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Does anyone have any insight on what kind of direction the infantry is going to be taking now that Afghanistan's winding down? Honestly, I go away to basic early next month but I'm wondering if there's going as be much training/field exercises as there is now when I finally get to my battalion.
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Jun 21, 2011 04:09
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Cojac posted:Does anyone have any insight on what kind of direction the infantry is going to be taking now that Afghanistan's winding down? Maybe less? With 2RCR at least, right now our workup training doesn't start till after Aug and summer leave is done. And we are supposed to be heading over in Feb/March next year. I'm still amazed you somehow managed to get in the infantry. They are basically throwing soldiers offers to leave all the time, and kicking out problem soldiers easier to try and get our numbers down. And at least for rifle companies, field ex's are usually pretty loving lovely and never that fun.
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Jun 22, 2011 10:50
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Believe me, nobody was more surprised than me. I was originally trying to get into combat engineer, but when it closed I figured I was screwed this year. Queue the recruiting centre calling and offering me an infantry position. 
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Jun 22, 2011 20:19
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Cojac posted:Queue the recruiting centre calling and offering me an infantry position. Thats weird, from everyone I talk to infantry is closed. Did you have infantry on your choices list?
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Jun 22, 2011 21:38
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I was at the Vancouver recruiting office yesterday and I heard them say that both Infantry and Infantry Officer were open and accepting applications. There were 2 guys writing the CFAT who were applying for Infantry as well.
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Jun 22, 2011 21:49
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It's a sign of the way things are going at this point if a branch that was far overborne a year ago is accepting members again. My unit is bleeding members left and right, and based on how busy the release section is right now there are a lot of similar cases (everyone in my "getting out of the army" seminar was either retiring or infantry). I don't want to be a damper on your future, and I really hope you enjoy your time in the military, however we're not going in a good direction.
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Jun 22, 2011 22:37
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Fraser CDN posted:Thats weird, from everyone I talk to infantry is closed. Did you have infantry on your choices list? It was my second choice. It would have been my first, but I went with combat engineer since I was told there was only going to be thirty spots for infantry this year. I actually ended up interviewing for the infantry because combat engineer filled up while I waited for an interview and medical. acumen" posted:I don't want to be a damper on your future, and I really hope you enjoy your time in the military, however we're not going in a good direction. That's kind of the impression I'm starting to get from what I've heard. I'm just hoping to learn as much I can from the people who've been on tours while they're still around. Cojac fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Jun 22, 2011 |
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Jun 22, 2011 23:45
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Well, my O group today said that 200 positions are getting cut from the infantry and they're taking away PLD and LDA effective 1 April. And like acumen said, the infantry is hemorrhaging dudes. I am one such dude. So yeah, as much as I love the poo poo out of my regiment, I think now is the perfect time to abandon ship. I'll see them all again if we go to war, but other than that, I'm hanging up my boots and I encourage you to do the same.
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Jun 23, 2011 01:08
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Cojac posted:That's kind of the impression I'm starting to get from what I've heard. I'm just hoping to learn as much I can from the people who've been on tours while they're still around. This is a good attitude, and at least you have this opportunity. All of our senior members had no combat-experienced people to look up to and learn from when they were young and it can really show sometimes. Don't be one of the guys who gets to battalion and shuts down because nothing's going on. There's lots of very valuable courses and other training opportunities such as CFSAC and the Cambrian Patrol that can really benefit your career and yourself if you push yourself hard enough to make it on the team/course and do well. Just because we aren't going to war doesn't mean you can't work hard and try to be a better soldier and human being. Morristron - I've heard rumours of the LDA cut. What unit are you? We haven't received any formal word on it yet.
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Jun 23, 2011 01:14
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As far as PLD goes, there hasn't been any official word yet so take anything you hear with a grain of salt. Even if it is cancelled (and I will admit its looking very likely), the decision will be highly political (and likely to be overturned) and there will likely be some type of replacement, albeit probably less money. And I thought they were just replacing LDA with a daily field pay like it used to be?
