# FTX stories



## ryanmann356

I was wondering if anyone had any FTX stories they would like to share.  I remember once on an FTX at CFB Chilliwack me and a buddy had to camouflage ourselves and hide from the other cadets.  Me and my friend were stalking around the south end of our Biv site when we both got stuck in barbed wire that was lying on the ground (nearly impossible to see in the dark) we both had quite a laugh trying to untangle ourselves.  In the end none of the cadets could find us although they did come close, we were both able to untangle ourselves and move out right before a squad moved through the area.  Luckily for us we managed to escape with only a few scrapes and some tears in our combats  lol.   :warstory:


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## p_imbeault

Ah here is one of my favorites:

It twas my first year in Army Cadets. I had been in for about three months and I was twelve at the time. Anyway it was my first FTX and we were all at Lessard Lake. We had all settled in for the night, and the officers were all snoring up in the loft. Now we had this "Hardcore" Sgt, and after all the cadets had settled down he yells out "STEAM ROLLER"; we had everyone sleeping in two rows, and he rolled over all the cadets. This Sgt was by no means small either. It took another hour for everyone to shutup and go to sleep and all the while the officers continued to snore away.


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## condor888000

We had one bush way back. It was my verry first bush, and it was at the end of June. SO we were sleeping outside in tents, and one guy decided to set his tent up in a little depression. Yes he was a tool. So anyway, that night it starts to rain. By rain I mean monsoon. We likely get about 10-15 cm of rain. Around 4 am, a Sgt was sent aroud to check if everyone was still dry and ok. So the Sgt goes up to this guys tent, and just talks to him through the tent to see if hes ok, dry, etc. The guy wakes up, and rolls over. Off his air matress. That was floating in several cm's of water. He was just a bit wet after that........


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## Riley_cadet

Well, on my first FTX... maybe three weeks after I enlisted... Me and my Corps headed to A camp called Peacehaven. WE set up in a small building...Males on one side, females on the other...the building was split in two by a small kitchen. So... On the first day...we did the basics, like camcon ( camouflage concealment), Day navigation, and Night Navigations... A fun part of the first day was playing tackle football...with the officers... My poor CO... ;D... Anyway, the next day, our three platoons were doing this thing in a forest... there was 1 platoon, that for some reason set up on a ridge in prone, above a little opening in the forest, that had sort of a net connected to four trees that you were supposed to make your way over... My platoon was 2 platoon. We were the first to go over the net... As we progressed after climbing...We heard a whistle... And then heard one of our Warrant Officers scream AMBUSH! We saw 1 platoon charge over the ridge and plow us down, while the Warrant laughed...But this guy is huge. If he were to come down into the ambush, someone could have broke their neck  So, anyway our two platoons both set up on the ridge, more spread out this time, with a scout to the left (where the other platoon would come from) once the scout saw the 3rd platoon come down the small hill, he passed the warning on to a cadet, who passed it on all the way to the SGT at the end of the ridge... As you could probably guess... We all ambushed the 3rd platoon... So... Then we all went back to the biv site... And it was about 5 O'Clock by then...So we ate our IMP's... And chilled out for a bit...did some PT, and then it was about 8 olock... We play a game of capture the flag in the forest... It was dark...really dark... And my platoon was broken up, so my squad had only 5 cadets. We set up our flag in a tree, ( the flags were actually glowsticks) about 4 feet up. And the tree was kinda a cross splint in half, and there was a branch about two feet off the ground that a cadet hid under...right beside the flag, but out of sight... I set up in a bunch of tall grass, near one of the entry points to the flag. A warrant sat up against a tree...kinda not that covered but that's ok... Another cadet was about 10 yards away from us, under this huge bush...at another entry point. The other two cadets were attacking...unfortunately, we lost a SGT, but our MCPL came back and in his hands...a glowstick  :threat: It was fun, and being just introduced to the whole Cadet thing, it was pretty damn fun



You just read what was My first FTX...boring but I had to write something!


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## Burrows

Ouch, my paragraphs.


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## q_1966

We ran into a bear on our wilderness survival ex.   we would of survived really well if we could of killed, skinned it, gutted it, cooked it and eaten it etc. ...well if we knew how to do those things.


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## ryanmann356

thats the kind of stuff that would make cadets a little better.  Find ur own food no MREs (meals rejected by Ethiopians)


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## ouyin2000

That's what we do sometimes.

We hide their meals and other cooking equipment out somewhere, and they need to find it all by using their map and compass skills.


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## Slim

ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> thats the kind of stuff that would make cadets a little better.   Find ur own food no MREs (meals rejected by Ethiopians)



Don't tell me...They feed cadets food meant for real soldiers too!? And you complain about it...

I wonder if some soldier in A'stan, tired and hot as hell, whines about MRE's?! If he does I would say that he's earned the right to...

But as for you people...I smell the poser meter starting to climb...


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## Burrows

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> We hide their meals and other cooking equipment out somewhere, and they need to find it all by using their map and compass skills.


Of course being politically correct you have spares incase they can't.


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## ouyin2000

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> Of course being politically correct you have spares incase they can't.


Of course, we save the Hamsteak meals for those cadets who don't find their food


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## Burrows

You're a horrible person Mr. Forbes


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## patt

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> That's what we do sometimes.
> 
> We hide their meals and other cooking equipment out somewhere, and they need to find it all by using their map and compass skills.



they did that to us in my CL year, it got everyone motivated until they realized they changed the points without telling us..


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## Conquistador

I've gots lots of stories, some good, some bad.

Good example, 2-3 weeks ago, our corps went out on an abseiling ex, with some of the newest recruits. As some of you may know, there is always gonna be a cadet that either doesn't want to go down, or gets all hooked up, gets to the edge, and then quits. Well, we had one new recruit, who decided to get hooked up and quit..... 4 times in a row.

