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Fraser CDN posted:To be infantry you have to be a different kind of person. You have to be able to deal with a lot of bullshit. Usually people joining the infantry are people who are outgoing and have had a life that has been filled with hardships. These people know what its like to e at their breaking point so when they have a chance to have a good time they take advantage of it. They do this by drinking to much, and hitting of the pretty girls. I've heard people say this a lot, but what exactly is it based on? How do you really compare stuff like whose infantry is better?
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May 11, 2010 18:29
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Lassitude posted:I've heard people say this a lot, but what exactly is it based on? How do you really compare stuff like whose infantry is better? Im not saying one is better then the other. I am saying that our country has been honored numerous amounts of times for having amazing troops. We have Canadian troops earning US military medals in Afghanistan. ( and in wars of the past) JTF2 has supposedly been awarded United States Presidential Unit Citation. If this shows anything then it should show that we have soldiers that are world renowned as being one of the best. Erik Prince, the reclusive owner of the Blackwater empire posted:Prince spoke disparagingly of some unnamed NATO countries with troops in Afghanistan, saying they do not have the will for the fight. “Some of them do and a lot of them don’t,” he said. “It is such a patchwork of different international commitments as to what some can do and what some can’t. A lot of them should just pack it in and go home.” Canada, however, received praise from Prince. “The Canadians have lost per capita more than America has in Afghanistan. They are fighting and they are doing it and so if you see a Canadian thank them for that. The politicians at home take heavies for doing that,” Prince said. He did not mention the fact that his company was hired by the Canadian government to train its forces.
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May 11, 2010 18:53
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Elgar posted:Unless I'm mistaken that contract is just a guarantee of employment and you can release at any time. What happens to my rank and my pension if I release before the end of my term? Obviously these are questions that I don't really want to ask my interviewer. Is there a contract completion bonus or any room for negotiation over a signing bonus? Or is working for the CF more like a take it or leave it offer kind of thing? Mantle fucked around with this message at 19:30 on May 11, 2010 |
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May 11, 2010 19:11
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Mantle posted:What happens to my rank and my pension if I release before the end of my term? Obviously these are questions that I don't really want to ask my interviewer. Is there a contract completion bonus or any room for negotiation over a signing bonus? Or is working for the CF more like a take it or leave it offer kind of thing? In the CF you sign a 3-5 year contract( depending on your trade). After the first contract you sign another contract ( 3-5 years). After that you sign a 25 year contract. From what ive been told you can leave when you want during the 25 year contract. If you are in the CF for less than 5 years you get back all the money you put into your pension. Signing bonuses are only for people who are going into highly needed trades or people who are already trained ( technical jobs that a civilian degree would transfer over into)
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May 11, 2010 20:16
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Mantle posted:What happens to my rank and my pension if I release before the end of my term? Obviously these are questions that I don't really want to ask my interviewer. Is there a contract completion bonus or any room for negotiation over a signing bonus? Or is working for the CF more like a take it or leave it offer kind of thing? The contract completion bonus is your pension, which if you do until 25 years you get your pension right away and you get about 60% of your best five years. Which means if you're an officer and making 100k. You get 60k a year for the rest of your life from the moment you retire. That's a pretty drat good deal. Signing bonuses are set I believe as there are plenty of people willing to take them. Doctors and Dentists get the biggest ones but being in the military is a huge money maker for them because they still have time to run a practice on the side. You don't retain your rank after you are retired, regardless if you served 25 years or not. You can put ret'd at the end of your rank if you want though. If you release before 25 years you have to wait until you are 60 or 65 to get your pension. It is pretty much a take it or leave it sort of thing, but the wages are pretty good, and you get awesome benefits.
