# Reserve Weekend BMQ ( merged )



## Gross

I was sworn in a couple weeks ago and after being told I'd almost for sure be sent out for BMQ in July, I was recently informed that I would most likely receive weekend training in the fall.

I searched around this forum and the web briefly but came up short of information.
I just was wondering how it differed from full-time summer training.
Another individual who was sworn in the same time as me said a buddy of his took weekend training the year before and said that it was horrible, we were both excited for summer training.


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## mysteriousmind

To my opinion, here is what I summarized

pros of weekend BMQ
weekend so even if you are tired...you will be home on sunday
you have a chance to do it during the year (autumn and or winter)
you have a less stress to my opinion then full time
you will possibly do it with people of your unit mostly

cons of weekend
11 week end...if you have a life...its hell
PT cannot be as big a summer because instructors cannot follow you home
I think the stuff to be teached is perhaps a little pushed down or throat cause we don't have that same amount of time

pro summer
4 weeks total (which could be a con if you have a life or a job)
more time to put on PT
summer temperature
the fact you will be doing BMQ on a base to my opinion is good
the fact that in a 4 week period you will develop much more friendship with you platoon buddy

con summer
4 week total (problem if you have a civvy job or a civvy life)
chance that you Will also do trade course is like not to happen
the heat (sometime in Valcartier it is hot and humid as hell)
the fact that you will work with people from a lot more unit then week end (on most case at least)

Those are the things i can think of a this time....if you have any questions I'm not a Pro, just did BMQ ...so..hope it helped


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## Gross

Yeah I figured about the same

Out of curiosity, which did you do?


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## mysteriousmind

Gross PM inbound


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## Chain

I did mine about a year ago on weekend. It was better becasue

I wasn't bored for the weekend
It still was very easy but tougher than the summer one
Able to brag to friends that I'am in the Army
More time off in the summer to travel
And most importantly you get it out of the way quicker

the bad part I broke up with two girlfriends that I had over my commitment to the Army. I guess thats the worst part your full commitment to the Army no matter what situations you have to deal with relationships, school work etc.

And also I did my rifle test in the winter and slept for two weekends outside for survival course. I only got 20/25 on my rifle test because it was -25 outside and I was freezing my balls off.


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## aesop081

Chain said:
			
		

> and slept for two weekends outside for survival course.



Survival course ?

I think not......

Basic winter warfare course most likely


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## mysteriousmind

nope I think, He wanted to talk about the Field part of the BMQ, which is, tent, some map and compass practice and stuff like this...no survival.


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## Chain

Sorry I did accidently say survival. Apologize if I caused confusion.


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## Danjanou

Chain said:
			
		

> I did mine about a year ago on weekend. It was better becasue
> 
> I wasn't bored for the weekend
> It still was very easy but tougher than the summer one
> Able to brag to friends that I'am in the Army
> More time off in the summer to travel
> And most importantly you get it out of the way quicker
> 
> the bad part I broke up with two girlfriends that I had over my commitment to the Army. I guess thats the worst part your full commitment to the Army no matter what situations you have to deal with relationships, school work etc.
> 
> And also I did my rifle test in the winter and slept for two weekends outside for survival course. I only got 20/25 on my rifle test because it was -25 outside and I was freezing my balls off.



And you want to join the Legion?  :


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## Chain

No I do want to I mean its not like I was complaining right but you know juggling School, Relationships,Army, family that is not as easy. In the Legion it would only be the Legion and all its concerns thats it. As a matter of fact I got interested more in the Legion after that winter exercise cause I enjoyed the hardship and espirt de corp that came with the Military life. No were near are the reserves to the Legion in terms of anything but I mean I'am young and reckless so why not 5 years after college?


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## SupersonicMax

Chain said:
			
		

> Able to brag to friends that I'am in the Army



Are you sure you're in for the good reasons??



			
				Chain said:
			
		

> And also I did my rifle test in the winter and slept for two weekends outside for survival course. I only got 20/25 on my rifle test because it was -25 outside and I was freezing my balls off.



Looks like excuses to me...  

Max


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## Chain

I just think I could have done better if the weather was nicer but maybe not I don't know. Its not an excuse


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## mysteriousmind

You could have done better...possibly...

Relax..it was the first time you used the weapon, first experience...as you will have time to be less stressed out, you will possibly do better.

Every one could do better in a matter of things. I, for example could do better with my Physical shape... and I'm working on it.

You passed, then every thing is OK. you wont get a pay raise because you did more or less better on your first shooting range exercise.

It is after all a familiarisation exercise.


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## Falange

Hmmm... speaking about weekend courses I was wondering if anyone knows when are they likely to start this year (specially in BC)? Also, reading older threads I noticed that some members have mentioned some 2 block weekend BMQ courses during the fall, do these still exist? and if they do how are they distributed throughout the year? Thank you


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## medaid

Falange said:
			
		

> Hmmm... speaking about weekend courses I was wondering if anyone knows when are they likely to start this year (specially in BC)? Also, reading older threads I noticed that some members have mentioned some 2 block weekend BMQ courses during the fall, do these still exist? and if they do how are they distributed throughout the year? Thank you



Course usually starts end Oct. Early Nov.

Chain,

Your whole thing about juggling school and blah blah blah?

I did full time university and full time class B, with a 9er that was working her behind off in getting into Med School. I pulled out just fine. Sounds like you need to plan better. Also, your rifle score? It's not THAT bad. But, regardless of environment, you should be able to employ your weapon effectively. 

Good luck in your future endeavors.


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## phil.n

Chain said:
			
		

> It still was very easy but tougher than the summer one



Curious...how would you know it's tougher than the summer one if that's not that one you did? I did a summer BMQ/SQ and I can tell you it's not just physically stressful, but very stressful mentally being away from home, your life, your friends, your girlfriend. Many people didn't stay for the entire course, they just took the BMQ and ditched out. Imagine sleeping at 11 (if you're lucky and have everything done by then), and waking up at 5 in the morning for two months rather than two nights.

From everyone I've talked to and heard from, weekend has never been tougher than the summer.


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## mysteriousmind

I would tend to agree with Phil.n, even if I did not do MY SQ yet (I'm thinking of asking to do my SQ full time with regs)

2 nights and then you are home....this is to my opinion much less stressfull..


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## dutchie936

As for when the weekend BMQ for BC will be starting up.I saw the coarse list on Wednesday night.And for the lower mainland, it runs from Jan 08-May 08.Unfortunately they don't have enought NCO's to run all the coarses.So they are running some leadership coarses first in the fall,then will start on BMQ and SQ.
It will be held at the BC regiment downtown.


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## Nfld Sapper

dutchie936 said:
			
		

> As for when the weekend BMQ for BC will be starting up.I saw the coarse course list on Wednesday night.And for the lower mainland, it runs from Jan 08-May 08.Unfortunately they don't have enought enough NCO's to run all the coarses courses.So they are running some leadership coarses courses first in the fall,then will start on BMQ and SQ.
> It will be held at the BC regiment downtown.



Sorry being picky but please note the spelling mistakes   use the spell check next time


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## dutchie936

I agree.Sorry, I was in a rush.


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## armyvern

Nfld Sapper said:
			
		

> Sorry being picky but please note the spelling mistakes   use the spell check next time



You forgot to point out that we also prefer proper capitalization and punctuation being used on the site!! 

 >


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## Nfld Sapper

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> You forgot to point out that we also prefer proper capitalization and punctuation being used on the site!!
> 
> >



Well I leave that to you MOD types  ;D


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## armyvern

Nfld Sapper said:
			
		

> Well I leave that to you MOD types  ;D



What?? You can't edit your own post?? He used proper capitalization and punctuation.


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## First

I was sworn in on the 12th of Sep here in O.N. and the weekend B.M.Q for me starts on Oct 12th.


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## joonrooj

As someone who has done the weekend BMQ, obviously it is different course to course, depending on instructors, how switched on the candidates are, and to some degree, their trades.

Pros:
It is 2 and 1/2 days, you go home.

Cons: 
More demanding on your civy life, schooling, work or whatever, because you are tired.
Much more action packed, slower learners will have a tougher time, because there is limited time to teach lessons, obviously the instructors will do their best to teach everything fully to everyone but if you are spending a lot of time on a certain subject, you might lose some of the fun stuff that isn't in the lesson plans.
PT, in my experience the PT was fairly tougher than it was on my summer SQ course, this could have been that we were (mostly) all going to be infanteers, or it could have been that we were fairly switched on and needed more demanding PT.
It is a lot harder to learn something one weekend, come back a week later and still be expected to know it, the first 1/2 day is all catchup.
It's easy to have other commitments on a weekend course, miss more than one weekend and you are out.