On my second "graduation dive" after I got my Open Water Diver certification, we went and dove the Chippawa river in Niagra Falls. The first dive was kinds crappy, I only saw rocks, and golf balls, and the current was really slow, because the power generator at the end of the river had slowed the current for some reason, so I had to fin it down the river. The second dive, however, was far more intersting. The current had picked up, a LOT. By the time I got to the bottom, we had reached the remains of an old demolished bridge. This is pretty dangerous, you're clipping along pretty fast, and since the visibility wasn't that great, you only had about 1 second to avoid something one you saw it. My and my buddy were connected via a buddy line, a piece of rope about 6 feet long tied to out buoyancy compensators. We had just avoided a huge concrete pillar, and both looking down to make sure we didn't hit any metal or rocks, when a metal gurter, sticking straight up popped out of nowhere. Right in between me and my buddy, with our buddy line right in the middle. You could probably imagine what would happen next, but the strong current, and the 100 or so pounds of dive gear we had on made it extremely difficult to get out of this. I couldn't go back upstream, and get around this gurter, and I couldn't surface, because there's tons of boat traffic around, so I ended up pulling out my knife and cutting the line. That was pretty scary when I was happening, but now that I think about it, it's pretty funny.


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## Nicolas

Disclaimer: Do not attempt.

Here's a story:

On the first ftx's in my second year of cadets we had quite a bit of rain, but still had fire picket going. Well on the second evening the fire was giving up on us, because all the wood was soaked from the previous night and my poor Sgt and another cadet got stuck with the first shift. Time for lights out so I head to the eighty pounder tent and begin getting ready to sleep peacefully when everyone was quite except for the people on picket. I heard the distinguishable sound of fuel cans bang together a few times. I didn't think much of it but decided to look out the tent flap to what was happening, suddenly flames literally shot up 10 feet or maybe more into the air and I heard the sound of gas exploding. The whole biv site was lit up. After the flames died down the fire was going strong and I see my CO pop out of her tent to investitage. The excuse I heard from my Sgt was "I just threw some birch bark on top!" He was told about something called demotion and that he didn't want to experience it. One thing I learned: Naphta is very flamable.


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## ouyin2000

oh geeze....you're supposed to put the fuel on the fire BEFORE you light it...or the flames can travel back up the stream into the can and explode.


*PS* you're not actually supposed to use fuel to start a fire


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## Jonny Boy

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> oh geeze....you're supposed to put the fuel on the fire BEFORE you light it...or the flames can travel back up the stream into the can and explode.



ha i made that mistake once. it wasn't a cadet ftx but it was me and a friend doing some winter camping. you should of seen the look on my face. it was a America's funniest home video's moment


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## sgt_mandal

Back in the days of LAC Mandal...or was it Cpl Mandal..o well...it was a while ago....I was playing with dead tree. The tree was pretty big and really heavy. It fell (tawrds me). I pushed it away while it was falling. That was the first time i heard any staff swear. "JESUS CHRIST!! YOU ALMOST LOST YOUR ******* LIFE!!".....that was more scary than the log almost falling on me lol....


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## yoman

One of my Warrant Officers stepped on a porcupine. Good laughs after that. The same FTX, one of the FSGT at the time walks in too a close line and falls backwards. Then a WO2 at the time puts his foot on a picnic table just for the wood beam not nailed on comes up and hits him in the face.

That and everybody thinking I'm an officer because I'm tall (6,3) and wearing OD's during the night game. That was one strange night of capture the flag from the seniors for me.

One night we wear going to sleep in a semi permanent tent at Connaught. We turn off the lights, 5 - 10 minutes later one of the cadets in my tent starts shaking like he is having a seizure. We try to wake him up, so we touch him and he wakes up and yells something random out. So we go get an officer bla bla. So the next night hes starts shaking again, so we go get a Sgt to show him. The Sgt shakes him to wake him up when cadet bloggins wakes up and yelling  "You ******* Nazi!!! Funny thing is he had no idea of what he did.  The Sgt just standing there, caries on with making sure hes ok.

That was the funniest thing I have ever seen at cadets.


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## patt

WO2_mandal said:
			
		

> Back in the days of LAC Mandal...or was it Cpl Mandal..o well...it was a while ago....I was playing with dead tree. The tree was pretty big and really heavy. It fell (tawrds me). I pushed it away while it was falling. That was the first time i heard any staff swear. "JESUS CHRIST!! YOU ALMOST LOST YOUR ******* LIFE!!".....that was more scary than the log almost falling on me lol....



wow i herd CIC's swear at us when we were at camp alot of times..then treating to tell Paul what we "did"


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## sgt_mandal

Seeing as how in the air element of things, one strives to be "an officer and a gentlman" as it were, swearing would not be in ones common vocabulary .


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## yoman

WO2_mandal said:
			
		

> Seeing as how in the air element of things, one strives to be *"an officer and a gentlman*" as it were, swearing would not be in ones common vocabulary .



Oh boy Mandal, that's pretty sad. But your right, I don't think they swear once in that movie if I remember correctly  ;D


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## condor888000

Well, just got back from an ftx.........we had one cadet who was running around the 5 man tents we had set up when playing capture the flag. Trips over one of the ropes holding it up, trips over a second, trips over a third, sprawls on top of a fourth and lands on top of the flag. That was an interesting way to end the game.....and one of our gentleman officers scared the heck out of the cadets. Didn't even have to raise his voice a little bit. And boy did he have a good reason, when cadets are trying to hit a FSgt(me) in the eye with a thrown pen, seems pretty justifiable. That was an interesting night last night.....as I was the only NCO out of ~40 cadets in the barracks. Most of them level 1s. Not fun.


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## Nicolas

WO2_mandal said:
			
		

> Back in the days of LAC Mandal...or was it Cpl Mandal..o well...it was a while ago....I was playing with dead tree. The tree was pretty big and really heavy. It fell (tawrds me). I pushed it away while it was falling. That was the first time i heard any staff swear. "JESUS CHRIST!! YOU ALMOST LOST YOUR ******* LIFE!!".....that was more scary than the log almost falling on me lol....



LOL, this just made me remember a scary moment for one of my cadets.

He was pushing a dead tree, but it didn't fall over... the tip just broke and came down and landed right beside him sticking into the gound. I just turned and walked away pretending not to have seen anything.


