point being there is room for smarts besides the gorillas in our division.....fwiw.
 
In Basic, we used BOLO like that, but when we got to the real sandbox, there was a "BOLO List" of people and vehicles to look for.

This list was especially /s/ helpful /s/ because it went on for several pages, almost all the vehicles were taxi's with the occasional motorcycle, and most of the pictures of faces were a standard clip-art silhouette of a guy with a beard. Do you know how many vehicles in Kandahar were taxis? Care to guess how common a guy with a beard is? Yeah. There was an LT in our company who legit thought he saw someone from that list every time he left the base. ... Maybe I should cut him some slack, the dude was in a taxi AND had a beard.
 
Growing up, there were two "Bolo" references I encountered:

1. Keith Laumer's Bolo stories (which, by the way, are the first thing I thought of when I read the thread title).

2. Bolo Yeung, a bodybuilder martial artist (Yeung Sze, who played Bolo in Enter the Dragon).

I also erroneously referred to "bolas" as "bolos" in my youth, but since this is incorrect I'm not officially adding this to my enumerated list above.

I suppose I COULD add "BOLO" (be on the lookout) from old cop shows in the 70s.
 
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