As to what everyone is saying about "well I think..." you don't have the experience, you can make guesses as to what the course is like, but really, the only way to do it is to experience it firsthand, and your course _will_ be different than anyone else's.

Good luck on your BMQ, don't be lazy, don't slack off, and always volunteer.

-J


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## Sukintu

Hi everyone, in December of this year I'll finally be turning 16 and I *WILL* join the reserves (looking at 32 CER or one of the infantry regiments are Moss Park). I'm still in high school, and next semester I think will be hell, since I am taking both Grade 11 Biology and Physics [with accounting and intro to aps] (I want to get into university  ;D). I have heard of a BMQ weekend course starting in January, and I'm not sure what to take, the weekend BMQ course or just wait until the summer to do BMQ and SQ. I really want to do the weekend course, but I can't decide since I don't want my grades to be affected by the training ( or will it?). By taking the BMQ course I know that getting into the unit will be faster, and i can by the end of the summer.
I'm looking for some guidance, thanks  .
P.S
My parents are in support of me joining the reserves, but I'm not too sure about the BMQ weekend course.


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## Dale Denton

I haven't gone through BMQ and I haven't even given in my application yet. I had a friend who joined up for BMQ on the weekends during the school year. IMHO I think you should wait until the summer at least, or even after grade 12. I was in the same position last year. I talked to my parents about it and they completely support me, but they had a problem with the time in which I wanted to join. Since you are taking courses that are on the Academic level, I think you should wait. My parents stressed that I wait until I've finished school, so that the training would not take away from my school work. They told me that the army wasn't going anywhere, and that if i want to truly get into University I should focus on school, and then sign up. Back to my friend, he had BMQ on the weekends and spent his Monday's in class sleeping... almost all day. It really depends on your work ethic I think. You on the other hand could focus on both, because he spend his time after BMQ sunday night drinking, so you could handle it. It really depends on how much you want to join and your schooling. You could in fact do perfectly fine in both. You should really read through the informative threads here and decide for yourself. Don't take what I say as the truth, that's just the way I've decided to go about in signing up. Good luck in your decision, and remember, search through the forums and you'll find all of the information your looking for.


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## tomahawk6

My non-Canadian advice is to wait until summer.


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## joonrooj

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/63835/post-615745.html#msg615745

This has been addressed, in particular my post at the bottom is what you are looking at, for ease of learning this post has been quoted below, squad 1: read.


> As someone who has done the weekend BMQ, obviously it is different course to course, depending on instructors, how switched on the candidates are, and to some degree, their trades.
> 
> Pros:
> It is 2 and 1/2 days, you go home.
> 
> Cons:
> More demanding on your civy life, schooling, work or whatever, because you are tired.
> Much more action packed, slower learners will have a tougher time, because there is limited time to teach lessons, obviously the instructors will do their best to teach everything fully to everyone but if you are spending a lot of time on a certain subject, you might lose some of the fun stuff that isn't in the lesson plans.
> PT, in my experience the PT was fairly tougher than it was on my summer SQ course, this could have been that we were (mostly) all going to be infanteers, or it could have been that we were fairly switched on and needed more demanding PT.
> It is a lot harder to learn something one weekend, come back a week later and still be expected to know it, the first 1/2 day is all catchup.
> It's easy to have other commitments on a weekend course, miss more than one weekend and you are out.
> 
> As to what everyone is saying about "well I think..." you don't have the experience, you can make guesses as to what the course is like, but really, the only way to do it is to experience it firsthand, and your course will be different than anyone else's.
> 
> Good luck on your BMQ, don't be lazy, don't slack off, and always volunteer.
> 
> -J


WRT what you are talking about, schoolwork can suffer if you are not in the best physical state, I personally after my first weekend slept until dinner on Monday after going to bed in my combats on Sunday at 6pm. After that though, my body got used to the stress and the only problem I had with my schoolwork was remembering to do it before the weekend.

This will be different on your course (if you are on it) how different is based on the factors above. Good luck, take it a step at a time and have fun.

-J


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## Lumadue

i would suggest you wait until summer, that way you won't have the stress of not having time on weekends to finish your work, you will have time late in the day to work, but its not much even then you need time to prepare for the next day. i am doing the same thing, im still in high school and taking the weekend bmq as well as in grade 12 academics. i won't be doing it until january. i have had two other friends do the same as well and had some time about getting work done on time.


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## Nfld Sapper

You just need to know how to budget your time. When I did my QL2 (BMQ) I was in Univeristy and jugling a full course load there.

My 2 cents worth.


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## Fishbone Jones

If you get it done on the weekends, you can take your next upgrade during the summer. Weekend and full summer both have their pros and cons. It's up to you and what you feel you can put in and handle. The topic has also been covered numerous times before. If you do a 'search' of the Recruiting forum, everything is already laid out for you and answered.


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## Sukintu

thanks for your help everyone, I was just informed about the Co-op program offered in schools and I'm planning on taking the course (since i know it's offered at my school), only if its for half a day. Does anyone know anything about Co-Op courses in Toronto that aren't full day?


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## mckee19

Lumadue said:
			
		

> i would suggest you wait until summer, that way you won't have the stress of not having time on weekends to finish your work, you will have time late in the day to work, but its not much even then you need time to prepare for the next day. i am doing the same thing, im still in high school and taking the weekend bmq as well as in grade 12 academics. i won't be doing it until january. i have had two other friends do the same as well and had some time about getting work done on time.



on my BMQ there was no time late in the day to do homework....after supper if there was no classroom work to be done you were in the shacks ckeaning your rifle, studying any material they gave you that day, practicing any new things you learnt that day, cleaning the shacks and preparing for the next day from 6ish till lights out....then not to mention some weekends you were in the field and what not.


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## mysteriousmind

My opinion, as I have done summer BMQ in may-july of this year, 


DO the Summer course if you can wait, other wise were is the thrill of getting to your limit when you are on a week end course. 

But, If you need money now...do it...


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## joonrooj

mysteriousmind said:
			
		

> My opinion, as I have done summer BMQ in may-july of this year,
> 
> 
> DO the Summer course if you can wait, other wise were is the thrill of getting to your limit when you are on a week end course.
> 
> But, If you need money now...do it...


That is kind of a misinformed quote, you make it sound as if weekend BMQ is a walk in the park, if anything a weekend BMQ is more likely to push you to your limits than a summer BMQ, there is less time to do it in and the instructors know you have a week to recuperate, they will push you hard. My BMQ was weekend and my SQ was summer, and I can tell you I was pushed a lot harder on BMQ.

Every course is different etc etc.

-J


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## armyvern

Joonrooj said:
			
		

> That is kind of a misinformed quote, you make it sound as if weekend BMQ is a walk in the park, if anything a weekend BMQ is more likely to push you to your limits than a summer BMQ, there is less time to do it in and the instructors know you have a week to recuperate, they will push you hard. My BMQ was weekend and my SQ was summer, and I can tell you I was pushed a lot harder on BMQ.
> 
> Every course is different etc etc.
> 
> -J



Funny how that works eh?? You're making it sound as if the summer BMQ is easier than the weekend yourself. Having NOT done the summer though I note.

Pot <---> Kettle

= black

It doesn't really matter which course, or which type, a person is on. Some will find it difficult -- others will not.


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## geo

mysteriousmind said:
			
		

> My opinion, as I have done summer BMQ in may-july of this year,
> 
> 
> DO the Summer course if you can wait, other wise were is the thrill of getting to your limit when you are on a week end course.
> 
> But, If you need money now...do it...



MM,
If you wait to do your BMQ in the summer you end up with a situation where you can't do your SQ & BMQ in the summer.  It is possible to complete your training in one year.... else follow your suggestion and stretch it out over two years.... You have made a suggestion without thinking of the ramifications.


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## Eowyn

Sukintu said:
			
		

> Hi everyone, in *December of this year * I'll finally be turning 16 and I *WILL* join the reserves (looking at 32 CER or one of the infantry regiments are Moss Park).  I have heard of a BMQ weekend course starting in *January*, and I'm not sure what to take, the weekend BMQ course or just wait until the summer to do BMQ and SQ.



Of course your question may be moot.  I don't think you would be enrolled in time for the January BMQ if you start your application in December.


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## Sukintu

Eowyn said:
			
		

> Of course your question may be moot.  I don't think you would be enrolled in time for the January BMQ if you start your application in December.



ahh! That makes everything bad =(, do you think they would let me do the highschool co-op program that starts in 2nd semester? Or is my birthday making things that bad?