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## ouyin2000

Nicolas said:
			
		

> I just turned and walked away pretending not to have seen anything.


And you didn't correct him why?


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## ryanmann356

jeeze even I know not to pour gas on a fire straight from the can!!  When I was on a family camping trip i used to just fill up plastic cups with white gas when the fire got small and throw it on.  But I remember once on an exercise in Vernon one of our small party taskings in the field was to clean an area that was quarantined.  They gave us those water backpacks with the water nozzle.  Me and my buddies were carrying these and pretending they were rifles yelling out "THIS REMINDS ME OF VIETNAM!!" and screwing around.  There was this abandoned car in the middle of this field so my friends and I started "shooting" the car and yelling "VC VC!! fire at will!!!"  It was one of those things you do when your bored in the field lol. :warstory:


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## Nicolas

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> And you didn't correct him why?



I know he had learnt his lesson. It's called self disapline.


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## Burrows

Your spelling lacks discipline.


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## ouyin2000

Nicolas said:
			
		

> I just turned and walked away pretending not to have seen anything.


And this instills self discipline, how?


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## Burrows

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> And this instills self discipline, how?


  Clearly, by not correcting the cadet, he will show his friends and they will learn not to do it when he gets crushed.


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## ouyin2000

At the loss of a cadet's life or limb(s), which a responsible senior NCO should not allow


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## condor888000

No matter how much you wish it would happen.


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## Nicolas

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> And this instills self discipline, how?



Self-discipline comes from within, so by learning from his mistake he will control his own actions and conduct himself in a way to not do it again. In this situation it was clear to me that this cadet saw that it was wrong and would not do it again. Yes you are right in other/most situations you do have to "instill" it.


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## Burrows

Nicolas said:
			
		

> Self-discipline comes from within, so by learning from his mistake he will control his own actions and conduct himself in a way to not do it again. In this situation it was clear to me that this cadet saw that it was wrong and would not do it again. Yes you are right in other/most situations you do have to "instill" it.


  Sorry, but I'm of the belief that most 12 year olds will think "COOL! Lets do that again!" not "Oh no, I almost died!"


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## ouyin2000

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> Sorry, but I'm of the belief that most 12 year olds will think "COOL! Lets do that again!" not "Oh no, I almost died!"


Not just 12 year olds, I know a lot of cadets in general that are senior NCOs in their corps, who would say the same thing.


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## Burrows

Hell, even my officers do that sometimes


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## Jonny Boy

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> heck, even my officers do that sometimes



heh heh i even do that sometimes. not during cadet time but on my own time. some people have said they are surprised i am still alive. ;D


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## Nicolas

Yeah, you could be right, however, I hope your not for the cadet's sake.


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## q_1966

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> That's what we do sometimes.
> 
> We hide their meals and other cooking equipment out somewhere, and they need to find it all by using their map and compass skills.



This wasnt an ex. like that, 

it was a you have to survive off the land type of ex. (good idea in theory) but didnt work out to well as our knowledge in the subject was limited to Pineneedle tea, Boiled birch bark and dandelion greens. and most of the plants in the books were out of season (ie: Saskatoon Berries and Rosehips...or we couldnt find them) and if you dug up an earthworm, you didnt think twice about eating it, you did it (although their better eaten dead because they dont try to wriggle there way back up) anyways we had our own breakfast and scavage what we could for lunch & dinner (lessons during lunch like how to rub to sticks together to make a fire (I dont know how survivorman does it) and towards the late afternoon/evening we had to set up our own biv, find supper and sleep the night (we were given a very limited survival kit like a Knife, whistle, matches, hatchet and a 2-way radio) and me and my buddy had set up our site and just about got everything squared away when another 2 people went through our camp site and said they saw a bear, i told prevost who was nearby gatering firewood to get on the radio, we all evac. our campsite I went with the RSM and we ran into the bear, anyways, we backed up slowly and all was safe and went back to main camp on a different route and "Bugged out" our main Camp and slept the rest of the night at the armouries.


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## Burrows

Something tells me putting "Cadets will nourish themselves by gnawing on trees" on an OPSO, wouldn't help it get cleared by the region.


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## sgt_mandal

The ants in Nova Scotia taste like vinegar. The ants in Bagotville taste like watermelon. The ants on the front porch of my house taste like....well....ant...


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## ryanmann356

trees are too good for them.  They can get sustinance from feasting on burnt fire wood and drinking Naptha.  haha j/k


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## q_1966

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> Something tells me putting "Cadets will nourish themselves by gnawing on trees" on an OPSO, wouldn't help it get cleared by the region.



The pine needle tea dosent taste to bad and actually gives you quite a bit of energy

The spirit of the ex was how to survive without any rations (because when your lost, you will eventually run out of the regular food you brought with you)...and then what will you do?

Modified for spelling


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## futuresoldier

1 thing I love about FTX's: watching recruits eat IMP's for the first time!


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## Burrows

The first IMP I ever had was horrible.  Can we say ham steak?

I love my IMPs now..I look forward to eating them.  And the bread..its amazing.


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## yoman

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> The first IMP I ever had was horrible.  Can we say ham steak?
> 
> I love my IMPs now..I look forward to eating them.  And the bread..its amazing.



I heard some interesting stories about the bread. I have had it and it is good. The story was that this one cadet had the bread and it expanded in his stomach causing huge stomach pains.


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## Cpl.K Soomro

At SIC we were doing the navigation excercise. our first stop was at a couple of virgin porta potties. my friend said he needed to take a dump, as he put it. this would have held us up and jepeordized our position in the race. but we didn't care and held ourselves up even more by shaking the porta potties, dumping precious water in there. he came out so mad he moon the group in front of us!


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## medic65726

I know over the years they've developed new IMPs, but htese were a few I remember (some not so fondly).
Beans & Weiners, Ham Omlette (don't even ask), Salisbury Steak, Hungarian Goulash, Beef Stew, Ravioli....no idea if these are still around......haven't had any in 10 years
Cherry Cake as a desert.......basically take a crummy tasting piece of cake, and compress it unti lit fits in a foil container...................