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May 11, 2010 20:58
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Lassitude posted:I've heard people say this a lot, but what exactly is it based on? How do you really compare stuff like whose infantry is better? It's based on a lot of bullshit. I've had a fair amount of experience working with other nations in the past five years and from what I've seen we're all pretty much the same as far as training goes. Our (  ) sniper course is nearly identical to the American and British ones. The main difference is equipment, and for that, Canada isn't even doing that poorly. I met a group of 82nd Airborne QRF snipers in KAF who had much crappier equipment than we did. On the contrary, I've also competed against the US Army Marksmanship Team in Benning and they had all sorts of crazy tricked out poo poo. From the 3 Commando Marines (British guys, I think I got the unit right), it did however seem that we had better sniping gear at least. I'll tell you what though, Canadians definitely have the most fatties, and the Dutch or Aussies win for women. Singaporeans have cool uniforms, the French have the tightest pants, the Brits are retarded for driving around like they do, and the Americans are like a pet pit bull who just wants to eat people.
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May 11, 2010 21:31
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Officers don't sign Variable/Basic engagements (VE/BE's). Well, they didn't unless something changed. Your first contract should be a SSE at 9 years + any schooling you need to do (Mine was 4 years of RMC plus 9 years after for a total length of 13 years). At the end of your SSE you have the choice of being offered a IE25, which is the "25 year contract", however as previously stated its only a 25 year guarantee of employment, you can technically get out at any time with a Voluntary Release [VR] (typical time frame will be about 3-6 months for such a release), barring any wars. If you choose to leave at the end of your SSE (after 9 years service + Schooling time if applicable) without signing a IE25, then you get whats called a Return of Contribution, basically the military gives back all the money it took from you for pension reasons. You get a payout (At least you did, it might have changed to some other benefit) but you will not get a military pension at any time. Should you sign the IE25 and chose to leave early, you forfeit any Return of Contribution and any immediate annuity, having to wait till you are at CRA (compulsory Retirement Age) before collecting whatever pension you have accumulated. At 25 years service you can sign another contract (Continuing Engagement, or CE) to keep working till you are 55 or 65 years old, depending on what CRA you've elected to take. At this point you can get out within 30 days and will keep your annuity, if you so choose to leave before you hit retirement age. Its 2% a year, so at 25 that would be 50% of the average of your best five years base bay, for life. You 'Max out' your annuity at 35 years service (or 70% of your best 5), which is why if you see some senior CPO or CWO that's been in forever people will say he's only "working for 30%" because if he quit he'd still be making 70%. Thats why RRSP's are a terrible idea for reg force "lifers" (We will never be in a low enough tax bracket for them to be really useful). "Signing bonuses", which are offered to specialized officer trades, Doctor, Dentist, Laywer, and certain flavours of Engineers, vary greatly year to year based on CF demand. You must be fully qualified in whatever profession you are in to qualify. You'd have to ask your recruiter. Typically you'd get half up front and I believe half on completion of your basic training. It is taxable income and it incurs obligatory service (typically 5 years - in which you cannot release without paying back some portion of the signing bonus) Ask your recruiter.
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May 11, 2010 21:34
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acumen posted:I'll tell you what though, Canadians definitely have the most fatties, and the Dutch or Aussies win for women. Singaporeans have cool uniforms, the French have the tightest pants, the Brits are retarded for driving around like they do, and the Americans are like a pet pit bull who just wants to eat people. It was awesome going to Camp Mirage, sitting down in the kitchen there and seeing all the humongous canadian air force people next to the Australian and kiwis who were all mostly fit. Apparently the Germans up in Kabul are the fattest in NATO but I'm sure we rank up there too.
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May 11, 2010 23:27
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Fire Above posted:It was awesome going to Camp Mirage, sitting down in the kitchen there and seeing all the humongous canadian air force people next to the Australian and kiwis who were all mostly fit. Apparently the Germans up in Kabul are the fattest in NATO but I'm sure we rank up there too. Our entrance PT standards are really just laughable. I mean, 19 pushups? Really? Come on, anybody could do that with at most a months worth of training, no matter how much of a fatty they are. The 6.5 or whatever it is on the beep test is also insanely low.
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May 12, 2010 03:27
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Samu posted:Our entrance PT standards are really just laughable. I mean, 19 pushups? Really? Come on, anybody could do that with at most [b]a months worth of training[b], no matter how much of a fatty they are. The 6.5 or whatever it is on the beep test is also insanely low. You would be surprised. Ive seen people fail their final PT test in basic. My pod mate failed the grip by 1 pound. Also one of the females failed the push ups.