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## joonrooj

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> Funny how that works eh?? You're making it sound as if the summer BMQ is easier than the weekend yourself. *Having NOT done the summer though I note.*





			
				Joonrooj said:
			
		

> That is kind of a misinformed quote, you make it sound as if weekend BMQ is a walk in the park, if anything a weekend BMQ is more likely to push you to your limits than a summer BMQ, there is less time to do it in and the instructors know you have a week to recuperate, they will push you hard. *My BMQ was weekend and my SQ was summer*, and I can tell you I was pushed a lot harder on BMQ.
> 
> Every course is different etc etc.
> 
> -J



I have in fact done both a summer and a weekend course, granted they were not both BMQ. I have pointed out however, that each course is different depending on candidates, instructors, and time.




			
				ArmyVern said:
			
		

> It doesn't really matter which course, or which type, a person is on. Some will find it difficult -- others will not.


Agree completely, and better put than myself, I find it hard not to start typing an epic poem when replying.
Cheers
-J


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## mysteriousmind

mysteriousmind said:
			
		

> My opinion, as I have done summer BMQ in may-july of this year,
> 
> 
> DO the Summer course if you can wait, other wise were is the thrill of getting to your limit when you are on a week end course.
> 
> But, If you need money now...do it...



Actually you guys a right, I have not did not do the week end, but I was talking with a old reg who has now transfer to our unit. and he think it is not a good way to see if you are a good soldier from a week end. You know whatever happends, it will be over on sunday. and you will be able to sleep home.

I told him that it was not possible for every one to go and do 2 full time courses as their civvy job did not permit them to leave that long. 

I kind of agree with him but not on all point. 

I think It is still worth to do the full time, but I understand part time angle.

One more thing....


Some on who does his SQ part time and wish to transfer to the regs., the part time course is generally not credited. depending on your time done.


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## Sukintu

quick question here, is the high school coop program 4 periods or 2 periods, like all day or from 1200hrs to whenever? i'm in toronto and ive been hearing kind of both, just wanted the clarification.


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## BDTyre

I did both my BMQ and SQ on weekends.  It had its ups and downs.  For one, I was able to keep my "regular" income as I could work from Monday to Friday mornings.  It was a nice break from the stresses of the course, but it also allowed any injuries you have developed, to heal.

With both courses, it was not run every weekend.  The first portion of BMQ was alternating weekends; SQ was the same.  The problem with this is that with two weeks off, you start to forget things and you're not in the right mindset when you show up for the next weekend.  There was then a 5 day stretch between Christmas and New Years where we trained, followed by every Thursday night and all four weekends in January.  This was nice as you were always in the right mindset, and remembering what you had been taught was much easier.  However, it meant that between the civy job and the army I had not a single day off from December 26 to January 28.  (I know, I know, this is nothing for you reg force guys, but this post is directed at reservists: people with civy jobs or school, so please don't beat me  ;D ).

We were given one weekend off and then SQ started.  Again, the first few weekends were alternating.  The nice thing about a back to back BMQ and SQ was that many of the staff and students were the same.  However, it got really mixed up here.  Our weekend dates were changed: once to accomadate Cougar Salvo, and again because they didn't want us training over Easter (probably because the DS wanted Easter off).  As a result we had three weeks with no training, and there was some confusion as to when we would actually be training (I found out one weekend that training was cancelled about four hours before I had to leave).  Then came five straight weekends of training.  As before, one could keep the mindset much easier.  But, as before, I ended up without a day for a while...I think 41 days in this case.

Other things I've noticed with weekend courses -up to you whether they are good or bad points.

PT is a lot more interesting.  My BIQ was runs, rucks, stretcher PT and circuit training, and the actual PT itself lasted only 20 to 30 minutes.  Weekend courses:  PT was certain almost every Saturday and Sunday morning; it may have been cancelled once.  It lasted from 45 minutes to 1h 45m.  Anything from ruck marches through the city at 0530 (involving rucking over frozen sand) runs on the beach and into the freezing sea water followed by push-ups on the frozen concrete) to hauling 20 foot longs as a section on a 2 or 3km march.

The days run later: 0500 to between 2100-2200.  In WATC, we were done classes by 1700 and had nearly a full hour for dinner.  From about 1800-1900 to 2300 we were "on our own."  This happened very rarely on BMQ/SQ.  We also only got to sleep in once; on my BIQ, they often gave us an extra hour or hour and a half.

Its really hard to mess up an inspection.  You have much less to worry about: simply lay your stuff on your cot properly and take care of yourself.  No hospital corners, no locker inspections.  We never even did weapons layout.

As for a full time course: you can never be late.  Sure, you can miss timings, but you'll never show up late.  There's nothing worse on a weekend course that sitting in traffic Friday evening wonder whether or not you'll make it to the armoury on time.  You also don't have to worry about making plans for when you're done, like on a weekend course.  Nothing worse than thinking you'll be done at five only to be let out at seven and miss your dinner, party, etc., etc.  Also, no worries about trying to get let out early for something.

Full time courses generally offer more free time, and more personal time.  But this can be taken away just as easily as it is given.

As for injuries, there is no real downtime so minor injuries can turn serious, and that means a trip to the MIR and possible a trip home.  And almost everyone will get the shack hack.

I could probably add more, but I think I've taken up enough space.  One final point on weekend courses: its a great way to stretch out two 22 day courses to 8 months (October to May)!

But I wouldn't change how I did any of my DP1.


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## tumbling_dice

I know that BMQ is the same for all elements, but I haven't seen anybody talk about weekend BMQs for NavRes.  Are they there as well?  Also, is the weekend BMQ the same as the reg force BMQ (ie. if you CT will you have to redo it)?


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## geo

tumbling dice...
You haven't tried the search funtion - have you ???
Has been asked and answered.


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## tumbling_dice

I did, just not the right search words.  I realize Naval Reserve BMQ is not done on weekends, but after searching through all the pages the best I got on res vs. reg force BMQ is that they are "roughly" the same.  Does anybody know if Naval Reserves BMQ is component transferable (if that's even a real phrase)?  Sorry about taking up the bandwidth.


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## medaid

NAVRES BMQ is the RegF BMQ.


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## tumbling_dice

Thank you very much MedTech.


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## medaid

NP. Majority of the time it's faster if not easier to obtain the info from your CFRC/D or NavRes unit.


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## dregeneau

I have spent quite a few hours on this site reading countless posts that gave me lots of information. I’m fresh out of the shacks from my first weekend of BMQ and I wanted to contribute my perspective of what went on. I have to admit that MedTechStudent’s recent topic encouraged me to post this, as I noticed a different pace at which material was introduced for our course. Any input of comparison or how and other recruits can improve would be more than appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

*Night 1*
Arrival at the base is a huge confusion, since a lot of people had not been informed to mark their equipment ahead of time. Although it was part of the instruction the next day to mark individual articles, marking the big three (Rucksack, Duffle, Kit-Box) so they are identifiable is crucial. A lot of time was wasted sorting through the heap of kit with no names, and this cut into our timings as the evening progressed. Of course the staff was barking at us the whole time, and stressing the majority of the crowd out – but hey, its their job to make us perform under pressure. Then was the administration stuff to take care of, that took a while. Nothing else significant for that night, just lights out, and probably the best chance to get some sleep for the weekend.

*Day 1*
Probably one of the best items to come prepared for the course was a cheap digital wristwatch with an alarm. It helps immensely with following our timings, and more importantly to wake up before the staff comes charging in, yelling at us to get out of the sack. Timings are short so showers had to be quick. Get in, soap up, rinse, get out. 60 seconds tops. To all those that take a good long shower, forget it. It will just put the rest of the group behind, and you will look like the scapegoat. But it is first day of course, so everybody learns. We spent a lot of time learning the very fundamentals of drill, had short but very good meals, sat through some introductory lectures, and spent more time on the basics of drill. It was evident right off that we had to work as a team, and everybody stepped up. Make sure buddy beside you doesn’t fall asleep, make sure buddy beside you is dressed properly, and make sure to help somebody else out if you are finished. We had a good little surprise “attack” by our course staff that night. Although it is important to know that we are a team, I have to admit watching a bunch of grown men get chased outside in their socks and t-shirts by a female staffer half their stature was amusing - only for them to get yelled at for not putting their full uniform on before coming outside.

