# Is Infantry just for grunts and is armoured only for vehicle enthusiasts?



## Denty618 (25 Feb 2017)

I've been considering Armoured for quite some time now, but my biggest issue is relying on a giant machine instead of my own mind and body. Also, ive been trying to find a definitive answer on which rifle crewman carry, if any. Most say C8s, which make sense being shorter than the C7. I also am a fairly restless guy, always bouncing my leg and looking around. I love the idea of being Infantry, hiking and clearing buildings. The stigma around Infantry is they're these "meathead" jock kinda guys and Im wondering if thats true as I got enough of being around those guys playing rugby. My dad doesnt want me to be in the army but he would prefer if I became a signal opperator or work in an intelligence based field. Are my assumptions about both trades wrong or is there a better trade for me to go into? Thankyou. 

Edited, Sorry for coming across arrogant before. My wording was poorly chosen and I apologize for my accusactions/assumptions.


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## Michael OLeary (25 Feb 2017)

The problem with simple assumptions if that they are wrong more often than they are right. You should spend some time exploring the many threads discussing both trades and the people who belong to them. If your view of any trade is so narrow as you have presented in your post, you haven't done enough work to understand them.


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## mariomike (25 Feb 2017)

Denty618 said:
			
		

> I've been considering Armoured for quite some time now, but my biggest issue is relying on a giant machine instead of my own mind and body. Also, ive been trying to find a definitive answer on which rifle crewman carry, if any. Most say C8s, which make sense being shorter than the C7. I also am a fairly restless guy, always bouncing my leg and looking around. I love the idea of being Infantry, hiking and clearing buildings. But Im not looking forward too being around a bunch of meathead guys whose biggest issue is how tough they are because I got enough of that playing rugby. I was honours all through highschool, my dad doesnt want me to be in the army but he would prefer if I became a signal opperator or work in an intelligence based field. Are my assumptions about both trades wrong or is there a better trade for me to go into? Thankyou.



For reference, perhaps,

Is Infantry full of grunts and is armoured only for vehicle enthusiasts?

will be merged with,

OP: Denty618
Questions about Infantry and Armoured (more specific in description)
http://milnet.ca/forums/threads/23460/post-1477700.html#msg1477700


			
				Denty618 said:
			
		

> I've been considering Armoured for quite some time now, but my biggest issue is relying on a giant machine instead of my own mind and body. Also, ive been trying to find a diffinitive answer on which rifle crewman carry, if any. Some say C8s, which make sense being shorter than the C7. I also am a fairly restless guy, always bouncing my leg and looking around. I love the idea of being Infantry, hiking and clearing buildings. But Im not looking forward too being around a bunch of meathead guys whose biggest issue is how tough they are because I got enough of that playing rugby. I was honours all through highschool, my dad doesnt want me to be in the army but he would prefer if I became a signal opperator or work in an intelligence based field. Are my assumptions about both trades wrong or is there a better trade for me to go into? Thankyou.



See also,

OP: Denty618
Who does more when not deployed, armoured or infantry?
http://milnet.ca/forums/threads/124885/post-1470242.html#msg1470242


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## Denty618 (25 Feb 2017)

Michael O'Leary said:
			
		

> The problem with simple assumptions if that they are wrong more often than they are right. You should spend some time exploring the many threads discussing both trades and the people who belong to them. If your view of any trade is so narrow as you have presented in your post, you haven't done enough work to understand them.


Yeah I understand that. My problem is most of the threads are super biased and general (like my assumptions, I know it's more diverse then what I said). They either love the trade, or have plenty of reasons why theirs is better. I know alot of Infantry guys say its not like what they thought it would be. Saying its slower and the chances of deployments are very slim and besides training you practically just hand pencils out to kids. But I haven't heard much from what Armoured does every day while at a CFB. Ive found on the forces.ca website they try to hype up every single job, and I can't blame them because itll peak the interest for alot of people. But I want to know what its actually like. If me being restless will piss off all the other crewmen or if its something thatll pass, and how many armoured soldiers didnt know squat about vehicles going in. I also would like to know if there are infantry men who are fairly intelligent and have gotten more opportunities because of it. I would go and talk to recruiters in person, as I find its been less general than the email discussions ive had with them but the nearest recruitment center is 2 hours out and I rarely have the time. 

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## Michael OLeary (25 Feb 2017)

Combat arms units (armour, artillery, engineers and infantry) suffer from the reality that when the Government decides the army will be busy, then they are busy, sometimes in a continual cycle of getting ready to go, on operations, and in the return cycle afterwards and when the war ends, so does that busy cycle. As we saw during the Afghanistan combat mission, that brought a lot of troops through the door that ate up that busy cycle. What few wanted to accept even as they built their careers during that decade plus period, is that when there is not a war to go to, the life of a combat arms soldiers is not the same. It might be busy, but will not be exciting in the same way. vehicles and equipment, even when not seeing operational service, require continuous training and maintenance. Vehicle storage and maintenance garages need to be swept, and sometimes you even have to help hand out pencils to kids on display. There are still training course, but maybe less chance to practice those skills. there are exercises and domestic deployments, but the work can be repetitive and mundane. The big point people gloss over, is the importance of maintaining those basic skills, sometimes for decades between wars, so that we have a solid base to build the next expeditionary force on. That is the real work on an army in peacetime, and it has to be done within allowed budget and often while replacing equipment that had rusted out.

