# FTX Ideas



## DSM Wall (2 Feb 2006)

If any of you have new FTX ideas or useful FTX experiences, feel free to write them down here.  This consolidation would help anyone out there who plan FTXs @ their home corps.

Cheers!


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## gt102 (3 Feb 2006)

Winter FTX = X-Country Skiing, and Snoeshoeing = Fun

^ you can get that stuff through DND.


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## DSM Wall (3 Feb 2006)

As a matter of fact, my corps is having one of those next weekend! Weather permitting of course!


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## gt102 (3 Feb 2006)

Cadet DSM Wall said:
			
		

> As a matter of fact, my corps is having one of those next weekend! Weather permitting of course!



Good stuff!

Another thing that you could do, teach cadets trapping. I did that with my cadets last weekend (My winter FTX..well one of them) I found a great section about it in the 1978 manual(I think I was 1978...).


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## DSM Wall (3 Feb 2006)

well, we will be executing our next FTX in a provincial park, so we won't be allowed to trap. However, great idea!  In this next FTX, we will be having our platoons thinking there is an opposing force surrounding them, and the seniors will use roman candles to simulate artillery tracers.  They will have to shoot a bearing from each position, to triangulate the artillery position, and ultimately find the artillery position


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## gt102 (3 Feb 2006)

Cadet DSM Wall said:
			
		

> well, we will be executing our next FTX in a provincial park, so we won't be allowed to trap. However, great idea!  In this next FTX, we will be having our platoons thinking there is an opposing force surrounding them, and the seniors will use roman candles to simulate artillery tracers.  They will have to shoot a bearing from each position, to triangulate the artillery position, and ultimately find the artillery position




Riiight. You're going to want to avoid that one. Well... the explaination. You will get some angry soccer moms.

Go for "Emergency Flares" and you are trying to find a crashed vehicle/injured person/important documents.


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## Spartan (3 Feb 2006)

Radio comms and basic nav/mapreading/compass is always good (ie set up a nav course).
Leadership taskings/practical mutuals can be incorporated as well.


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## MikeL (3 Feb 2006)

Cadet DSM Wall said:
			
		

> well, we will be executing our next FTX in a provincial park, so we won't be allowed to trap. However, great idea!  In this next FTX, we will be having our platoons thinking there is an opposing force surrounding them, and the seniors will use roman candles to simulate artillery tracers.  They will have to shoot a bearing from each position, to triangulate the artillery position, and ultimately find the artillery position



1.) Cadets are not a paramilitary/military organization. You have NO enemy, no need search an destroy a fake arty position.

2.) Giving kids fireworks, good idea  : Fire Hazard, an good chance someone could get hurt (roman candle fight, etc).

3.) WTF is an artillery tracer... 

4.) How does shooting a bearing up find a fake artillery position?


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## rifleman (3 Feb 2006)

Chill


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## DSM Wall (3 Feb 2006)

To all replies, please be advised that it was only a working idea. We may discard it anyway. However I do like your alternate ideas, like having an injured pilot, or cadet, hidden somewhere in the field, and sections can use triangulation to find the injured cadet.
My initial plan hasn't even been introduced to our CO yet, so please do not place the blame on her.

Cheers


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## gt102 (3 Feb 2006)

242 Fredericton RC(Army)C... heh



> 1.) Cadets are not a paramilitary/military organization. You have NO enemy, no need search an destroy a fake arty position.



Heck, Canada even signed an international bill saying we COULDN'T be a paramilitary/military organization (Well, that is what I have been told.. Youth Military Act or something)



> 2.) Giving kids fireworks, good idea   Fire Hazard, an good chance someone could get hurt (roman candle fight, etc).



Quite, maybe a more realistic alternative is flashed of a high powered (I'm talking 100,000 candlepower or more) flashlight. There are not too expensive (on a corps level) and work great at night.



> 3.) WTF is an artillery tracer...



I was thinking this... lol



> 4.) How does shooting a bearing up find a fake artillery position?



Maybe he was thinking about old WW2 AA or something. Tracer Rounds and such. Actually.. more I think about it, yea, I think that is what he was trying to convey. Still, very inappropriate for cadets.


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## DSM Wall (4 Feb 2006)

> maybe a more realistic alternative is flashed of a high powered (I'm talking 100,000 candlepower or more) flashlight.



That might be the resolution of what we'll use as a target for shooting bearings.

As for all the other comments about "paramilitary/military", I don't know how your corps work, maybe in central or western Canada, but here in Atlantic Canada, we generally have a hard time acquiring new recruits.  So, as supplementry training weekends(not payed for by DND, but with fundraising)
we add a few basic military concepts (watered down versions) of patrolling, stealth tactics, and recce tactics.  Our detachment doesn't have a problem with these sorts of weekends, since they aren't government funded, and no injuries occur.(there is a lot of suppervision) We aren't "training child soldiers", none of what we teach them is potent enough for them to be able to use outside of cadets and everything we teach them concentrates solely on leadership, and teamwork development.  Now, can I please get some positive feedback on FTX ideas? Thank you

Cheers!


