# Lifestyle, Deployment and Camping



## bdb1231 (6 May 2011)

When your stationed at a Canadian base, how many shifts do you get a week and how many hours is each shift? How often will you be sent out of your base to go camping with other soldiers?

How many time will you be deployed oversea, and how long will each deployment be?


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## 211RadOp (6 May 2011)

bdb1231 said:
			
		

> When your stationed at a Canadian base, how many shifts do you get a week and how many hours is each shift? How often will you be sent out of your base to go camping with other soldiers?
> 
> How many time will you be deployed oversea, and how long will each deployment be?



Depends on your unit/position/job.  My Sqn works 0730 - 1600 daily, Monday to Friday.

We don't go "camping", we do field training exercises, and this again depends on your unit.

Again, it depends on your unit, but deployments are either 6 or 9 months depending on what you will be doing on your deployment.


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## bdb1231 (6 May 2011)

Is it that you have a supportive job so that is why you guys don't have night shifts?

If I get a job as an infantry or armored soldier or sailor then I would have to do night patrol on some days right?

If the field training exercise last more than one day, do you get to go back to your base at night, or do you just sleep in the wild?


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## Loachman (6 May 2011)

You will work when required to do so, depending upon your unit, position, and tasking.

Some people work regular Monday-to-Friday jobs, others work shifts, and during operations or exercises people can work seven days a week and twelve hours or more daily.

Yes, you can expect to sleep in the field.


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## liams mom (6 May 2011)

You sound like you need to do lots of reading about the Armed Forces and maybe find someone who has served and talk to them.

Here's what my DH's schedule has been like since joined  20 years ago:

As a young armoured soldier- lots of courses where he was sent to Gagetown or whatever for 3 weeks or more.  Lots of field time- several large exercices every year where he slept in the training area for 3 or 6 weeks or went to Wainwright or Gagetown for armoured exercices. Several long trips to the southern states for training/exercices.  When not on course or away training he had pretty normal working hours except for night when he had to do duty or attend a Mess function or work a Mess function.  He often had Xmas, March break, Easter and 3 weeks of summer leave.  However, many plans were changed last minutes when he got tasked with a job no one else was available to do.

As a MCPL- about 7 to 15 years of service-  lots of courses again at various bases, 3 overseas deployments 6 to 8 months each), 2 trips to England, several trips to the USA to play competitive sports for the base teams, several trips to USA for training. When not on course or training he had fairly normal hours, except for those pesky taskings (like the floods in Manitoba or the Ice storm or the snowmeggadon in Toronto). He was often home weekends and weeknights. Again he had most major holidays off, but only if the army didn't have a job for him. 

These days- 17 to 20 years of service- as a much higher ranking armoured soldier- lots of university style courses often away, one deployment to Afghanistan, trips to USA and Wainwright to train, taskings such as the Memorial Cup, field exercices twice a year where he doesn't come home even though at his rank he likely could. Lots of computer work, paper work, human resources management work.  Oh and doesn't live with us....he's on IR and I'm keeping things running here.

HOpe that helps!


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