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May 12, 2010 03:50
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Failing the grip component absolutely blows my mind. The idea that you couldn't suspend 165lbs for even a second 
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May 12, 2010 04:43
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Attire Irony posted:Failing the grip component absolutely blows my mind. Well this guy was 90 pounds soaking wet. Its sad, some people fail push ups, or the running, but the grip test. I know people who can pass the test with 1 hand. 
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May 12, 2010 05:29
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I've been very strongly considering joining the Canadian Forces for the past few months (somehow even after reading a lot of the threads in this forum), and the jobs that seem to interest me the most are armoured infantry and field artillery. If there's anyone here who is currently/has been in one of these careers, what are they actually like, beyond what the recruiter will be telling me?
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May 12, 2010 05:30
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HatSmack posted:I've been very strongly considering joining the Canadian Forces for the past few months (somehow even after reading a lot of the threads in this forum), and the jobs that seem to interest me the most are armoured infantry and field artillery. If there's anyone here who is currently/has been in one of these careers, what are they actually like, beyond what the recruiter will be telling me? My brother is armored, I was supposed to be infantry and from what I can tell from people who are currently in these trades they are similar. How do you mean actually like. As in how an average day is? What its like on deployments? What an average day in garrison/ the field like? Please post more specific questions to help us give you better information.
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May 12, 2010 05:44
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Fraser CDN posted:My brother is armored, I was supposed to be infantry and from what I can tell from people who are currently in these trades they are similar. How do you mean actually like. As in how an average day is? What its like on deployments? What an average day in garrison/ the field like? Please post more specific questions to help us give you better information. Sorry, yeah I basically meant what an average day would be like on deployment. Edit: It seems strange that Medical Technician is the only job that requires a driver's license. HatSmack fucked around with this message at 06:57 on May 12, 2010 |
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May 12, 2010 05:51
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Attire Irony posted:Failing the grip component absolutely blows my mind. When I was in the reserves, I just passed my grip test by 1lb (failed my left hand on the first squeeze, but he let me try again). My fitness level was great; pushups, pullups, situps, running, all that sort of stuff was way easy, but I'm 5'6 and have pretty small hands. The grip testing thingy was just a bit too big for me to get a strong grip on it.
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May 12, 2010 06:54
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Any advice for a guy who is (probably) going to wind up on Basic in Wainwright this coming July/Aug? I already have insoles for my boots that fit my feet, and trying to recall the faint memories of poo poo I had to do at cadet camp (which won't likely do a ton of good, but will hopefully at least keep me from looking the shittiest). I've been working on pushups, pullups, and just generally walking around with a load in my boots as well. Anything else I should work on?
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May 12, 2010 07:04
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Canuck-Errant posted:Any advice for a guy who is (probably) going to wind up on Basic in Wainwright this coming July/Aug? I already have insoles for my boots that fit my feet, and trying to recall the faint memories of poo poo I had to do at cadet camp (which won't likely do a ton of good, but will hopefully at least keep me from looking the shittiest). I've been working on pushups, pullups, and just generally walking around with a load in my boots as well. Basic will pretty much do everything for you. It's in the name, basic. Just be fit make sure your feet are used to the impact and you're good to go. Just keep your eyes and ears open, don't think your cadet training means anything. Because other than making beds and shining shoes you don't really know anything. Not trying to grind on you, but some guys from cadets think they know everything and it really means nothing.
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May 12, 2010 07:31
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Canuck-Errant posted:Any advice for a guy who is (probably) going to wind up on Basic in Wainwright this coming July/Aug? I already have insoles for my boots that fit my feet, and trying to recall the faint memories of poo poo I had to do at cadet camp (which won't likely do a ton of good, but will hopefully at least keep me from looking the shittiest). I've been working on pushups, pullups, and just generally walking around with a load in my boots as well. Wainright will suck the life out of you. Avoid picking up the land whales in town if you get time off. Do not tell anyone you were ever or had anything to do with cadets. At all. Especially your instructors. Try to forget you were even in cadets. Don't be that guy with the mirror shine on his boots. Write your name down on every piece of kit you have. Don't be a blade, always do your section duties. Don't gently caress around with any women in your platoon. Don't leave giant floaters in the toilet right before the company OC comes through for his inspection. You were never in cadets. Ever.