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## DSM Wall (4 Feb 2006)

Also, I have researched the "The Youth Military Act", and have found no results on the subject. Can anyone out there maybe provide a site as to which we may be able to refer? Then maybe we can carry on with some intelligent conversation, as opposed to rummers, and hearsay.

Cheers


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## The_Falcon (4 Feb 2006)

Cadet DSM Wall said:
			
		

> As for all the other comments about "paramilitary/military", I don't know how your corps work, maybe in central or western Canada, but here in Atlantic Canada, we generally have a hard time acquiring new recruits.  So, as supplementry training weekends(not payed for by DND, but with fundraising) we add a few basic military concepts (watered down versions) of patrolling, stealth tactics, and recce tactics.



And who taught you all these patrolling and recce tactics. Reg? Res? Yourselves?  Care to elaborate on what exactly this "training" entails?



> Our detachment doesn't have a problem with these sorts of weekends, since they aren't government funded, and no injuries occur.(there is a lot of suppervision) We aren't "training child soldiers", none of what we teach them is potent enough for them to be able to use outside of cadets and everything we teach them concentrates solely on leadership, and teamwork development.  Now, can I please get some positive feedback on FTX ideas? Thank you



Maybe you det should be taken more interest in your training, especially if you supposedly conducting military type tactics training.  And even more especially if you are doing this on your own with people who actually are trained properly in these areas.  Just because you have not had any injuries yet related to your training, does not mean that you won't in the future.  Considering you were even contemplating using fireworks as a makeshift substitute for artillery simulators (which are by the way quite dangerous themselves ) leads me to believe it is only a matter of time before someone WILL get hurt.



			
				Cadet DSM Wall said:
			
		

> Also, I have researched the "The Youth Military Act", and have found no results on the subject. Can anyone out there maybe provide a site as to which we may be able to refer? Then maybe we can carry on with some intelligent conversation, as opposed to rummers, and hearsay.



Rumours and hearsay huh.  You need to get out more.  What The Crowe was refering to, was "Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/crc-conflict.htm which Canada signed on 5 June 2000 and ratified 7 July 2000.  The protocol went into force and became* International Law* on 12 Feb 2002.


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## sgt_mandal (4 Feb 2006)

Burrows please lock this before i say something to get myself banned.....


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## gt102 (4 Feb 2006)

mandal said:
			
		

> Burrows please lock this before i say something to get myself banned.....



Maybe not a Lock, but how about a cleaning


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## DSM Wall (4 Feb 2006)

> What The Crowe was referring to, was "Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict" http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/crc-conflict.htm which Canada signed on 5 June 2000 and ratified 7 July 2000.  The protocol went into force and became International Law on 12 Feb 2002.



Good, so it is legitimate, now we can build on this.  Let me begin by saying that I am not responsible for the idea of conducting military training, that was the fault of several of the officers in my unit (their names are not important) Furthermore, we have only been throwing ideas around, and we haven't actually instituted these ideas in an FTX setting.  It was the officers' responsibility to inform us about this international law, as they are working under the queen, and I am simply an NCO.  Before reviewing these forums, I was not aware of this law until now, and maybe we should be educated about it in the future.

For now, can we please talk about Your FTX ideas? Clearly all of mine are Illegal

cheers


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## Sig_Des (4 Feb 2006)

I don't normally frequent the cadet forum, but I had to reply to this one.



> Let me begin by saying that I am not responsible for the idea of conducting military training, that was the fault of several of the officers in my unit (their names are not important)



this is commonly referred to as "passing the buck"



> Furthermore, we have only been throwing ideas around, and we haven't actually instituted these ideas in an FTX setting.



this clashes with some of your precious posts in other threads. IE:



> We taught them:
> -Patrolling
> -Stealth tactics
> -defensive position construction
> ...





> 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 patrolling, 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.



This means you've taken it upon yourselves to teach these "POs" that are not part of your training plan.



> It was the officers' responsibility to inform us about this international law, as they are working under the queen, and I am simply an NCO.



I agree with the first part of this statement, they should have informed you. I take contention with the second point, however. Even in a cadet purview, as an NCO it is your RESPONSABILITY to ensure that the activities you are taking part in are sanctioned, and that you care for the well-being of cadets under you.

I'd suggest that you and your Snr NCO cadets talk this over with your CI's and CIC, to ensure that all of your activities are matching your actual approved training plan.


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## Burrows (4 Feb 2006)

The buck stops here.

Done.


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