Is BOLC required for promotion from 2LT to 1LT in the Army National Guard?

Yes it is required. The reason you see 1LT at BOLC is because they went to a two year military college became a 2LT while they finish their 3rd and 4th year....or they are branch transferring

1. Yes, BOLC required for promotion to 1LT. Reference: AR 135-155, table 2-2.
2. Aviators, owing to the long duration of BOLC and delay in obtaining seats, have a special provision to gain promotion to 1LT/CW2 with partial completion.
3. As stated in other posts, ECP lieutenants have their own provision of regulation which allows promotion to 1LT without BOLC.

AR 600-8-29 does not list BOLC as a requirement for promotion to 1LT...
But it should be.

Sir, if it will make you feel more at ease (and yes you need BOLC to advance), there have been rare times where others never had it and went further. Example: My XO went to BOLC-AMEDD and in her class was a COL/O-6 that was a doctor but had somehow managed to slip through the cracks from his initial commissioning all the way to COL until someone did an audit and told him he needed to go.

BOLC is required for promotion to 1LT. A Bachelor Degree is required for promotion to CPT. Captain Career Course is required for promotion to MAJ and ILE is required for promotion to LTC.

AR 135-155, Promotion of Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers Other Than General Officers (Publication specific to ARNG and USAR), dtd 13 July 2004.
http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r135_155.pdf

Page 9 (physical page 18), which contains Tables 2-1 and 2-2 (time in grade requirements & military educational requirements, respectively) should answer your questions. About O-1 to O-2, Table 2-1 says the minimum TIG is 2 years, and maximum is 42 months, while Table 2-2 says the following as the MEL requirement: "Resident officer basic course. (See notes 1, 2, 6, 7, 8.)"

Note #1 is important here, and says: "Officers assigned to Control Group (OADO) (see para 2-8b(1)) and former OADO officers (including Early Commissioning Program (ECP) participants) transferred to the Control Group (Annual Training) or the Selected Reserve preceding their promotion eligibility to 1LT are not required to meet the educational requirement for promotion to 1LT. Promotion under these circumstances does not negate the requirement to complete the resident officer basic course at a subsequent date. Officers enrolled in a resident basic course, who are otherwise eligible, will also be considered to have satisfied the education requirement for promotion to 1LT."

In short, if you're an ECP, you can be promoted at 24 months regardless (unless flagged). Likewise, if you're enrolled in BOLC and hit 24 minths TIG, you can be promoted. ECPs will normally get promoted automatically by HRC, while non-ECP typically have to get the command to sign-off on it for promotion. If you ask nicely, you can usually get promoted while at BOLC, and even if you don't your command will usually recommend you upon graduation. If you go to BOLC prior to 24 months TIG, you have to wait regardless.

You'll probably get promoted as soon as you get back. Sucks you got such a late date, technically they have within 18 months of commissioning to ship you. To your benefit you'll probably be more knowledgeable than many of your classmates.

Usually with the State/Fed Rec system they'll push your state orders through right at the 18 months, and it may take another 6 for it to make it through the Fed Rec system. Look in your Iperms and see if a promo order's been uploaded. I believe they back pay you for the discrepancy in time though, which is nice.

I had a could of 1LTs back in my OBC days. Sounds similar to the olden days regs. Outside of early commissioning you would hope BOLC is a priority. Get er done!

yes is the simple answer and reading AR 600-8-29 is the real one

Hi Bolc is required. Unless you direct commissioned, then you need it anyway. To get to O3.