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## ryanmann356

the worst is the ham steak in mustard sauce.  Spam and watery mustard.  The Baked Cherry desert is the worst desert by far.  You take a couple cherries, deep fry it in super glue, package it and feed it to the GIs.  the meatballs were the best they were so good.  I remember in Vernon I got scalloped potatoes and ham; spam and chunks of "potato" every morning for the five day FTX...yummy....


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## futuresoldier

My first IMP: Hash browns and pineapple, and the cherry surprise.
TERRIBLE!

My second IMP: Meatballs and gravy, just-add-water rice, grape drink crystals, and "fresh" cherries.
This is amazing! That night I woke up with my mouth watering. MEATBALLS ROCK!


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## q_1966

The first Imps i ever ate was at Roche lake (some of you guys in the interior will remember that multi-corps ex) in 02 or 03 and i had the Chicken Ala King and the "Dreaded" Baked Cherry Desert, i still say it looks and taste's like a squished fruit cake.


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## Burrows

Tastes like it was made a few too many christmases ago.


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## futuresoldier

Yes, I think i've had that before. It looks like some fruit squished into an old chunk of bread. It is very hard and must have some kind of "super glue" inside it. Yuck!


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## ryanmann356

ah yes but who could forget the wonderful constipation brick AKA the bread.  Wow eat some of that and you wont have to worry about finding a latrine hole for the whole ex.  ;D


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## ouyin2000

Papke said:
			
		

> ...the "Dreaded" Baked Cherry Desert, i still say it looks and taste's like a squished fruit cake.


FRISBEE!!! ;D :rofl:


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## sgt_mandal

Best desert is that gooey chocolate one...o man....that thing is like heavan after a looooong time with no food...


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## KueflerVictor

on my last FTX i was on we had a night op with another corps.  our corps would try to infiltrate the others in the dead of night.  leading up to the op was interesting unto itself.  we were showing the cadets how to apply camo (it was around 20:00 h, so it was dark out)when one cadet got fed up of try to be neat and promtly emptied the camo tube (colour forest green) and slaped that onto his face.  there was so much camo there that he managed to cam up his hair and about the top half of his body(this was a smaller cadet) :brickwall:.  after all the camo was finished we proceded with the night op.  my squad was to travel down the road and test the perimeter while another whent around the back.  the other corps was pretty good but my squad managed to make it into their base and about 50m from the objective. the other didnt have the luck that my squad did. one of our officers had fired off a flare in the wrong area to attract attention.  it worked real well but he happened to fire it not 10m from the other squad and giving away their position.  in the mean while my team managed to reach the other side of the objective(a bell on a porch on a building) we were on the other side of the building when the other corps officers thought that the game should end because some of their cadets were falling asleep.  so they called it quits. :brickwall: it was now about 23:30.  so it was a good time to wrap it up .  this is a good night op if you have a cops of 30 cadets or more :threat:  :bullet:


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## Sgt. Migs

AHHH i have sooo many FTX stories lol
i'll tell my most recent one

well it was October and this is my first year as a Senior, so i got more fun out of it. so the seniors had to go on a night route-march...aka going for a walk somewhere lol. so we started out, and just kept walking along the roads, my WO planned out this whole outing behind the Officers, well told them one story, but had other ideas. so yeah, we were walking for about an hour and got to an Old mine. we had to climb this huge cliff..in the dark, and well we had 2 civilian instructors with us, but they're cool and didnt rat on us. and we broke into the Mine...our WO had everything, he stashed food, drinks, cd player, music...everything in there...but we just decided to explore the mine..and we did...and when we got REALLY deep into the mine we hear something on the radio...its our CO....WO WEATHERBY! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU? IM ON THE MAIN ROAD, GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!!...we ran as fast as we could, and well..we went somewhere up the path, so it looked like we just went for a walk down it, our CO just looked at us and gave us a lecture on trespassing, but he didnt know we went INTO the mine. when we got back to the biv site...we didnt hear anymore about it...He was just mad that some of us skipped our fire picket duties for the march...oohh boy it was soo fun!! ha ha   ...well yeah, we got back around 130 am and my fire picket was at 2..so of corse i had to wake up for it...ahhh was some good time *thumbs up*


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## Fishbone Jones

yoman said:
			
		

> I heard some interesting stories about the bread. I have had it and it is good. The story was that this one cadet had the bread and it expanded in his stomach causing huge stomach pains.



 It won't happen. The story is bullhockey.



			
				ARMYboi69 said:
			
		

> God, the ham steak is the worst one there is right now   Anything else - Salmon, Egg & Salsa, or any of the other ones aren't as bad in comparison.  Luckily, I was fortunate enough that my first IMP was the Chicken and Rice Caccatoirre (sp?).



The IMP's aren't made to be gourmet meals. They are meant to sustain you in combat ops. Live with it...... or bring your snackees from home for the weekend. Try deploying for a few months with notihng else. Don't whine.



			
				ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> ah yes but who could forget the wonderful constipation brick AKA the bread.  Wow eat some of that and you wont have to worry about finding a latrine hole for the whole ex.  ;D



If you don't poop, it isn't the breads fault. As per the answer above, you just really don't know what your doing with your rations, do you?


> Quote from: Papke on November 14, 2005, 01:36:39
> ...the "Dreaded" Baked Cherry Desert, i still say it looks and taste's like a squished fruit cake.



You really don't know when you have it good, do you? Try being really, truly hungry for a change, then see how you like it.


			
				Sgt. Migs said:
			
		

> we had 2 civilian instructors with us, but they're cool and didnt rat on us. and we broke into the Mine...our WO had everything, he stashed food, drinks, cd player, music...everything in there...but we just decided to explore the mine..and we did...and when we got REALLY deep into the mine we hear something on the radio...its our CO....WO WEATHERBY! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU? IM ON THE MAIN ROAD, GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!!...we ran as fast as we could, and well..we went somewhere up the path, so it looked like we just went for a walk down it, our CO just looked at us and gave us a lecture on trespassing, but he didnt know we went INTO the mine. when we got back to the biv site...we didnt hear anymore about it...He was just mad that some of us skipped our fire picket duties for the march...oohh boy it was soo fun!! ha ha   ...well yeah, we got back around 130 am and my fire picket was at 2..so of corse i had to wake up for it...ahhh was some good time *thumbs up*


And you have trouble understanding why people don't trust Cadets? Your given responsibility, and this is how you repay it? I've worked at a mine. They get abandoned for a reason, and it's not so you can go playing Lord of the Rings in it. 