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May 12, 2010 10:00
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^^ This. Also goes double for any time in the reserves. Just keep that poo poo to yourself, and use it to your advantage (and that of your colleagues), while not broadcasting "HEY GUYS I WAS IN CADETS/THE RESERVES SO THIS IS HOW THIS HAS TO BE DONE HURRRRRR"  It's less that your fellow candidates will hate you, and more that the DS will either grief you, or expect way the gently caress more from you.
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May 12, 2010 18:38
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Fraser CDN posted:You would be surprised. Ive seen people fail their final PT test in basic. My pod mate failed the grip by 1 pound. Also one of the females failed the push ups. What are the standards for the final PT test in Basic? Please don't me they're the same as the entrance PT standards, because that really makes me fear for my country's safety.
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May 13, 2010 01:22
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Samu posted:What are the standards for the final PT test in Basic? Please don't me they're the same as the entrance PT standards, because that really makes me fear for my country's safety. That PT test you do in the beginning is the one you will do for the rest of your career. As long as you can pass those you are "fit" in the eyes of the CF. 6 on beep test 19 Push ups 19 Sit ups 75 Hand grip
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May 13, 2010 01:54
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Yeah, I wasn't planning on letting on to any of that. And I don't think it's possible to mirror-shine my GPs anyway  Anything I should look at buying before I go? We got an old kit list of stuff to get from Supply, but it was in no way current. And I'm desperate enough to try and get laid in Wainwright. Or even the fleshpots of Lloydminster.
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May 13, 2010 02:55
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You shouldn't need to purchase anything extra for basic. Just bring clothes for 4 or so days and toiletries.
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May 13, 2010 03:08
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Basic Training was was better when it was done at CFB Chilliwack. It was a sad day when they closed the base and moved training to St Jean.
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May 13, 2010 03:13
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Lt. Jebus posted:Basic Training was was better when it was done at CFB Chilliwack. If only because "Chiliwack" is like, the best name for a base ever
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May 13, 2010 03:38
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And Vancouver is 1.5 hours away I'm watching a reserve botc class go through NOTC here and its ridiculous how easy they have it. I always relax and take my time when I eat and I still take less time than they do.
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May 13, 2010 03:50
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HatSmack posted:I've been very strongly considering joining the Canadian Forces for the past few months (somehow even after reading a lot of the threads in this forum), and the jobs that seem to interest me the most are armoured infantry and field artillery. If there's anyone here who is currently/has been in one of these careers, what are they actually like, beyond what the recruiter will be telling me? Definitely go field artillery, that way I can get out of the artillery that much easier. That should speak volumes
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May 13, 2010 04:19
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Canuck-Errant posted:Anything I should look at buying before I go? Mr Clean Magic Erasers Swiffer pads Baby Wipes Anything else you can pick up at the Canex for a "reasonable" price. Its probably a 4 week BMQ. So unless its BMQ/SQ you shouldn't really need much more then what is issued. Canuck-Errant posted:And I'm desperate enough to try and get laid in Wainwright. Or even the fleshpots of Lloydminster. Stay away from girls near military bases. Unless you like pissing razor blades then by all means go for it. Also someone correct me if im wrong, but I don't believe reserve get any time off during BMQ( from friends who are in the reserve's),so getting laid might be hard, unless your going to be doing a platoon mate. Fraser CDN fucked around with this message at 04:50 on May 13, 2010 |
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May 13, 2010 04:39
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My Spirit Otter posted:Definitely go field artillery, that way I can get out of the artillery that much easier. That should speak volumes What makes artillery so lovely?
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May 13, 2010 05:16
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Fraser CDN posted:Mr Clean Magic Erasers Yeah, it's BMQ and BMQ/L or whatever they now call SQ. Apparently "Soldier Qual" made it sound like only Army could take it blah blah so yeah. Will I need to bring sandals or running shoes?