*Day 2*
We had our first PT this morning. It was short and sweet, rather an introduction than anything. We also had our first inspection which was a little stressful. Although the teamwork was still in full gear, and we all checked each other’s bunks over a dozen times, it wasn’t hard for the staff to find our mistakes. And man, were there mistakes. I’m just glad they didn’t throw my bed in the air. After an even shorter breakfast – at least there is some surprisingly awesome chocolate milk – we spent even more time pounding out some basic drill. I don’t know if it is because of the staff, the regimental recruits we have, or because we have an officer cadet in our ranks, but we learned a lot of drill in our first weekend. But it was rather satisfying at the end of the day to march around the parade square and not make (too many) mistakes. After a good clean-up of the shacks, we were issued our box-dinner and shipped on the bus to go home and boast about all the good stories from the weekend.


----------



## kabogadil

I am starting my basic week 1 this Friday, so thanks for posting! It's funny when you talked about marking or labeling your kit because a few people have told me to do it. However, we received no instructions. Anyway, thanks for the update.


----------



## frostvelun

I'm currently on the 7th weekend of BMQ here in Quebec, and already there are some minor deviations (we didn't receive most kit until the 3rd week or so).

We were told that our serial, 0901, was a "trial" serial and that a lot of new exams and plans were being tried out. Among them was the removal of the Field Exercise and the addition of the 2nd level C7 qualifications.

Is your BMQ following the same plan RE: Field Ex/C7 COREN?


----------



## dregeneau

frostvelun,

    Thats interesting that your group wasn't issued kit until 3 weekends in. There were a handful of our guys that didn't have any kit issue this weekend; however, they had all been given rather short notice and their units did not have enough time to arrange an appointment with clothing stores. 
    We were not "officially" told about field a field ex, or the C7 qualifications we would be acquiring. However, from what I gathered, from talking to the staff on their smoke breaks and from what they told us, we are including a field ex and we will not hitting up the range until the last couple weekends of our BMQ. This being said, I will try to remember to ask and or take a peek at the course calendar if I get a chance next weekend. Since we do have an officer cadet, and our course officer mentioned that there will be a rep from standards involved with our course, I would assume that it is going to follow whatever the traditional outline is.

ken_TO,

    Good luck this weekend! Just a little more information on where to label our items. Our course staff asked us to label the rucksack on the top of the back, the duffel bag along the button flap on the outside, and our box was where there was some discretion involved. There were about four different types of kit boxes issued to the recruits, so just make sure to put your name and last 3 of your SN somewhere easily distinguishable. Trust me, if you can find your kit quicker, than that gives you more time to help out another person find his. Give it your all, help out the other recruits, let other recruits help you out, and don't lolly-dag around and you should be just fine.


----------



## frostvelun

I'm an OCDT as well, actually (the only one in the platoon ) but our BMQ standards are still messed, I think.

If your course is anything like ours, you should be issued a course calendar that explains the exact week-by-week schedule. If you wouldn't mind letting me know about the Field EX, etc when you receive one I would appreciate it very much.

Good luck on your course though. It isn't too bad, you just have to keep your head up and keep yourself and your section-mates motivated and it all comes together.


----------



## AgentSmith

I just came back from my 4th weekend of BMQ and there are some differences from what you posted, but that's to be expected. No two BMQ courses are the same. From looking at my schedule, it seems the only time we go on a Field EX is near the end of SQ, with the exception of going to the rifle range but I don't think that counts. 

My advice: stick with it no matter what. We lost a few people in the first weekend but no matter how bad it gets, never quit. Help your buddies out, don't half *** anything, and stay awake during class.      



> at least there is some surprisingly awesome chocolate milk



I never drank the stuff before BMQ and now I love it.  ;D


----------



## slowmode

DreDre: I'm assuming you are currently on the weekend course in Connaught Ranges. I'm also going to take a guess and say your staying in the shacks.

Well I've done quite a bit of training and courses @ connaught so let me help you out.

  Right now its not to cold outside but once the temp gets low and the wind starts blowing ENSURE You stay warm. The problem with Connaught Ranges is ...well its a range. You have a massive field and during PT in the morning that field will blow the coldest air at you..its quite chilling actually. Depending on what your doing on PT dress appropriately because Connaught is notorious for its harsh winds. Also watch your step while marching/doing PT outside...Connaught also has random potholes on the floor.

  As for inspections what I can tell you is your never going to be "right" on BMQ. The point is to find mistakes and allow you to correct them and become a soldier. I know many of the staff instructing your course..there great soldiers and take everything they say in good..you will learn A LOT from them. Anyway A good way to at least impress staff during inspection is keep EVERYONE'S room tidy and THE SAME. If someones chair is on the table, than EVERYONE'S is..no exception. Try to get everyone to also have there uniforms tidy and boots as polished as they can get. Also ensure theres no dust ANYWHERE in your room, even on top of the closet..the staff will look there. 

  Anyway i'm glad your enjoying your course. Remember this..week one in BMQ is always an intro, the real stuff really goes down in week 2.


----------



## the_girlfirend

dredre, 

Good initiative on your part
I am looking forward to reading week 2
Keep us posted

Hey frostvelun,

Where is your BMQ?
I am in Quebec also, I am waiting for my medical and hoping to be in the winter BMQ, I can't wait!


----------



## frostvelun

the_girlfirend said:
			
		

> Hey frostvelun,
> 
> Where is your BMQ?
> I am in Quebec also, I am waiting for my medical and hoping to be in the winter BMQ, I can't wait!



We meet at Montreal Garrison and then head to St. Hubert for the weekend. I know this stands true for all of the Anglo units (CGG, RMR, Black Watch, etc) and a lot of the Francophone units as well. Our platoon is made up of two Anglo sections and two Franco sections but we really don't interact with the other language very often in the platoon.

There are a few guys from my unit who are headed on the winter BMQ as well, so maybe you'll meet some of them. The course is actually pretty fun sometimes.


----------



## the_girlfirend

Thank you for the reply, that is good to know
I live 5 minutes from the base in St-hubert... it will be weird if I do my BMQ over there... 
my boyfriend will come scream my name along the fence to get me into trouble  ;D...


----------



## facemesser

that's really neat. I'm going for my TIM day in Hamilton around Dec. 2nd, just have to confirm the date now. If all goes well I'll be a reservist of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment. Woo!

DLord


----------



## dregeneau

Slowmode,

   It sounds like you did your BMQ during the winter at Connaught as well. A question I forgot to ask the course staff over the weekend was if we would require to be issued our winter kit. There were some recruits that already had it, but was there ever a need? 

   We got a good introduction to the windy/wet/cold weather beside the ranges during sunday mornings PT. It was a rather short run (3km) and with the pace we were at I never warmed up until about 3/4 of the way in. I think the only person that came prepared was the course officer (had his gloves, actual running pants and jacket, and tocque)

   I sure enjoyed the first weekend. Yet to be honest I didn't feel as though it met my standards. I know that BMQ is never going to be all "hollywoody", but I did expect a lot more discipline and punishments in the form of pushups, and even less sleep. I geuss that comes during week 2. Looking forward to being pushed.

the_girlfirend,

   I am glad that you enjoyed my little recount of the goings-on. Weekend two will surely be posted promptly while it is fresh in my head. Good luck with the process and keep your fingers crossed!


----------



## slowmode

dredre said:
			
		

> Slowmode,
> 
> It sounds like you did your BMQ during the winter at Connaught as well. A question I forgot to ask the course staff over the weekend was if we would require to be issued our winter kit. There were some recruits that already had it, but was there ever a need?
> 
> We got a good introduction to the windy/wet/cold weather beside the ranges during sunday mornings PT. It was a rather short run (3km) and with the pace we were at I never warmed up until about 3/4 of the way in. I think the only person that came prepared was the course officer (had his gloves, actual running pants and jacket, and tocque)
> 
> I sure enjoyed the first weekend. Yet to be honest I didn't feel as though it met my standards. I know that BMQ is never going to be all "hollywoody", but I did expect a lot more discipline and punishments in the form of pushups, and even less sleep. I geuss that comes during week 2. Looking forward to being pushed



To Correct You: I did my BMQ in the summer a while back in Connaught. Though I did my SQ in the Winter and being a field oriented course we were outside most of the time there.

When You mean winter kit that can be a very loose term, Do you mean your Winter Gortex Jacket? Gloves? Polypropylene Shirts? Or Do you simply mean muklucks, white tarps? What I do suggest is ENSURE you have your gloves, and the liner for them. Also make sure you have your Winter Gortex Jacket, this will protect you from the harsh winds. Another thing is you might want to get long sleeve shirts from NDHQ, they come in extremely handy. As for the muklucks it really depends on the course. Some courses may wear them right when it starts snowing..some may not. During all of my SQ we never wore them...and you saw how much snow there was last year. If you dont wear them I suggest getting warm socks or your toes will freeze.

