BPC and me: How the lodging process works

Published Feb. 20, 2013
By Master Sgt. Christian Michael
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Most service members can't wait to reach the comfort of the Blatchford-Preston Complex rooms on the south side of this undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, but waiting is required given the enormity of the largest lodging operation in the Department of Defense serving deployed and transient U.S. and coalition partners.

"Our mission is to provide lodging facilities and services to all personnel assigned to or transiting through here to maintain mission readiness," said Master Sgt. Nichol Williams, 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron Lodging Operations BPC manager. She manages the BPC transition program for the base. "Our process is very transparent, we place the waitlist on the 379 EFSS knowledge wall for everyone's viewing and we update it every Sunday."

BPC amenities include large bays insulating rooms from the weather, indoor plumbing, comfortable day rooms with large televisions and pool tables. The complex also boasts a comprehensive gym, local indoor mall area with a Starbucks, movie theater, recreation center, post office, barber shop and other fast food venues. Also, the base club with enlisted and officer lounges is on the BPC's south side.

BPC lodging is available to E-5 and above deployed here for 179 or more days. E-5, E-6 and 1st and 2nd lieutenants here for 179 days or more are authorized a shared room. Members ranked E-7 and above staying here for 179 days or more are authorized their own room. Personnel deployed to AUAB for 365 or more who provide advanced copies of their orders go to the top of the list 30 days prior to their arrival.

"First sergeants initiate requests for personnel to be submitted to BPC waitlist," Williams said. "Priority is based on the individual's 'BOG' boots-on-ground date. Even if the 'shirt' doesn't send an e-mail right away, it doesn't change the member's place on the waitlist because we only go by BOG."

The member is placed on the appropriate list by grade. Once a room is available for their specific grade, they are moved into a BPC room. Each BPC dorm boasts 196 rooms, 60 of those rooms are double suites. The remaining 136 single rooms are for field grade officers, O-3s, senior non-commissioned officers, general-service (civilians) and 365-day or more lieutenants and E-6's. The amount of single rooms available is limited.

The wait for six-month-or-less deployers grows as the base increases its number of year-long deployments in preparation to become an "enduring" base. The base is moving to accommodate this growth by building more BPC dorms, two of which are due to be completed by July 13 and will hold up to 390 personnel. Also, a construction phase is scheduled to come online June 14 in which double stack billets will replace some of the current CC lodging inventory, each with 60 rooms and indoor plumbing.

With a busy schedule and high-tempo transition rate - this location is able to house over 1,500 transients at any given time - the office still wants to hear from members deployed here and keep them informed on how the process works.

"We hold a lodging council meeting every third Thursday, and (reminders are) posted on The Daily (newsletter)," Williams said. "We put important lodging updates, LCM minutes and slides on the EFSS Knowledge Wall and if any would like to speak to us directly, they can e-mail 379 EFSS/Lodging COR organizational box. We also have interactive customer evaluations, but we ask members to please leave contact info."