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Jun 23, 2011 01:38
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acumen: I'm with 1VP. And correction to my last on the number of positions being cut from the infantry. I left out a zero. So that's 2000. Now, we all know how the rumor mill is, but usually poo poo that comes down in official O-group format is pretty legit. It's only occasionally that made up poo poo leaks in.
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Jun 23, 2011 01:57
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Man alive that's a whole lot of infantry getting the boot. Add that to the rumors I've been hearing from just about every reserve artillery unit that they're trying to retire the guns and put in medium mortars, it's a weird direction they're pushing towards. Well, weird as in super-mobile.
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Jun 23, 2011 12:33
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The next couple of years are going to suck for the CF in general. For myself, there were no live fire EXs, no WES gear, not even simunition for the past year. Just blanks, blanks and more blanks aside from the yearly BFT/range shoots. The golden age of Hillier's New Army is definitely over. And that's kind of hosed up MA-Horus. I've got a few friends in 2 Field I'll be taunting mercilessly if true. "You have no guns. You can't cook and you won't get naked. What are you even good for?"
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Jun 23, 2011 15:28
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Still has a long, long way to go down before it gets anywhere near as bad as when I joined (97)
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Jun 23, 2011 15:37
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Oh absolutely. During the 90'S they shut down the infantry units in Montreal and told guys not to show up until told otherwise. That lasted 2 years.
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Jun 23, 2011 15:44
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I've been considering comissioning myself as an officer in the naval forces, do you think the post-afghani situation will be better/worse/so-so considering that after the F-35s the Conservatives want to push through their naval overhaul program?
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Jun 23, 2011 18:30
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Do the Canadian Forces still offer that remedial fitness/fat camp option for goon recruits?
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Jun 23, 2011 18:33
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SpaceMost posted:Do the Canadian Forces still offer that remedial fitness/fat camp option for goon recruits? It was there when I went through 3 years ago, and when my brother was on it 2 years ago. I think they have made the standards more strict. You have to do a minimum ( below the minimum requirements) to stay.
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Jun 23, 2011 19:30
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Nine of Eight posted:I've been considering comissioning myself as an officer in the naval forces, do you think the post-afghani situation will be better/worse/so-so considering that after the F-35s the Conservatives want to push through their naval overhaul program? Depending what kind of naval officer you won't have much luck. Ship-driving types (MARS) have a seriously backlogged training system and I can't say for sure if they took anyone off the street this year outside of ROTP. There is limited sea-time with the ships going through the upgrades, so now is arguably a terrible time to become a MARS officer. I just spent several months on course with a bunch of them so that's fairly straight from the horse's mouth. I don't know the situation for engineering types (CSE/MSE). Recruiting is outrageously competitive overall right now, so expecting to wander in to a RC with degree in hand and wandering out with a commission is wishful thinking. People are literally waiting years. edit:  
compressioncut fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Jun 23, 2011 |
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Jun 23, 2011 20:25
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Fraser CDN posted:It was there when I went through 3 years ago, and when my brother was on it 2 years ago. I think they have made the standards more strict. You have to do a minimum ( below the minimum requirements) to stay. As far as I know men under 35 have to do 4 pushups and get a 3.5 on the shuttle run to qualify for the fitness camp. I really don't know how anyone planning to join the military could fail that, but apparently some do.
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Jun 23, 2011 20:30
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I hope everyone ordered their yukon hat. December is too long to wait...
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Jun 23, 2011 20:46
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compressioncut posted:Recruiting is outrageously competitive overall right now, so expecting to wander in to a RC with degree in hand and wandering out with a commission is wishful thinking. People are literally waiting years. I've never been quite clear on the whole 'In Demand' thing on the recruiting website, and now they've added an 'Accepting Applications' column as well. How is it people are waiting years for officer slots if, say, the infantry is bleeding men like another poster suggested?
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Jun 23, 2011 20:55
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50 points...and it looks like it has mange
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Jun 23, 2011 20:55
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acumen posted:
On CATCC this year, Lt. Gen Lesie spoke in front of the entire 2RCR battalion and said it's as good as gone, they are only trying to figure out how to implement old school field pay again.
