# Making Do



## RCA (13 Dec 2000)

I‘ve noticed in the last couple of posts, people going on about what should be replaced and what better systems are avail and that we should have them. I‘m going to generalize here but it seems too me that the instigators and carry ons of these post don‘t have much time in (5-10 yrs or less).

I‘ve been in longer and a word to the wise. What we have now generally we will have in the next 5-10 yrs. So the point is make do with what we have. That has always been one of our strenghts. The militia motto - "never has so much been done by so few with so little, that we are now capable of doing anything with nothing." - and we were damn proud of that too.

Basiclly what I‘m saying is quit wishing what we might have a get on with doing the best job with what we do have.

Ubique


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## echo (13 Dec 2000)

i agree wholeheartidly.


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## ocknod (14 Dec 2000)

Good Point RCA, but...............

You only can use that policy so much until it comes crashing down.   Gun Tape and pipecleaners is a stop gap, not the solution.   I site the Sea King Helicopter, for every hour of flight time it‘s ten hours of maintenance, not effective.  How about the M-113‘s the technology is pre-vietnam era.   And for you reservists take a look at the date your MLVW‘s were built.  I remember doing accident reports on trucks built in the early 50‘s.  When will the government wake up and say hey...were spending soooooo much money on spare parts, why don‘t we take that money and by some new kit.   And god help us if the balloon goes up and we have to fully deploy the CF,  geez I wonder if the russians or the americans will lend us some stuff.....


OCKNOD
SECURITAS


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## Michael Dorosh (14 Dec 2000)

What did Gwynne Dyer say?  The next war for us will be "come as you are?"

I suspect any potential opponents we might have to face will be in not great shape themselves as far as kit.  But who knows who that will be?  

There is no shame in having Allies - I can‘t picture Canada ever going to war completely on its own.  I‘ve only been in 14 years myself, but in that time I‘ve seen a lot of new kit come in - and when the camouflage combats arrive, every single uniform I wore in 1987 will have been replaced.  Every one - CFs, Work Dress, combats.  Only my headdress will have remained unchanged (if you discount my remuster 5 years ago).  We‘ve gotten new weapons, new armoured vehicles, some new trucks (the LSVW does count as new - I didn‘t say "good!").  Can‘t do it all at once.

Even if we had brand new trucks for the entire CF - we would still not have enough to mobilize a full division, would we?  So after the balloon went up you would still be making trucks if we wanted to field all but the smallest force.  Why waste money on it now when we might not even have to?  I can‘t see the benefit to building trucks just to put them in war storage.

But I agree it is time to at least start looking - because the MLs will soon be in the same state as the Sea Kings.


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## Master Blaster (14 Dec 2000)

RCA;

What‘s that old saying?  Oh ya..."I‘ve got underwear with more TI than you son so move along and........"  I have had the pleasure(?) of working with, serving under and commanding some of the best and the worst but TI never had anything to do with what had to be accomplished or in what manner.  Old age and treachery will over come youth and skill...most of the time but when the shit hits the fan (as it inevitably does) it‘s usually a combination of age and youth, treachery and skill that wins the day.

I joined the americans in 1970 and the Canadians in 1980; it‘s almost 2001 (go figure) so TI has nothing to do with it or I‘d be the freakin‘ CDS by now!

All the Best

Dileas Gu Brath


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## JRMACDONALD (15 Dec 2000)

RCA/ Master Blaster-- BANG ON!! I think I have been trying to identify this nonsnese in several posts. It is not NEW kit we need, it is a NEW attitude towards doing our job!


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## ocknod (15 Dec 2000)

Gentlemen.....
It‘s a case of the old CAN-DO canadian way!   Sure we all know that with a little effort and a lot of initiative the Canadian Soldier can get by with what we have.....

My point is this.   Sure we can do the job, but instead of spending millions of dollars studying what the best combat bra would be, that money would be better spent on hardware that will help us do the job.

Radio technology that is 40 years old, weapon systems that are obsolete....look at our air force, during the Gulf war wondering what it‘s like to fire a live missile!   

I was watching a series on History television called battle stripes...it‘s a documentary filmed at the Brits platoon warrants school.  The troops were doing a live fire attack on a position.  They showed the CSM getting stores for the ex, get this he recquisitioned 40-thousand rounds of linked ammo....and that was just for the gun emplacements providing cover fire for the ex.....40-thousand rounds!

OCKNOD
SECURITAS


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