You guys really have to grow up, if you want to be taken seriously. You post stuff like this in this thread, and ask why you don't get treated with respect on the other threads. Is it really that hard to figure out???


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## dano

With Sgt Migs post.. 

Must have been exciting, but it was wrong.


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## fraken14

ham and steak in mustard sauce has to be the worse IMP ever. got if for my IMP ever but I got peaches for dessert so it wasn't as bad as some ones. :-X The second IMP was beef ravioli which was a major impovement.


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## ryanmann356

Nothings beats staying up all night and telling jokes during fire picket


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## condor888000

Well personally, sleeping the whole time beats staying up.....or not having to deal with the cadets. Yeah, both those beat staying up all night.


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## CI L. Phillips

I believe that ham steak in any of its forms was absolutely disgusting...remember ham steak and pineapple, ham steak and mustard sauce and the last in line, ham steak and raisin sauce. YUCK!! As for other IMPs, i think that chicken stew with rice or ravioli are definitely the best. no other complaints here...i like imps, although i have had friends that would eat nothing but the desserts, even on multiplie day long ftxs. Food is food.


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## ERIK2RCR

Zesty Turkey Stew!!!!!!!!!


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## DSM Wall

Wow, so many stories. And I've enjoyed reading about all of your past experiences. My most notable FTX story, is one from the end of last year.  Myself and our corps' RSM organized & conducted a "night military simulation" (war-game for ye politically incorrect  ) This FTX consisted of a separation of our 2 platoons, acting as opposing forces and conducting night raids upon each other.  Prior to these night raids, we instructed various camouflage & concealment techniques, as well as patroling, stealth, & section attack tactics.  In addition, we let both platoons have a "morale session" which consisted of a 1/2 hour of almost continuous yelling & chanting. This in turn produced a higher level of enthusiasm, and esprit du corps within both platoons. We consequently named each platoon "Russia" and "Germany" to add to the competition.  They had several forts constructed for defensive positions, and rules of engagement were given to each platoon.  In all 4 hours of the execution of these "night raids", the cadets were able to experience interesting Po's not ordinarily taught in their reference manuals. During our post-FTX response period, all of the cadets stated that it was the best FTX they ever experienced in their cadet careers. Since then, our RSM and myself have conducted multiple FTXs at corps level, using the comments imposed by our cadets. I encourage all other senior NCOs to bring these POs up with your Officers, and maybe incorporate this sort of instruction in your corps FTXs. It offers a unique learning environment to your cadets, and they will love it, I guarantee it!


----------



## ryanmann356

What POs did u teach them that werent in the manual?


----------



## DSM Wall

We taught them:
   -Patrolling
   -Stealth tactics
   -defensive position construction
   -Section Attacks
   -Rules of engagement

None of these POs are in the army cadet reference manual, and were made  up of extensive research from qualified instructors.(Also CF personnel assisted in instruction, and some did in fact teach)  In preparing these lessons, we had to filter, or censer some material, so that cadets would not endanger themselves/others.


----------



## FuBaR

That idea sounds really awesome, I hope we do that on one of our upcoming FTX's.  How many FTX"s do your corps go on during the year.  We have 4 or 5.


----------



## The_Falcon

yoman said:
			
		

> I heard some interesting stories about the bread. I have had it and it is good. The story was that this one cadet had the bread and it expanded in his stomach causing huge stomach pains.





			
				recceguy said:
			
		

> It won't happen. The story is bullhockey.



Maybe this cadet ate that little packet thats inside the bread pouch, the one that says "do not eat".


----------



## Lerch

Has anyone else noticed that the bread is a placebo?

Anyways, a story;
Last year, my corp went on a short overnight hike up a local mountain. It wasn't hard, it was simply for the newer cadets to get some feel for bushcraft. The campsite required us to keep all our food in a cabin so bears wouldn't be attracted. 
So that night everyone's in the cabin finishing up supper and one of the CI's gathers everyone for a 'ghost story' about a trip to an island in a lake where he and his friends were attacked by...the GOATMAN!! It was great, he layed the story in thick and all the cadets were engrossed in the plot.
While the story was going on, I slowly made my way to the back of the cabin (it's just one big room) and perched myself in a window sill (the windows were just plexiglass screwed onto the outside). So as the CI neared the end of his story, he lifts his shirt, slowly, to show this 'scar' from the Goatman cut him. And as all the cadets lean in to look, I banged heavily on the plexi behind me.

Needless to say, they all needed to change their pants.


----------



## DSM Wall

FuBaR said:
			
		

> That idea sounds really awesome, I hope we do that on one of our upcoming FTX's.  How many FTX"s do your corps go on during the year.  We have 4 or 5.



We have roughly the same, it's a shame though, our detachment only pays for about 3 of our 5, so we have to fund raise more. But it has to be done to teach all of our POs for the field. I wish Detachment payed for it all, like when my dad was in.


----------



## condor888000

Hatchet Man said:
			
		

> Maybe this cadet ate that little packet thats inside the bread pouch, the one that says "do not eat".



I actually saw a cadet do that once....she was so tired, she thought it went with the bread.....


----------



## MikeL

Lerch said:
			
		

> Has anyone else noticed that the bread is a placebo?



You do know that anything that contains no medication can be used a placebo...
But, placebo's are pills(like a vitamin pill or sugar pill, etc), so unless you can make the bread into a pill, it won't work.


----------



## DSM Wall

Well, since we're on the topic of ration packs, that chocolate dessert is heaven when your on an FTX. Also, chicken cacciatore is by far the best meal in them.

Just my 2 cents


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## Soon2binfantry

Man last time I ate the beard at FTX i didnt take a *urd all week end. The bread was like a brick.