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Jun 23, 2011 21:10
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SpaceMost posted:Do you mean 'overall' as in the Navy, or in the Canadian Forces? Bluntly, "in demand" is code for job no one wants to apply for or stay in for one reason or another. Accepting applications is what it means, but a lot of jobs have very few spots available (like, fewer than 10 across the country) and many, many applicants. The recruiting site is also not real-time, so even though it says accepting applications, the slots may have been filled already. Infantry is/was overmanned and had to lose people, but new people still have to be recruited to keep the career cycle going. Compared to the size of the trade, the recruiting numbers are very low.
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Jun 23, 2011 21:18
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Freeze posted:As far as I know men under 35 have to do 4 pushups and get a 3.5 on the shuttle run to qualify for the fitness camp. I really don't know how anyone planning to join the military could fail that, but apparently some do. There was a man (male aged 18+) on my BMQ who literally couldn't do a single proper one. I couldn't believe it, and he wasn't even remotely fat. Also he had naked pictures of his underage girlfriend in his Quran (he was white, this made for amusing inspections). Hizawk posted:On CATCC this year, Lt. Gen Lesie spoke in front of the entire 2RCR battalion and said it's as good as gone, they are only trying to figure out how to implement old school field pay again. This could be good or bad. Fortunately for me I'll only be in the army three hours a week instead of 168 come August 
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Jun 23, 2011 21:46
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compressioncut posted:Infantry is/was overmanned and had to lose people, but new people still have to be recruited to keep the career cycle going. Compared to the size of the trade, the recruiting numbers are very low. Should have applied for MARS when it was listed as 'in demand' last year.
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Jun 23, 2011 23:08
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acumen posted:This could be good or bad. Fortunately for me I'll only be in the army three hours a week instead of 168 come August Nice.
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Jun 23, 2011 23:25
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SpaceMost posted:That's a shame. I've been getting in much better shape but at this point I'd still end up in Warrior Fitness or whatever it's called. I just graduated university and wouldn't want to enlist as an NCM. I don't think that makes me a very attractive candidate! If you had done that you'd be right in the huge pack of trainees right now that are gonna have to struggle for the sea time to get their ticket. I don't know what your goals are but there are many cool NCM trades. Communicator Research Operator in particular stands out. Gay but Spooky fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Jun 23, 2011 |
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Jun 23, 2011 23:28
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The Amputee House posted:I don't know what your goals are but there are many cool NCM trades. Communicator Research Operator in particular stands out. That sounds extremely unpatriotic. Anyway, I'd much rather keep getting in shape so I can ace the physical and survive basic training. 
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Jun 23, 2011 23:44
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SpaceMost posted:There are a ton of NCM trades I'd be interested in, but I was told its nigh-impossible to become an officer once you enlist as an NCM. I'm not so gung-ho about the military that I'd forgo being an officer just to serve at all, especially now that I have my uni degree. I'm not sure how it works, but there is a way to get commissioned as a Sgt+. I believe you need to be recommended and pass some tests or something, but as long as you're not dumb it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Also what makes you want to be an officer so much? From the outside looking in, it seems to be a very unique clique of "sunshine and rainbows and exciting training" that most NCMs are already tired of or jaded from. This seems to be because the turnaround time for officers is staggeringly fast. In the longest time I've held the same position, four years, I had gone through over four platoon commanders (even though my subunit doesn't require a platoon commander), five OCs, and three COs. That's not even including the plethora of other officers that have been in and out of my battalion. This results in a bright shiny new face every few months that wants to "change things" and "do cool stuff" which can be tiresome. Also they're just weird. That sort of ended up as a rant but I didn't intend it to be. The infantry at least seems to be even more overborne on officers than NCMs, and I guess it's just a result of the circumstances. If you're joining the military to lead men or whatever you'll more than likely make a bigger difference as an NCM.