Being a soldier in peacetime can be a challenge, to stay the course and put in years or decades of dedicated service with no new ribbons appearing on one's chest every few years. But it is necessary service and rewarding for those who understand their role.

If your big worry is about being busy enough, look at being a supply tech or a maintainer of some sort. Kit needs to be accounted for and issued, equipment needs to be maintained in peacetime just as much as in war.

Step away from the glamorous descriptions trying to sell you trades. It's advertising, the reality is always less exciting.

Throwing grenades is really cool, and when you realize you _might_ only get to do it once a year in the infantry .... maybe not so much.


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## daftandbarmy (25 Feb 2017)

Denty618 said:
			
		

> Yeah I understand that. My problem is most of the threads are super biased and general (like my assumptions, I know it's more diverse then what I said). They either love the trade, or have plenty of reasons why theirs is better. I know alot of Infantry guys say its not like what they thought it would be. Saying its slower and the chances of deployments are very slim and besides training you practically just hand pencils out to kids. But I haven't heard much from what Armoured does every day while at a CFB. Ive found on the forces.ca website they try to hype up every single job, and I can't blame them because itll peak the interest for alot of people. But I want to know what its actually like. If me being restless will piss off all the other crewmen or if its something thatll pass, and how many armoured soldiers didnt know squat about vehicles going in. I also would like to know if there are infantry men who are fairly intelligent and have gotten more opportunities because of it. I would go and talk to recruiters in person, as I find its been less general than the email discussions ive had with them but the nearest recruitment center is 2 hours out and I rarely have the time.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk



You seem to be thinking a lot...

That is one good indicator that Infantry may not be for you


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## RCDtpr (25 Feb 2017)

Denty618 said:
			
		

> I've been considering Armoured for quite some time now, but my biggest issue is relying on a giant machine instead of my own mind and body. Also, ive been trying to find a definitive answer on which rifle crewman carry, if any. Most say C8s, which make sense being shorter than the C7. I also am a fairly restless guy, always bouncing my leg and looking around. I love the idea of being Infantry, hiking and clearing buildings. The stigma around Infantry is they're these "meathead" jock kinda guys and Im wondering if thats true as I got enough of being around those guys playing rugby. My dad doesnt want me to be in the army but he would prefer if I became a signal opperator or work in an intelligence based field. Are my assumptions about both trades wrong or is there a better trade for me to go into? Thankyou.
> 
> Edited, Sorry for coming across arrogant before. My wording was poorly chosen and I apologize for my accusactions/assumptions.



Granted it's been some years since I was in the armoured corps....but I doubt things have changed to the point where the vehicles drive and manoeuvre themselves.  What I'm getting at is that while yes, the "giant machines" are the biggest part of the armoured corps, you will be using your body and particularly your mind when operating them.

A crew commander is trying to balance about 15 things at once.......where the best spot to move to is, what the best route to get to that spot is, target acquisition, relaying commands to the crew, monitoring the radio etc etc etc.

Infantry is no different.  While tactical knowledge may not be "intelligence" in the normal sense that society interprets......make no mistake.......an infanteer these days is expected to proficiently use some very high tech equipment, understand land navigation, ballistics, human anatomy (be it first aid or the best way to hurt someone), vehicle knowledge for the mechanized guys, wind factors etc for the jumpers.  Infanteers may not be traditional academic types....but they are not stupid.

As has been mentioned already, peacetime vs wartime in the combat arms are two different worlds.  For me, during the Afghanistan days I loved it, however did not feel that same sense of satisfaction once things started to slow down, so I decided to move on.  Nobody can answer whether you'll be satisfied with a career in the combat arms except for you.

And for the record I didn't know anything about vehicles at all when I joined.


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## Eye In The Sky (25 Feb 2017)

Well, if you have some time and want to see what the Regular Force Armour Regiments are up to, you can always check out their websites.

The Guild of The Royal Canadian Dragoons

Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Society Website

Association du 12e Régiment blindé du Canada


Really quickly though, remember that some Infantry are in LAV units, crewing and driving LAVs.  Some Armour crewmen are in Recce Sqn's and do the foot patrol stuff.    :2c:  Most crewmen don't know squat about actual D & M (Driving & Maintenance) the way it is done with the vehicles the Army uses when they join, but when you think of it, how many recruits off the street know anything about infantry warfare/skills/tactics when they join?

Point;  no matter your experience, or lack of it, the CAF will train you to the required standards once you are in and begin trades training.


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