----------



## gt102

Soon2binfantry said:
			
		

> Man last time I ate the beard at FTX i didnt take a *urd all week end. The bread was like a brick.



A tasty brick, that contains many calories. Frankly, in the field that bread is all you could ask for, and more!


----------



## Burrows

I love the bread, especially with PB and Raspberry jelly.


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## gt102

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> I love the bread, especially with PB and Raspberry jelly.



Jelly = Gag (for me atleast)

PB is the ultimate 'carry me around and eat me later' snack. I remember telling my cadets a while back that the PB has toxins in it and they were to hand them over to the seniors when they come around to collect the matches (dry brush around.) Man, I never had so much PB


----------



## DSM Wall

> PB is the ultimate 'carry me around and eat me later' snack. I remember telling my cadets a while back that the PB has toxins in it and they were to hand them over to the seniors when they come around to collect the matches (dry brush around.) Man, I never had so much PB



Thats not setting a very good example, your cadets are entitled to the PB just as much as you are.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> PB is the ultimate 'carry me around and eat me later' snack. I remember telling my cadets a while back that the PB has toxins in it and they were to hand them over to the seniors when they come around to collect the matches (dry brush around.) Man, I never had so much PB



Nice to see you used your rank and stature to take advantage of your cadets, please don't join the CF we don't want people like you in.

I wonder how many of your cadets from your corps will read this and see what you are all about.


----------



## DSM Wall

thank you! it's good to see that a member of the directing staff actually agrees with me


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

When someone uses leadership for their own personal gratification you will find many would agree with you on that aspect.


----------



## DSM Wall

Thank you just the same


----------



## gt102

It's been a running gag in our corps. It all started (well, if I remember) when the warning stickers (and the reasoning behind them) were put on the IMP's about the tubes of Honey and containing traces of botulism (actual toxins in the IMP's... I was/may have been affected by it according to my doctors, thankfully I was given preventive drugs/etc) I was hit by the PB theifing. It was all in good humor, you tend to fall for it once, the breakfast seemed to be the normal 'hit' time.

Anyways, I was a Mcpl (are considered 'seniors' at my corps) at the time and was ordered to do so (one of the former RSM's, Chick, or Dan [most likely Dan].) I was a bit hesitant at first, but hey, "I was already hit by it a year or two ago, meh."

It was a tradition in my corps. It stopped the other year when Myles took hold of RSM for a while. It hasn't happened since (even though we have a new RSM.) I think the only FTX traditions that we have left is the hotdog eating contest (current holder is 16) and the group swamp mix (thick sugary goo composed of many juices, I havn't partook in that since I was a Pte... felt like crap after)


----------



## DSM Wall

Just the same, you shouldn't partake in taking advantage of subordinates. that tells them it is alright.


----------



## ryanmann356

oh man NEVER drink the jungle juice (all juices mized together) its diabetes in a cup i tell you!!!
Anyway what was the deal with the honey anyway?  No one seemed to know.  I heard people say sand got put in by accident, soap from the machines, salmonella and even avian flu (avian flu being highly unlikely as to the fact that, last time i checked, there wasnt alot of chicken in honey).


----------



## Burrows

I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the preservatives.


----------



## gt102

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the preservatives.



Well, according to my doctor, botulism (or however it is spelt) can form in sweet (aka sugary) food items that have been improperly stored/preserved. So yes, I would have to say you Kyle are correct.



> Just the same, you shouldn't partake in taking advantage of subordinates. that tells them it is alright.



I very much agree. But there were to major factors that tuned in. 
1-tradition... It was the whole 'peer presure' bit. You 'had' to do it to feel like you belonged. (I know, I know, "if that guy jumps off the bridge will you?" bit... but this doesn't physically/mentally hurt anyone and it's(was) just a running gag.

2-It's hard to get up the nerve when you are a newly promoted Mcpl to speak up to the RSM. You just kinda do what you are told.


----------



## ryanmann356

its all about maturity and knowing what is wrong and right.  Even if they're a higher rank if they tell you to do something you know isnt right or are uncomfortable doing, then bring it up with an officer or something, or explain that you dont feel comfertable.  If they're a mature and responsible leader then they should respond in a mature way.  When I was a semi new recruit I had a person of higher rank try to order me to steal something for him from the canteen.  I told him that that wasnt cool and that I wouldnt do it.  He backed off.  Anyway what was he gonna do?  Gimme a red chit for NOT stealing? psh


----------



## Lerch

Remember kids: stealing is only stealing if you're caught...otherwise it's skillfully acquiring.


I'm kidding, don't steal. If you do, the Queen will find out and cram IMP bread down your throat!


----------



## Thompson_JM

ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> its all about maturity and knowing what is wrong and right.  Even if they're a higher rank if they tell you to do something you know isnt right or are uncomfortable doing, then bring it up with an officer or something, or explain that you dont feel comfertable.  If they're a mature and responsible leader then they should respond in a mature way.  When I was a semi new recruit I had a person of higher rank try to order me to steal something for him from the canteen.  I told him that that wasnt cool and that I wouldnt do it.  He backed off.  Anyway what was he gonna do?  Gimme a red chit for NOT stealing? psh



The proper way to deal with something of that nature..



> 2-It's hard to get up the nerve when you are a newly promoted Mcpl to speak up to the RSM. You just kinda do what you are told.



thats what being a MCpl is about. even in cadets.  you are there to look out for the welfare of your troops, If you are not able to do that, then you should not be in that position. Along those lines that also means that sometimes you have to tactfully inform superiors that what they are asking is not allowed or not Legal, and that you will not do it.

regards
     Josh


----------



## future medic

Well you want a story here ya go,

It was my last ex as the CWO of my corps when we were in Borden for a weekend and everything was going to plan. We were all about to go to ground being and being the CWO I made sure that the fire picket was all set for the night. I get nicely tucked into those cocoons of a sleeping bag when I heard the cadets on fire picket say "come here little guy, look at him ah he's so cute", immediately I knew that they were talking about an animal walking around the tent lines. Just as I was thinking to myself "why don't they scare the damned thing away" I start to hear what sounds like dog sniffing around. I turn my head towards the opening of my hooch when I am nose to nose.......with a RACOON ENTERING MY TENT! I yelled at the bloody thing and scared it away up a tree having to listen to the damed thing yipping at me all night.  