You have to remember your on a weekend course..it will differ A LOT from a full time course. The staff only have you for like 2 days and 1 night to do what ever they want with you. There main goal right now is to teach you to become BMQ qualified. This may mean less cock and more class room work. But I can assure you your only on your first weekend..you will have a big surprise for you on the second one. From what i've seen in the past staff like to keep the first weekend easy to get all the admin work out of the way. As soon as the second weekend hits your going to see a huge leap in stress.

Another thing you have to remember is you may be looking forward to being pushed but theirs probably a lot of peers in your course that dont have the physical ability to. Your only as strong as your weakest person. You may not find BMQ hard but others may..its really a situation that differs from person to person.


----------



## Alex1692

You wouldn't happen to be on BMQ 0902 as well, would you dredre?


----------



## dregeneau

That's right. I'm sending you a PM. ;D


----------



## sonicdaze

I am hoping to start my weekend BMQ course in January so this is very good information to have. Thanks and keep it up.


----------



## facemesser

same! what reserve unit are you joining to?


----------



## dregeneau

I'm glad to hear you appreciate the thread. Weekend two is coming up fast and I'm getting excited. However, I have noticed a general issue with acquiring kit that was missed on initial issue. Stuff like the long sleeve undershirts, thermal underwear (it's getting cold out), tactical vests, and what not. The seem to conveniently always be out of stock, or not allowed to issue it to me because they are 'operational order' only.


----------



## facemesser

is the tactical vest issued to reservists, or is that just simply out of stock? Sounds exciting but everytime I go to confirm my Dec. 2 TIM day, they never answer the phone and I call like 5+ times a day...


----------



## sonicdaze

Dlord: 31 MP Platoon in London, you?


----------



## facemesser

Lincoln and Welland in St Catharines..

Funny how the main armoury isn't in the name at all


----------



## toughenough

dredre said:
			
		

> However, I have noticed a general issue with acquiring kit that was missed on initial issue. Stuff like the long sleeve undershirts, thermal underwear (it's getting cold out), tactical vests, and what not. The seem to conveniently always be out of stock, or not allowed to issue it to me because they are 'operational order' only.



This is something you will experience throughout your career in the reserves. Take it when you can get it, as it may not be available to you again. If you are entitled to it, get it. If you will need it soon (thermals, neck gators, etc) be sure to pass it up your chain of command. It may very well be on short order, it may only be going to the boys in the sandbox, but if winter comes and you don't have a coat, and your section commander did not know about it before hand, you'll be held responsible. If he's seen it coming for a few weeks, then he'll inform you of the appropriate action to take (I've seen weekend BMQs look more like a snowboard team).

Keep your eye on the prize.


----------



## 1h_trooper

sonic daze: I'm with 1H and doing the January BMQ, are you pres or reg?


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## 1h_trooper

@CSA 105 

much obliged. i was merely inquiring to see, mayhaps he did not read the title as I did. I didn't know 31MP was pres, but will not forget now. Thanks again.


----------



## dregeneau

As promised here is my update for weekend two of BMQ

*Night 1*
Getting started out this weekend was a lot smoother than the first. There was a little bit of a mix up due to switching shacks around on us, but at least we are all bunking according to our sections now. The first night was actually pretty easy as far as everything goes. We got our bunks set up and for the most part we weren’t bothered a whole lot. The one big recommendation for everybody is to remember to bring along at least a half-dozen locks. I suggest having them all key-locks, except for one combination for the door. That way you and your bunk-mate don’t have to share keys.  

*Day 1*
We were up bright and early, as usual, for a better PT session than the first. We ran over to the big tent to do some circuit training, with stations for crunches, obliques, sprints, burpees, shoulder presses, push-ups, starfish, and high-knee jumps. I especially appreciated this type of workout over the last, because you get to work to your own potential. It is still important, however, to encourage the other recruits, and to keep the moral high. Another point on PT and weekend BMQ, is that it is crucial that you workout (run, do circuit training, lift weights, whatever your specialty) on your own time. The weekens are too short and far between to “whip you into shape” alone. Inspection that morning was focused mainly on our uniforms, but it turned out that we didn’t function well enough as a group for the general cleanliness of the shacks (hallway, bathrooms, etc.). We had a packed together lesson on drill, which seemed to rush through things a lot quicker than the week before (I personally felt that the timings kept on getting screwed up, and led to a gross misunderstanding of how to perform a certain routine). There were a couple major screw-ups during the morning and after-noon, which led to group repercussions. Due to the fact that we talked too much as a group, and too loud during breaks, our speaking privileges were revoked. Until told otherwise, we no longer can open our mouths, except for the course/section seniors, or unless we are spoken to by staff. As well, due to our poor performance at keeping step, making timings, and a few people not taking things seriously, we no longer have the right to wear our berets. That one hurt the most. Myself, I am always proud to be able to wear the beret. It not only looks good, but makes me feel important. So when the Sgt took that away from us I was disappointed. That evening, we finally got to meet our own section commander, and find out who he is. We also had our 1 on 1 interviews with the section 2ic, which was pretty relaxed. Some of the sections were given donuts or pizza during their interviews. We were not……

*Day 2*
Sunday was supposed to start off with a ruck-march. Due to the fact that only a small portion of their course had their tac-vests, we were not able to go. This seems to be a re-occurring issue with our BMQ. None of the recruits, except for the field ambulance crew, and those who signed on during the summer, are able to get tac-vests from clothing stores. So we were then supposed to go for a bike ride, that didn’t happen either. Instead we went on what we were told was a 5km run. It felt more like 2.5km or 3km. Inspection went over pretty smoothly again, we finally had our own section’s 2ic for it. Although he can be pretty tough, it seemed as though he had a hard time finding errors in the standard we were given. The rest of the day kind of sucked, as far as lessons go. We spent the whole day in the classroom for, as the course officer put it, “death by power-point.” However, we did start to get into more strenuous forms of punishments, which I personally enjoyed. The staff finally started to give us more push-ups to do when we screwed up (I was smiling on the inside). That’s another thing, is if you are getting on a course make sure you can do a good bout of push-ups and planks. The staff loves to make us do a set, hold the position, do another set, get up, get down, do another set….you get the idea. When we were packing up for the weekend, I got a good jacking. A couple of guys from my section mixed their gloves up, and one of them left his kicking around when everybody was already outside. Needless to say the course staff found out, they both came forward, the question was asked about how it happened. I said that the mistake could have been made because they were bunk-mates, and the good MCpl made a point of me not being able to hear out of my right ear for the next half hour.


----------



## facemesser

lol, very nice. Sounds very interesting, can't wait. Not to sound like a complete psycho or anything, but when do you start learning about the C7?

I have Europe trip with my school on March break and just realised I'll be missing a complete weekend where I would be doing Basic, what will happen to me?


----------



## Nfld Sapper

DLord said:
			
		

> lol, very nice. Sounds very interesting, can't wait. Not to sound like a complete psycho or anything, but when do you start learning about the C7?
> 
> I have Europe trip with my school on March break and just realised I'll be missing a complete weekend where I would be doing Basic, what will happen to me?



Submite a memo, arrangments can be made.

On one that I taught on we brought the member in a week prior to "learn" the missed lessons or you may be brought up to speed on the next training weekend after your return. It all depends on the Course Staff.


----------



## dregeneau

From what I heard, and this is just word of mouth...we don't get the C7 until weekend 4. For us that means the first weekend in January. However, we will not be given a chance to fire the rifle until near the end of the course.

As for your trip, a whole weekend is a lot of instruction to be missing. I do not want to stress you out, but you should inform your COC as soon as possible by the way of a memo. If not, make sure you ask your course staff about right away when you get on course. They may or may not let you miss a weekend of training. So look into it and talk to your unit.


----------



## Nfld Sapper

1 on 1 its realatively easy to catch up a candidate, trust me been there and done that.


----------



## grmpz1

im goin into my 4th weekend on bmq and we are getting the rifles then


----------



## frostvelun

In regards to the missing of BMQ weekends...

A member of my section missed a weekend about halfway through, and although he was brought up (mostly) to standard the next week he will not be graduating with the rest of us. Instead, he must wait until the next rotation to make up that weekend.

Likewise, a member of our platoon was  at first unable to make it to the First Aid training this week and was told "Either make it, or re-course". He made arrangements.

Others have missed a day or two here and there and haven't had to take any additional weekends, nor were they forced to re-course. I believe it all comes down to the amount of time you are missing, the information you are missing and the unique characteristics of your particular BMQ.