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May 13, 2010 07:24
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Canuck-Errant posted:Yeah, it's BMQ and BMQ/L or whatever they now call SQ. Apparently "Soldier Qual" made it sound like only Army could take it blah blah so yeah. Will I need to bring sandals or running shoes? Yes. Bring that poo poo from home. The shoes they issue you ( for reg force at least) are crap. They dont issue you sandals, just pick up a cheap pair from Walmart or something. Also make sure you have your kit labeled. A big pile of everyone in the courses cloths is a lot easier to sort when its labeled. But label everything, if you think it doesn't need to be labeled, LABEL IT. If you have any more questions id be glad to answer them.
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May 13, 2010 07:34
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One of the things I have to do in order for my application to proceed is to explain a $0 balance owing on my credit record from Rogers Wireless in 2004. I think the truth is Rogers hosed up and reported something on my credit record that didn't actually exists (I terminated my contract and paid the ETF, so the balance should have been $0) but the CF wants me to explain what happened, why, and how it won't happen again. The proper way to do it I think would be to contact Rogers and figure out what happened and get it removed. But I think the CF just wants the letter from me to tick off some checkbox. If I just do the letter to bandaid this problem is it going to affect me later on?
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May 13, 2010 07:58
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Man I miss the days of QL2 and QL3. I feel like an old timer or something. The only thing you'll find in Wainright are beastly monster women, all the young, intelligent girls have the sense to get the hell out of that place. Also that place hates military, all the redneck trash that does laps on main street will stare you down. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get any time off the way they condense courses these days but usually there's a day before or after the FTX depending on how kind your instructors are and how many people in your platoon arn't bags of poo. Other than that there's really not many extraneous purchases you need to make. The Canex pretty much has everything else you might need. Bring running shoes, and why not, a pair of sandals, sure. Don't bring a lot of civy clothes though, just some shorts and tsshirts and a pair of jeans. And basic toiletries. But again, the Canex has what you need. But I need to stress again, don't gently caress around with the shack rats. It'll bring either stds, or drama or both. Just not worth it, and it's only four weeks.
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May 13, 2010 10:16
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HatSmack posted:What makes artillery so lovely? Hell you might like it, whos to say. I hate it though and so do most of my buddies. There is not one solid reason it sucks, but a bunch of cumulative reasons.
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May 13, 2010 14:43
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Fire Above posted:But I need to stress again, don't gently caress around with the shack rats. It'll bring either stds, or drama or both. Just not worth it, and it's only four weeks. Eight, since I'm doing BMQ and BMQ/L in sequence. But I don't think I'm going to be that desperate. Ever. Fraser CDN posted:If you have any more questions id be glad to answer them. Well, I labelled each and every item of my kit already under the advice of my MCpl. Anything I should be looking at doing in the month before? Apart from making sure I have all my poo poo stowed in duffel bags that are readily identifiable, and making sure all of the poo poo I'm supposed to have by the kit list is there, of course.
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May 13, 2010 20:01
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Canuck-Errant posted:Eight, since I'm doing BMQ and BMQ/L in sequence. But I don't think I'm going to be that desperate. Ever. Just make sure everything fits. Even stuff you wont need to wear( change parade YAY!). Also get one of the more experienced guys to help you set your ruck to your back (not really needed but helps alot when your carrying more then the basic training weight). My ruck was in poo poo state in basic. After basic i learned how to set a ruck up properly and it helped a lot. Make sure you have a waist strap on your ruck. Basic isn't hard. Just don't over think it and make sure you are semi fit for it.
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May 13, 2010 23:11
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Yeah, seriously, don't overthink basic. It's only people who are really just NOT AT ALL CUT OUT for military life that will  ) an arty officer.
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May 14, 2010 06:46
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Simkin posted:Yeah, seriously, don't overthink basic. It's only people who are really just NOT AT ALL CUT OUT for military life that will We had a dyslexic person who is now artillery . I also had a person that failed the topo test 3 times and is Arty.
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May 14, 2010 07:03
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Man, I traded a trench for a desk, and I loving hate it. when I get back to my unit I want PLQ and/or HUMINT and/or interrogator, or else I'll go back into the infantry, at any cost. I might even release and rejoin when they re-open infantry. gently caress this remf horseshit.
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