Later that weekend I had:
a glowstick blow up all over my face, 
step in razorwire and sliced up my boot, and
GOT AMBUSHED BY THE RESERVES! (that was kinda cool though) :threat:

I got too many stories to tell, 
till next time folks,
-Scott


----------



## ryanmann356

future medic said:
			
		

> a glowstick blow up all over my face,



How the heck did that happen?  Last I checked they didnt load glowsticks with C4.

I remember getting tangled up in barbed wire while I was hiding during "find the non-coms" night ex.
ripped up my combats and a cadpat camo net i was wearing


----------



## Lerch

Haven't you seen the gag glowsticks? You go to break them...and you break them!


jk.


----------



## Burrows

ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> Last I checked they didnt load glowsticks with C4.


If they did, a bit of glowing goo on his face would be the least of his worries. :


----------



## future medic

LOL! Ya the glowstick would of been the last of my worries if it had C4 LOL. 

No it was one of those flimsey extra long glowsticks. I guess what happend was when I cracked it to "ambush" the little night nav patrol I must of bent it to far back and caused it to squirt at my face through the tear on the side.

cheers
-scott


----------



## ryanmann356

Doesnt that stuff burn when it gets on ur skin?  I remember at a school dance a few years ago a friend of mine broke one and rubbed it on his skin so he could "glow".  He had to wash it off quick because he said it hurt like heck....idiot lol



			
				Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> If they did, a bit of glowing goo on his face would be the least of his worries. :



ok perhaps C4 is a little too extreme. lol


----------



## 1feral1

Remember inside that plastic cylume tube is a smaller glass vile which contains the other chemical, and thats which makes the snapping sound when you bend the plastic outer shell.


Cheers,

WEs


----------



## future medic

oh let me tell you I was rushing for my cantine in a hurry to flush it out of my eyes.....

I tell ya I wasn't at all expecting it to squirt like that

cheers
-scotty


----------



## S.Stewart

CI L. Phillips said:
			
		

> I believe that ham steak in any of its forms was absolutely disgusting...remember ham steak and pineapple, ham steak and mustard sauce and the last in line, ham steak and raisin sauce. YUCK!! As for other IMPs, i think that chicken stew with rice or ravioli are definitely the best. no other complaints here...i like imps, although i have had friends that would eat nothing but the desserts, even on multiplie day long ftxs. Food is food.



And thus why according to DND I was non-meat eating. 


So I would say the most interesting FTX of my cadet career would have to be the last one I was ever on, which was while in was on staff cadet for Blackdown in 2004, to make a long story short, I blew out my knee on the ruck march and didnt know it, I thought I twisted it and figured I would play through the pain...bad idea. When I finally got the the MIR after 2 days...yeah I am stubborn, I was told I tore cartiledge...yeah no scans of my knee btw or nothing, so I got thrown on light duties a couple of days no big deal, yeah swelling didnt go down still couldnt really walk, but according to Blackdown nothing was wrong with me. So finally I said screw it and played through the pain my last 3-4 weeks on staff. 

Turns out when I went home and got my knee checked because it was still giving out, I couldnt walk without a brace, lots of pain, lucky me, I tore cartiledge alright, plus my ACL and my MCL...so I got to spend my first month of college and my 19th birthday on crutches, it was fun.

The Moral of the story is demand proper medical attention...lol...good times...needless to say the knee never compleatly healed but meh...i still play through the pain, what does kill you just well doesnt kill you..lol.

Note: Just a personal experince, in no way am I condeming Blackdown and its medical care, I assume I just slipped through the cracks no big deal...thus is life. 


S.Stewart


----------



## Burrows

S.Stewart said:
			
		

> And thus why according to DND I was non-meat eating.


So you pretended to be a vegetarian so you wouldn't have to eat Ham Steak?  Thats stupid, not only is it stupid, its also *lying*.  Way to set the example for your cadets Miss Stewart.


----------



## S.Stewart

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> So you pretended to be a vegetarian so you wouldn't have to eat Ham Steak?  Thats stupid, not only is it stupid, its also *lying*.  Way to set the example for your cadets Miss Stewart.




Cute, but that isnt the entire reason according to DND that I dont eat meat, alot of it having to do with the way food is processed, espcially IMP's, basicly I cant eat it because it makes me sick, same goes for alot of meat in general, I dont break down the enzymes properly, so I get sick...so way to jump the gun on that one, and when I made that statement reguarding miss phillips post, it was made in just....in other words sarcastic...when the two of us did staff together, it was always interesting cause my company never remembered the fact that I didnt eat meat, by about the 4th week in coy so my 5th week on staff, my CQ finally got it.  

And as far as my cadets are concerned or I should say were...that has nothing to do with my diatary needs does it....didnt think so....I am pretty sure the medical info on my CF51 doesnt conflict with my ability to be an effect staff cadet for example, besides if all my cadets see me eating is non-meat products, then obviously its not like I am not eating meat one minute, and downing a buger the next.  I do eat meat, but a limited amount, basicly enough to get certain vitamins out of it...i would take iron pills but I dont react to them well either, its fun...not...lol.


----------



## Scott

I go back to the point that IMP's are not meant to satisfy the palate, they are meant to get nutrients into your body during combat operations. IMO, Cadets eating IMP's is a fun "treat" that you guys get to enjoy, there is zero value in it except maybe if that Cadet goes on to the Reserves s/he will know what they're in for re: IMP's.

I do not like eggs, can't stand the smell of them cooking. But when you have a choice for breakfast that is: Eat eggs or go hungry, guess what you do?

I hate to see complaining about food, it is a crutch. Have you ever had to eat half frozen IMP's?

I'd pay money to see some of you guys have to dive into the old hayboxes. Or try being really hungry a few times. Add in cold, wet and tired and you have the combat arms quadra fecta.