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## facemesser

well, if all goes well, I'll be starting on January 9th but I'll miss march break and the following weekends course which is pretty far in and with my luck, I'll miss the rifle range or something, which is probably something you most definitely can't miss?

Sorry for stealing the thread

DLord


----------



## the_girlfirend

Question for you Dredre,

Do you work at the unit on tuesday nights, while you are doing BMQ? Or do you start after BMQ only?

Thank you


----------



## dregeneau

They had us (16 or so recruits) on pre-BMQ training tuesday nights leading up to when BMQ began. We did this about 6 or 7 times. Basically the purpose was to get us doing some PT, and give us some background on our unit. It also allowed us to get to know some of the course staff, and the other recruits ahead of time. 

After BMQ started it has been a little confusing. A hand-full of us went in on each of the Tuesday nights; however, after training on each of those nights, we were told there was a mistake made and we were not supposed to have come in. 

I do know that some of the other regiments on our course have their recruits go in on the Tuesdays every week. So it is different with each unit.

That being said, if you have plans made and you get a phone call or email to show up on short notice...it is not the end of the world, and don't kill yourself to show up. We had a recruit try to rush in, it was wet out, and he got into a car accident. He was alright, however we were told that if it is too close of a call, just either be late (but let them know) or tell them why you can't make it.


----------



## facemesser

okay so that I got that understood correctly, you do your BMQ every other weekend but you sometimes go in on parade night as well?


----------



## 1h_trooper

it depends on the unit. They might also wait untill you have been taught drill.


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## facemesser

okay, sounds about right.


----------



## P-PLATOON

DLord said:
			
		

> okay so that I got that understood correctly, you do your BMQ every other weekend but you sometimes go in on parade night as well?



Once you are on your BMQ, you will not be required to come in on parade night, unless instructed to by your CoC.
(applies to the Lincoln and Welland Regiment)


----------



## facemesser

okay thank you. going for medical, interview and test on Wednesday the 10th of December, what should I wear? If all goes well, the lady said a new course starts on the 9th of January, correct?

DLord


----------



## P-PLATOON

DLord said:
			
		

> okay thank you. going for medical, interview and test on Wednesday the 10th of December, what should I wear? If all goes well, the lady said a new course starts on the 9th of January, correct?
> 
> DLord



I can't say for sure if BMQ starts on 9 Jan, but I did see a bunch of new recruits in this past Thursday and as I was introducing myself to them I asked them when they started BMQ, the said January.

I would wear nothing less then a suit and tie.

Best of Luck!

If you have any specific unit questions, feel free to PM me.

EDIT: to add


----------



## Love793

P-PLATOON said:
			
		

> Once you are on your BMQ, you will not be required to come in on parade night, unless instructed to by your CoC.
> (applies to the Lincoln and Welland Regiment)



Funny, I'd swear I saw a directive from Cmdr 31 CBG stating that PATs and BMQ pers will parade with their units on regular trg nights.


----------



## P-PLATOON

Love793 said:
			
		

> Funny, I'd swear I saw a directive from Cmdr 31 CBG stating that PATs and BMQ pers will parade with their units on regular trg nights.



It's possibile, but it hasn't been sent down the CoC here as of yet, though. My info is up to date as of last week, but if it is true, I think that is a good thing for the recruits.

cheers!

EDIT:spelling


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## john10

Thanks for the posts dredre, very interesting.

I'm just curious, how many push-ups do they ask you to do?

thanks


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## dregeneau

As for the training on Tuesday nights, I would appreciate the opportunity to attend them in between weekends of BMQ. A little extra training, and time with the rest of the recruits could do us no harm. Besides the fact, a little extra money (no matter how little) during university always helps.

For push-ups, they like to threaten us with large numbers (100-150) but the most we have done so far is 50 (in two sets of 25). It is relatively easy to do, however they can throw in a sidewinder by making you hold the push-up position while your up of down. So if you need to prepare yourself make sure your doing push-ups every morning before you hop in the shower, as well as planks. If your unfamiliar, planks are basically holding yourself in a push-up position, with a straight back, until failure. That's a very simple explanation of a plank.


----------



## john10

Great, thanks.

I'm sure I'll be asking you the same question after your upcoming weekends.


----------



## joinreservesdec08

This course doesn't sound as hard as my friends have made it out to be.  What does it matter that they take your berets away anyway.  I mean, what kind of person thinks that that's a punishment?


----------



## canadian_moose

joinreservesdec08 said:
			
		

> This course doesn't sound as hard as my friends have made it out to be.  What does it matter that they take your berets away anyway.  I mean, what kind of person thinks that that's a punishment?



having your beret taken away is more a thing of honor and pride, you'll understand soon enough


----------



## 1h_trooper

canadian_moose said:
			
		

> having your beret taken away is more a thing of honor and pride, you'll understand soon enough



its fairly shamefull to not have your beret. Plus, everyone knows your in sheit.


----------



## facemesser

speaking of berets, each regiment (reserves and regular) each get their own unique badge, correct?


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Only Infantry and Armoured have unique cap badges IIRC. Others where corps badges.

Example: All Engineers where the same badge


----------



## facemesser

ah, okay thank you 

DLord


----------



## Steel Badger

DLord said:
			
		

> Lincoln and Welland in St Catharines..
> 
> Funny how the main armoury isn't in the name at all



 The Regiment wasn't named for the location of its infrastructure; it was named for the COUNTIES it was raised in. Might I humbly suggest you speak to your Sect Comd / 2ic about some Regt'l hist / guidance. Those worthies should be more than prepared to enlighten you!

Cheers 

SB


----------



## dregeneau

This may have taken a couple days to put up, but with it being exam period and all I think you understand. Here is my recap of weekend 3:

*Night 1*
	Unlike the other two weekends, when we arrived we weren’t immediately taken into the shacks. Turns out that the course warrant wanted to do a “little” kit inspection with us. This really showed to those who weren’t already doing so, the importance of bringing every single piece of issued kit (along with all the pt gear you are required) and labeled each and every individual item. It actually turns out that a large portion of the group (probably almost everybody) left at least one item at home. A couple suggestions to conquer this problem is to have a spot in your house/apartment/garage/basement that you throw only your army gear. For example I have a corner in the basement where it all sits in between weekends, with a pole strapped to the rafters so I can hang up my tunics and jacket. I don’t mix up my kit with my civy clothes when I do my wash, and I have a separate ablutions kit that I use just for BMQ. Another thing to do is get everything ready for the weekend the night before. There were quite a few excuses thrown out there about rushing out the door to catch a cab and forgetting shoes, or the other socks were in the wash, etc. But the moral of the story is, if you prepare ahead of time, when the s**t hits the fan you are ready. So the kit inspection took a long time. We had a break in the middle to get a little lecture from the other BMQ course warrant about the importance of putting up with the jacking up, and if we can’t than the army might not be for us and all that jazz. I think we ended up finishing with the inspection around midnight or so. However, we still had to carry our rucksacks and duffels back to the shacks, and learn how to make our bed properly, with hospital corners and all. I learned a very helpful tip from our marching NCO that night for making the bed. Instead of just tucking the sheet/blanket in from the side, when you are making your bed (with your buddy of course, because you always do everything together) have one person actually underneath the bed and pulling the sheets, through the springs, taught. This will get rid of all the wrinkles and make your beds look perfect. We hit the hay around 0200 hrs or so, maybe 0230, and got our much needed 2.5-3 hours of sleep.

*Day 1*
	We started off the day with some good old interval training. I forgot to mention that I also had the honour of being a marker. I had the chance to enjoy some good old fun of running to the front of the group, as we were in the middle of an interval of faster pace, while everybody was dragging behind. I must have sprinted like 300 meters to get to the front because everybody was so gaggled up. We broke it up in the middle with some sprints/pushups/situps/squats/and tricep dips. Then we did more intervals back to the shacks. Our inspection that morning was quite a mess. It turns out that our section seems to have an awesome section commander and second in command, because are good at giving it to us when something is out of place. Talking to the other recruits, they seem happy to not have as tough of staff as we do. Personally, I appreciate having the good MBdr that tears our room to shreds, ridicules us when we miss a button, and the Sgt who gets us to shout at our section senior because he has a stain on his shirt. I think it builds character being able to put up with that stress, and that’s one of the many reasons why we are there. Pretty much the whole day was spent in class. We had lectures on stress, suicide, CF policies and what not. We also had the chance of meeting the CSM of Battle School (I hope I didn’t mess that up), and the RSM for Connaught taught a couple of the lectures. Most important though was the touching question period that we had with a couple of staff about coping with stressors and friends and family after tours of duty, and such. It really emphasized the comradeship that is place within the CF culture and how it is important to share with each other feelings/emotions and to not bottle it all up. The beginning of the night started with some drill review, and we also learned about the most recent casualties in the beach. Sgt had us show our respects, and we paid a moment of silence for them. We then kicked off what I like to call… “Inspection Extravaganza.”  We spent pretty much the whole night going through a series of inspections. I think that there were a few motives for such an exercise. One of them being to make sure that there is good communication from the course senior, to the section seniors, and on to the rest of the recruits. But the biggest lesson for everybody out there is don’t be a blade. That means don’t f%^k your buddy. Make sure that if you are going to have everything ready, than so will your buddy. Otherwise it is your fault for them screwing up. We went through everything from ablutions inspection, foot inspection, tac vest inspection, combats inspection, bed inspection….the list goes on. 

