 His initial assignment was to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.He served as a weapons platoon leader, Executive Officer of B Company and later on as B Rifle company commander.Bolger served as an Instructor and Assistant Professor in the Department of History of the United States Military Academy from 1986–89, he subsequently was assigned as the S-3 (Operations Officer) of the 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division in Korea.