----------



## ryanmann356

I'd love to do that but it seems like they are trying to take the "army" out of Army Cadets  :-[


----------



## yoman

ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> I'd love to do that but it seems like they are trying to take the "army" out of Army Cadets  :-[



Here we go again....


----------



## ryanmann356

Piper said:
			
		

> You want to be cold, wet and hungry for the fun of it?
> 
> A true sign of someone who has never actually done any of that.



its called enjoying nature and being hardcore. You should try it sometime


----------



## ouyin2000

ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> its called enjoying nature and being *hardcore*. You should try it sometime


I don't quite think you know what "hardcore" means...

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hardcore

hard-core also hard·core (härdkôr, -kr)
adj. 
1. Intensely loyal; die-hard: a hard-core secessionist; a hard-core golfer. 
2. *Stubbornly resistant to improvement or change*: hard-core poverty. 
3. Extremely graphic or explicit: hard-core pornography.


----------



## Scott

A few constants from the collective works of Army.ca:

-Questions about how to become a sniper/JTF Commando.

-Posers claiming to be Snipers or JTF Commandos

-Cadets talking about taking the "Army" out of Army Cadets and being hard core.

Relationship between them all? Locked threads and warnings.



			
				ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> I'd love to do that but it seems like they are trying to take the "army" out of Army Cadets  :-[



You were never in the Army in the first place. You belong to a youth group meant to foster an interest in the CF, no more.



			
				ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> its called enjoying nature and being hardcore. You should try it sometime



You're talking out of your backside. You are 17 years old and you want to try to lecture serving and former soldiers about enjoying nature and living out of doors? You have a long and prosperous career ahead of you, sunshine. Trying to be hardcore is stupid, get over yourself.

READ THIS

*The DEAD END Topics. *

While most FAQ lists focus on helpful topics answering legitimate recurring questions, there has also been unfortunate recurrences of less desirable topics in the Cadet Forum. The following threads provide some of these discussions, and should be read thoroughly by any cadets thinking about opening threads on weapons training, combat training or that openly question the intent and purpose of the Cadet program by confusing its intents with those of Reserve or Regular Force training. Note that all of these threads were locked for very good reasons, as will similar threads.

Why Can't we Fire C-7's or Better?

This is Cadets not Boy Scouts

Combat Training in the Cadet Program

Should RCAC Allow Combat Training?

DND Making Cadets Less Military Every Year

Cadets Becoming Less and Less Interesting

Cadets Becoming Too Much Like Boy Scouts

Military Games for Cadets

Cadets Taking Things Too Far

Go read a little bit before yapping off again.


----------



## ouyin2000

Piper said:
			
		

> Read that, over and over. *And then disappear*.


A bit uncalled for. Maybe you should be the one to dissapear :


----------



## Burrows

Be at peace gentlemen, fighting will get you nowhere but negative places.

Use of the word Hardcore, as well as "Army out of Army Cadets" is now comparative to profusely beating the body of a deceased mammal.


----------



## ryanmann356

Kyle Burrows said:
			
		

> Be at peace gentlemen, fighting will get you nowhere but negative places.
> 
> Use of the word Hardcore, as well as "Army out of Army Cadets" is now comparative to profusely beating the body of a deceased mammal.



haha ok perhaps that was a little uncalled for, and the army out of army cadets has been done to death, 
but there is nothing wrong with enjoying camping and the outdoors, even if it is cold and wet.  

And no, I dont play airsoft.


----------



## Scott

Well you're right. If you enjoy the outdoors then you can have a good time even if you are cold and wet. I just wouldn't go out of my way to match those conditions!! Heck, since I have saved some money I have even bought a place to go "camping" at. It's called a cabin!! And I feel quite rugged in my little hut with a nice warm fire.

Seriously though, when I do hike I make sure I take the best that I can with me in: clothing, pack, tent, fart sack, food, hydration, boots, sun protection, bug dope, TP, etc. Because there is something manly about going and living a few days in the bush, there's nothing manly about having a SAR party called out for you.


----------



## Pea

Scott said:
			
		

> You're talking out of your backside. You are 17 years old and you want to try to lecture serving and former soldiers about enjoying nature and living out of doors? You have a long and prosperous career ahead of you, sunshine. Trying to be hardcore is stupid, get over yourself.
> 
> Go read a little bit before yapping off again.



I think you're officially my hero Scott.


----------



## Scott

Well, I wish I had worded that a bit better.

Given the chance again (I could edit it all but feel that's unfair) I would say that there is no such thing as hardcore unless you're talking about having hardcore frostbite because you didn't pack proper kit, hardcore wet because you didn't bring rain gear, hardcore hungry because you thought you could live off of twigs and berries. It all equals hardcore stupid.



			
				ryanmann356 said:
			
		

> but there is nothing wrong with enjoying camping and the outdoors, even if it is cold and wet.



Again, +1 for you. See my comments above. Also read the dead end topics to see why I may have come on a bit strong a couple posts back. I enjoy the outdoors. I enjoy it in the rain, sleet, snow. I do not know anyone who enjoys being cold, wet, tired and hungry so take all measures you can to avoid it, if not you're asking for trouble. Have fun, that's the main thing.


----------



## ryanmann356

Scott said:
			
		

> Well, I wish I had worded that a bit better.
> 
> Given the chance again (I could edit it all but feel that's unfair) I would say that there is no such thing as hardcore unless you're talking about having hardcore frostbite because you didn't pack proper kit, hardcore wet because you didn't bring rain gear, hardcore hungry because you thought you could live off of twigs and berries. It all equals hardcore stupid.



I agree with you, I didnt mean intentionally not packing important kit, because that would just be stupid, what i meant was, that even if it was raining and cold I would still enjoy it.



			
				Scott said:
			
		

> Well you're right. If you enjoy the outdoors then you can have a good time even if you are cold and wet. I just wouldn't go out of my way to match those conditions!!



exactly.


----------



## Cpl.Banks

Whats this topic about again??


----------



## Burrows

C/ M.Bdr. Banks said:
			
		

> Whats this topic about again??


Exercises and things related.  Don't be fresh.


----------