*Day 2*
	We got about 4 hours or so of sleep that night, it was nice. Here I have to stress the importance of stretching, and keeping an eye on signs coming from your body. I developed a pretty good runners knee on Saturday night. We did intervals the day before, I was a marker, it was cold out, and we were in a prone position (sitting) for most of the day. So by night-time my ITD band was real tight, and it hurt. So it is extremely important that if you have something that hurts, or is sore, or tight…go see the appropriate person (in my case a physiotherapist). I saw a physio after the weekend was over and am now on the path to correcting it, it feels a lot better, the swelling is down, and I’m not stressed out about it anymore (it’s not just a physical issue, injuries will stress you out mentally as well). Inspection was crazy again this morning, our section had our rooms torn to pieces yet again (I love having my toothbrush thrown in the dirty corner) and got a good yelling. We did a little bit of drill Sunday morning, learning mark time at the quick march and what not before heading off for our two lunches and in class lectures. That’s right we had two lunches, the course staff had a mix up in timings and some people got through the line quick enough to eat most of their plate the first time. Classes this day were mostly about the profession of arms and ethics, then we got the fun time of crossing off the weekends we have completed. Sgt gave us the good news that we get our rifles next weekend, which is very exciting. We also got out of there a little early, around 1600 hrs, which was Sgt’s Christmas present to us.


PS. I’m not going to say much about the little discussion that was in this thread about berets, but that was insulting what you said, and I hope you learn what it means to wear one during your course.


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## joinreservesdec08

Thank you for your info on your course experiences so far.  I am just trying to see if the army is right for me.  I really appreciate the time you have taken to give me a heads up about what to expect.  I know I will use some of the tips/experiences when and if I go on my basic.  One last thing, what is a "course warrant" and who is he?


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## coldstrobes86

ive been in the army for almost 2 years now and nothing beats my bmq 0701 course. we had one of the hardest recruit courses that was run and a sgt allen was the course WO.  that was an experience i do NOT want to relive.  im just comparing courses and your course there dredre seems like a walk in the park.  your course WO seems a little soft.


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## Remius

dredre, PM inbound.


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## dregeneau

I'm sure every course is different, and that their respective course warrants handle things differently. I'll let you keep in mind that what I express here is just snippets from the whole weekend that we experience. As well the experience may be harder for some, and easier to handle for others. But I will not admit that our course warrant is by any way soft.

For joinreservesdec08, the course warrant is basically the guy in charge of the happenings with your course. I may have botched that definition, but it is just my take on his role...correct me if I am wrong.


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## Remius

coldstrobes86 said:
			
		

> ive been in the army for almost 2 years now and nothing beats my bmq 0701 course. we had one of the hardest recruit courses that was run and a sgt allen was the course WO.  that was an experience i do NOT want to relive.  im just comparing courses and your course there dredre seems like a walk in the park.  your course WO seems a little soft.



Stop the presses.  I'm sure Grandpa told me that his 3904 was the hardest.  But hey, you've been in for two years now so you must know.


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## Nfld Sapper

coldstrobes86 said:
			
		

> ive been in the army for almost 2 years now and nothing beats my bmq 0701 course. we had one of the hardest recruit courses that was run and a sgt allen was the course WO.  that was an experience i do NOT want to relive.  im just comparing courses and your course there dredre seems like a walk in the park.  your course WO seems a little soft.



So all those guys that went through Cornwallis had a cake walk then.

I THINK NOT.


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## grmpz1

everyone elses bmq sounds harder than mine :


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## the_girlfirend

dredre said:
			
		

> (I love having my toothbrush thrown in the dirty corner)



haha! 
I love that one... I can't wait... ;D
thanks Dredre


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## Mikeg81

But it begs the question, why is your corner dirty on a BMQ? ;D


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## dregeneau

You got me there . It's almost as if they try to set us up to fail, and to see how we handle the failures...


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## Mikeg81

Really, they never told you to sweep/mop? 

Holy crap the army has gotten soft...


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## aesop081

dredre said:
			
		

> It's almost as if they try to set us up to fail,



One day, when you are all grown up and have some TI, you will realize that the only person that set you up to fail is yourself.


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## CorporalMajor

coldstrobes86 said:
			
		

> ive been in the army for almost 2 years now and nothing beats my bmq 0701 course. we had one of the hardest recruit courses that was run and a sgt allen was the course WO.  that was an experience i do NOT want to relive.  im just comparing courses and your course there dredre seems like a walk in the park.  your course WO seems a little soft.


I know who he is, and I probably wouldn't want it either, but you realize that your course was probably easy compared to a lot of other ones, too.


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## aesop081

coldstrobes86 said:
			
		

> ive been in the army for almost 2 years now and nothing beats my bmq 0701 course.



 :


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## coldstrobes86

Ha! lol! sure if grandpa was infantry! 

nfld g: i asked my stepbrother about cornwallis, hes been in about 22 years. are you saying that is where you were trained?

aviator: i see you laughing!


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## Nfld Sapper

coldstrobes86 said:
			
		

> nfld g: i asked my stepbrother about cornwallis, hes been in about 22 years. are you saying that is where you were trained?



Holy Bat phone no! But I've heard the stories of it and there are many members here who have gone through Cornwallis.


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## 1feral1

coldstrobes86 said:
			
		

> ive been in the army for almost 2 years now and nothing beats my bmq 0701 course. we had one of the hardest recruit courses that was run and a sgt allen was the course WO.  that was an experience i do NOT want to relive.  im just comparing courses and your course there dredre seems like a walk in the park.  your course WO seems a little soft.



To sum up, Cse WOs and such are not meant to be AH's they are there to teach you basic soldiering.

A fair, firm and approachable attitude by all SNCOs to me, is the mininum standard accepted. Thats not being SOFT. One catches more flys with honey than shyte. Anyone who deliberatly treats troops like scum and is 'hard-corps' for no reason is a liability. However one should never mistake kindness for weakness, and discipline comes as required, and is dished out accordingly. Maintaining 'the standard set' promotes teamwork, and thats what the Army is all about. We are only as strong as our weakest link.

With good healthy training comes positive re-inforcement, pride, loyalty, personal discipline, excellent morale, eager troops keen to learn and retention, which is the key especially with the Militia.

To start comparing courses by having a 'pissing contest' with each other is foolishness. You are not on his course, and he was not on yours.

My 2 cents.

A former instructior om many recruit, leadership, and trades courses, for regular and reserve forces in two armies.

OWDU


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## FrostBite

Hey thanks for all the info BMQ. I'm getting enrolled this Thursday and was told my course starts this weekend. I'm doing infantry in London. Maybe I'll see a couple of you around.


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## Sonnyjim

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> To start comparing courses by having a 'pissing contest' with each other is foolishness. You are not on his course, and he was not on yours.



Need anybody say anymore?  Just boggles my mind, arguing over which weekend bmq course is harder than the other. You hit this one on the button.


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## Kevin_M

Hopefully none of your course staff come on the forums and read this. They may come on these forums too. Trust me, if they find out people have been saying the course is easy they will make you sorry you didn't. My course did and we did PT all day. I like PT, but not that much of it, not when people are throwing up.


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## FrostBite

for anyone who has been through BMQ recently or is currently in it , what is the PT like? i know original poster mentioned all of the exercises but how many of each? how long is it? i just want to be ready i know it all BMQ's are not the same but to get a rough idea. thank you.


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## dregeneau

So far, our PT is every morning from 0530 til 0630. It usually has a run, anywhere from 3km to 5km long. And, or it has sprints or intervals with pushups/situps/tricep dips in between (around 10-20 of each). Another option they give us is circuit training, which is a series of of 5-10 different exercises (situps, squats, obliques, push-ups, inverted push-ups, sprints, etc.) performed for 30-60 seconds at a time, with a short (15-30 second) break in between each exercise. Either one of those so far, otherwise PT is substituted with a ruck march.