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Jun 24, 2011 00:07
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The Amputee House posted:I hope everyone ordered their yukon hat. December is too long to wait... Thank gently caress for this thread, otherwise I would not have found out about this amazing hat acumen posted:I'm not sure how it works, but there is a way to get commissioned as a Sgt+. I believe you need to be recommended and pass some tests or something, but as long as you're not dumb it shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's Mbdr and above but you need to get a university degree within 7 years. If you're a MWO you can commission straight to Capt. 10, but to get above that you need a degree. My Spirit Otter fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Jun 24, 2011 |
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Jun 24, 2011 00:12
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acumen posted:Also what makes you want to be an officer so much?
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Jun 24, 2011 00:36
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SpaceMost posted:Salary and ~*~prestige~*~. But mostly salary. 1)No sentry in the field 2)You get treated like a human 3)Instead of sweeping and mopping the floors every three hours beacuse they can't find something for you to do, you do some paperwork 4)No sentry in the field, sentry sucks dicks
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Jun 24, 2011 00:50
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My Spirit Otter posted:It's Mbdr and above but you need to get a university degree within 7 years. If you're a MWO you can commission straight to Capt. 10, but to get above that you need a degree. I'm pretty sure you guys are talking about different programs - acumen I think means the old, old program where you could come in as a Sgt off the street. It wasn't popular for obvious reasons and doesn't exist anymore. You are talking about CFR which is for Sgt+ and "outstanding MCpls," and you commission in to an occupation related to your trade (Inf soldier to Inf officer for instance, not pilot or something)
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Jun 24, 2011 00:55
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compressioncut posted:I'm pretty sure you guys are talking about different programs - acumen I think means the old, old program where you could come in as a Sgt off the street. It wasn't popular for obvious reasons and doesn't exist anymore. You are talking about CFR which is for Sgt+ and "outstanding MCpls," and you commission in to an occupation related to your trade (Inf soldier to Inf officer for instance, not pilot or something) We must be, but it's definitely not for exceptional MCpls. I know this from experience
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Jun 24, 2011 01:19
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If you're going into basic training and worried about your fitness level start doing crossfit/P90x and get someone to watch your pushups. The PSP staff who grade what a proper push up is are really strict when it comes to form. You can have your chest touch the ground on the way down and still be told you aren't going low enough. I failed my pushups one the first PT test in basic because I didn't realise what I was doing wrong, got it corrected and did 40 on the second one. You'd honestly be surprised how difficult it is to do 19 PSP pushups, especially if you don't know what they expect. For the shuttle run you can find an audio version of it online and run at a football field. Grip test and situps are impossible to fail. Make sure you get in shape before basic or you will wind up loving your troopmates over. I'm a Sapper in 7 working days. gently caress yeah.
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Jun 24, 2011 01:59
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acumen posted:Also they're just weird. Oh trust me, it's all sunshine and rainbows on the inside, too. Politicking and paperwork is exactly what I signed up for. The good idea fairy visits all officers, but many are more susceptible to thinking that they should act upon such thoughts - mainly those at the rank of Maj or who hail from RMC. The turnaround time thing sucks dick, because you get shuttle on/posted out of Bn faster than you can learn your job, and most of the shuffling between positions is just to get everyone a tick in a box, rather than to employ people in something that they could actually be useful at. Sometimes it's worth it, and I'm sure I'll have a different view once I actually get a platoon - as it stands, there's enough of us that new guys coming in to Bn have to sit around as basically a warm blooded lovely-administrative paperwork magnet. So, yeah, if you want to lead dudes, go be an NCM, put in your years, be a grizzled as gently caress Sgt, with 10x as many war and gently caress stories as any of us on the other side of the fence. If, on the other hand, you love Microsoft Outlook and Powerpoint, and give a gently caress about whether your correspondence is all in TIMES NEW ROMAN(!) 10 font, with two spaces, properly indented, and OH GOD WHERE IS MY STAPLER... Umm, yeah, join us.
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Jun 24, 2011 02:10
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Simkin posted:So, yeah, if you want to lead dudes, go be an NCM, put in your years, be a grizzled as gently caress Sgt, with 10x as many war and gently caress stories as any of us on the other side of the fence. 
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Jun 24, 2011 02:31
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My Spirit Otter posted:sentry sucks dicks I, for one, enjoy chatting with the coleman stove at 03:00 AM. 
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Jun 24, 2011 04:00
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