I'm sure you could probably find a lot of other information on PT as well in other threads...there is a whole board pertaining to PT and exercises.


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## Steel Badger

Kevin_M said:
			
		

> Hopefully none of your course staff come on the forums and read this. They may come on these forums too. Trust me, if they find out people have been saying the course is easy they will make you sorry you didn't. My course did and we did PT all day. I like PT, but not that much of it, not when people are throwing up.




shhhhhhh   don't warn of the bloggers....It's not like their NCO's would actually read these forums and take corrective action find useful information hmmmmmm?
ir


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## the_girlfirend

Hey Dredre,

You have a crowd to please  op:

When is your next BMQ? 
I want to know what is next  ;D


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## blacktriangle

Steel Badger said:
			
		

> shhhhhhh   don't warn of the bloggers....It's not like their NCO's would actually read these forums and take corrective action find useful information hmmmmmm?
> ir



Just wait till I get back to the Mo and snag a teaching spot...I may not be a hardcore soldier, but I sure like to do PT!


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## Blindspot

popnfresh said:
			
		

> Just wait till I get back to the Mo and snag a teaching spot...I may not be a hardcore soldier, but I sure like to do PT!



You would've loved our PT tonight then. Death Soccer hurts. I will never look at the beautiful game the same way again.


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## blacktriangle

Blindspot said:
			
		

> You would've loved our PT tonight then. Death Soccer hurts. I will never look at the beautiful game the same way again.



Chances are I'm coming to you're unit so I hope I get the pleasure. You guys could use me in the Queen's cup...  

What units are the instructors from DreDre?


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## dregeneau

Unfortunately due to a situation I will not be posting any further updates to the goings on of our weekends. Sorry for all of you who have been following this thread.

Popnfresh:  I would assume that you would usually have instructors from the same units as the recruits on course.


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## Nfld Sapper

dredre said:
			
		

> Unfortunately due to a situation I will not be posting any further updates to the goings on of our weekends. Sorry for all of you who have been following this thread.
> 
> Popnfresh:  I would assume that you would usually have instructors from the same units as the recruits on course.



Hmm... seems we told you so......




			
				Kevin_M said:
			
		

> Hopefully none of your course staff come on the forums and read this. They may come on these forums too. Trust me, if they find out people have been saying the course is easy they will make you sorry you didn't. My course did and we did PT all day. I like PT, but not that much of it, not when people are throwing up.


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## Remius

Too bad.  dredre's posts didn't seem out of hand.  Merely his take on the course.  Unfortunately some instructors did come on the board and tried to goad him to saying things to get him in trouble.  I suppose dredre can't even talk to his family now about what his course is like  :


----------



## RocketScientist

Hello all, 

I've been informed that I will probably get enrolled soon. I looked through the forum for answers to the following questions, but only got a few hints rather than complete answers. So asking here:

- When do Weekend BMQ's typically begin? I've read here that it's either Winter or Fall, but when exactly?
- How long is it between a recruit's enrollment date and when BMQ begins (i.e., do you always begin BMQ immediately, or do you sometimes have to wait a while)
- I have a few weekends pre-booked for work travel and family vacation this year (5 weekends spread over 8 months or so). There is no way to re-schedule either of them now (work-travel is based on agreed upon dates with international partners, and rescheduling family vacations is very expensive). Are Weekend BMQ recruits allowed to take a weekend or two off if they inform the Instructors well in advance? I read somewhere here that if you miss more than 1 weekend, you're out.  

Thank you.


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## dangerboy

ACE_Engineer said:
			
		

> Hello all,
> 
> I've been informed that I will probably get enrolled soon. I looked through the forum for answers to the following questions, but only got a few hints rather than complete answers. So asking here:



- When do Weekend BMQ's typically begin? I've read here that it's either Winter or Fall, but when exactly? - Depends on the unit or CBG, there is no national standard
- How long is it between a recruit's enrollment date and when BMQ begins (i.e., do you always begin BMQ immediately, or do you sometimes have to wait a while) - Again this depends on your unit, every unit will be allocated so many spots on a course so depending on your unit and when the next course is running you could be right away or you could wait awhile. There is no exact answer 
- I have a few weekends pre-booked for work travel and family vacation this year (5 weekends spread over 8 months or so). There is no way to re-schedule either of them now (work-travel is based on agreed upon dates with international partners, and rescheduling family vacations is very expensive). Are Weekend BMQ recruits allowed to take a weekend or two off if they inform the Instructors well in advance? I read somewhere here that if you miss more than 1 weekend, you're out.  Best to wait till you are in a unit and discuse it with your new chain of command and they can come up with a plan that works for you and the unit.

Thank you.


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## RocketScientist

Thank you for your response.
So I take it there may be a new BMQ starting every month, or I could have to wait until September/October. Is it possible to choose which BMQ session you would like to attend?

I guess the ultimate question is: Is there usually a pre or post-enrollment sit-down chat with an instructor or someone else in the Chain of Command where you talk about next steps, availability, expectations, etc. Thus far I've only spoken with recruiters who are not in the same Unit.


----------



## One-off

ACE_Engineer said:
			
		

> Hello all,
> 
> I've been informed that I will probably get enrolled soon. I looked through the forum for answers to the following questions, but only got a few hints rather than complete answers. So asking here:
> 
> - When do Weekend BMQ's typically begin? I've read here that it's either Winter or Fall, but when exactly?
> - How long is it between a recruit's enrollment date and when BMQ begins (i.e., do you always begin BMQ immediately, or do you sometimes have to wait a while)
> - I have a few weekends pre-booked for work travel and family vacation this year (5 weekends spread over 8 months or so). There is no way to re-schedule either of them now (work-travel is based on agreed upon dates with international partners, and rescheduling family vacations is very expensive). Are Weekend BMQ recruits allowed to take a weekend or two off if they inform the Instructors well in advance? I read somewhere here that if you miss more than 1 weekend, you're out.
> 
> Thank you.



Yes. (short answer to ALL your questions)

The dispersed BMQ's(weekend) can be run fall or spring depending on staffing ability of the local units.  For example 36 and 37 Combat Brigade Groups have been running theirs from late January until late March for the past few years.  The reserve BMQ's are staffed by the local units so their timing is dependent on the training schedule of the local units.

The wait time between enrollment and BMQ can vary depending on a few factors such as injury, candidate availability, and course availability.  I've seen it be as short as phone call on a Tuesday afternoon to get sworn in on Thursday evening and pick up kit, and then begin BMQ on Friday, and I've seen it as long as 12 months due to candidate unavailability.

Whether or not you can miss a weekend depends on the staff of the course, what weekend you are missing, and if the material you missed can be easily caught up.  I highly highly recommend not missing a weekend.



			
				ACE_Engineer said:
			
		

> Thank you for your response.
> So I take it there may be a new BMQ starting every month, or I could have to wait until September/October. Is it possible to choose which BMQ session you would like to attend?
> 
> I guess the ultimate question is: Is there usually a pre or post-enrollment sit-down chat with an instructor or someone else in the Chain of Command where you talk about next steps, availability, expectations, etc. Thus far I've only spoken with recruiters who are not in the same Unit.



No, the "BMQ starting every month" is more of a Reg force BMQ at St Jean thing(if they still run them that frequently, been 18 years since I went through there)

Depends on the unit, how organized they are and if they have the staff available.

So, you could very well get a phone call at anytime and asked to come in to enroll that week and start BMQ the following weekend, or you could get a phone call to enroll and then show up to your unit and have to constantly ask when you will be doing BMQ.  My recommendation is that you find a POC (point of contact) at recruiting and call them every 2 weeks to see how things are progressing and request to have a chat with someone at your future unit to get some more insight on what your 1st year will be like(bonus of joining the reserves) For example, if you're an engineer your DP1 will be at CFB Gagetown, NB; with the option of doing it all in 1 summer vs spread over 2.


----------



## RocketScientist

One-off said:
			
		

> So, you could very well get a phone call at anytime and asked to come in to enroll that week and start BMQ the following weekend, or you could get a phone call to enroll and then show up to your unit and have to constantly ask when you will be doing BMQ.



Thank you for your insight. What would a person do between the time he/she is enrolled until BMQ begins? I assume they don't get to participate in any drill/training. Even as OCdt.



> For example, if you're an engineer your DP1 will be at CFB Gagetown, NB; with the option of doing it all in 1 summer vs spread over 2.


Good guess! Going for Engineering Officer.


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