# Carl G.



## cameron_highlander (8 Jan 2003)

Actually, it does matter what kind of cadet environment you are in. Sea and air cadets actually focus more on technical stuff, and, with a few exceptions, most air cadet camps are not as ‘tough‘ (for  lack of a better word) then army cadet camps. I have gone away two summers to blackdown ACSTC and my company has participated in activities with the air cadets from borden. I must say (with apologies to my air cadet friends) that they lacked quite a bit in drill, dress and deportment and their staff were more lenient with them then ours. Not to say this is a bad thing nescessarily, but the three cadet environments DO differ alot in how they run things.


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## Jarnhamar (8 Jan 2003)

I have always noticed that the army cadets were the worst behaved worst dressed of the 3 groups. Air cadets i find have always had very good drill and on a whole seemed more matue.


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## Michael OLeary (9 Jan 2003)

From the  Nastional Cadet Website :

"Cadets are encouraged to become active, responsible members of their communities. They learn valuable life and work skills like teamwork, leadership, and citizenship. Cadets also reap the personal benefits of increased self-confidence and physical fitness, learning how to take initiative, and how to make decisions. Cadets make valuable contributions to Canadian society on a daily basis in terms of environmental, citizenship and community activities."

Nothing there about being "hardcore" or intent to develop a para-military childrens‘ army.


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## Jarnhamar (9 Jan 2003)

To me it sounds like thats exactly what your talking about, turnign cadets into a para-military type group. Teaching them patrolling? Why would kids need to know that?  Theres cadets like yourself i imagine who are bored with the lack of military war training that the cadets leanr (or don‘t learn) but if it bugs you that much then join the reg force or joint he reserves. For every cadet like yourself who is gung hoe and buys their own combats and knows how to do section attacks theres 5 kids who joined cadets because its like boy scouts but a little more military orientated.
I‘m not intending to be ignorant here but i don‘t like teaching kids how to patrol use guns on a tactical level or teach them booby traps.
Canadians cannot accept that their soldiers kill, how would they react to their children being taught how to fight


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## Pugil (10 Jan 2003)

The British army has what is called the army foundation which young recruits train like their adult counterpart but the training last a full year compared to 6 months for adults (regular army, dont know about TA). The training is in between cadet and regular military training. In that one full year young recruit make the transition between a civilian to a fully trained soldiers. Once they get out of training they get posted to their regular battalion often at the age of 17and 18. Ive have seen British paras as young as 17 but nonetheless they are very good soldiers and very mature for that age. Going back to the topic, I dont see why we should teach cadets how to fight, they are too young and might use it in school or in the house. Training should be emphasized in survival, orienting, marksmanship, cammoflage or anything that make them want to join the reserve or regular army once they are old enough.


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## Fishbone Jones (10 Jan 2003)

The gov‘t signed on to the UN resolution about child soldiers a few years ago. At that time there was talk of the cadets and military trg, giving rise to the thought by some that we were trg child soldiers. The gov‘t and military has distanced itself from the cadets for this reason. Witness last years Warriors Parade in TO where the cadets almost did not participate for this exact reason. Rest assured, the cadets are about citizenship and will not receive much above drill and some shooting skills and those only as forms of self discipline and leadership.


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## Michael Dorosh (10 Jan 2003)

Besides which, the Militia now lets you in at 16 with parent‘s permission, so it‘s not too long a wait.  Be a kid first, you only get one chance.


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## Michael OLeary (10 Jan 2003)

The military training courses you will eventually take will give you the specific skills you need to complete the courses. For now, you can focus on general skills. My suggestions include the following that can be pursued by anyone:

Fitness: aerobic and strength/endurance.

Self expression (oral and written); because eventually every NCO and officer will be assessed on these skills. 

Reading - military history, national history, leadership and management techniques, ethics, politics, technology, biography, etc., etc., etc. See the Regimental Library links at 
The Regimental Rogue for links to copies of the Infantry Corps‘ and the Army‘s reading lists for suggestions.

Study and keep your grades up, the best attribute for the modern soldier is intelligence. 

If I were to add one specific skill to the list that can be preacticed by anyone, it would be map-using and navigation, but without the use of a GPS. (Because once the batteries die, you absolutely need to have confidence in your manual skills, your troops‘ lives may depend on it.)

Mike O‘Leary


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## Argyll_2347 (10 Jan 2003)

cameron:

As an ex-cadet myself (left last Feb as soon as i had turned 16 in Jan. and joined up to the reserves), I completly agree with what you are saying here.  Army Cadets has turned more boy-scoutish organization.

Air Cadets get to fly (limited to gliders I believe), Sea Cadets get to learn boat stuff, what do Army Cadets do?  Shoot rifles?  The others do that too.

A couple friends of mine from my old corps went on exchange to Scotland and Wales, they said the ACF is far better than RCAC.

IMO:  RCAC turn into more like ACF.  But, it doesn‘t matter to me.


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## Michael Dorosh (10 Jan 2003)

I would add the ability to keep your temper in check.  Someone who lets others get under their skin easily is going to be involved in a lot of hassles he doesn‘t need.  Learn (if you haven‘t already) to laugh stuff off and don‘t take every comment about you as an unholy stain on your sense of personal honour that must be immediately exonerated.  Being in the Army doesn‘t mean you have to act like a brute or a jackass.  The comments above about education is probably the best advice anyone could have given.  Keep your grades up in school and don‘t let the Army take over your life.  Again, there is plenty of time for that later in your career - your first duty is to finish school.  And hey, guess what - the Army looks at it that way, too.  You‘ll find that your unit will be very sympathetic to you missing an exercise or whatever if you explain you have finals or midterms coming up.

So honesty is tied in here, too, and is one other essential.  Don‘t tell your section commander you have exams and can‘t go anywhere on the weekend, then get caught at a hockey game or at the mall.  And above all, live up to your commitments and show your NCOs that you are capable of acting like an adult.

I‘ll give an example of what I mean.  I‘ve been a company clerk in a rifle company for the last two training years.  Occassionally some private will pull a bonehead stunt and get himself in trouble.  Fine enough, soldiers to that.  Without abusing any confidentiality, I can tell you that nothing aggravates the CSM and the platoon NCOs more than a soldier who then disappears for weeks at a time after learning he‘s being charged.  Usually, the charge is simple - someone forgets to shave one day, or takes off without getting permission from a training day.  In our company, the CSM takes great pains to ensure the soldier is not only made aware of his rights, but that he is at the same time made aware of how serious a matter military discipline is, but at the same time put at ease and told that there is nothing personal, that the NCOs don‘t have charge parades and summary trials because they enjoy it, but because it‘s part of the way the Army works.

The best thing to do in these cases is for the soldier to be honest about what he did, and then show up for his trial and get it over with.  Organizing summary trials is a huge administrative process - I‘ve typed up some of the paperwork that goes with these, but the investigation itself, which I have nothing to do with, is also a royal pain for the NCOs.

So be honest, if you make a mistake, own up to it, and just keep in mind what is important - your grades at school, your doing what you are told, and ask yourself before you do something silly - is this what my sergeant or my sergeant major would want me to do?

And have fun - keep your nose clean, and we‘ll look forward to hearing about your experiences in the Militia once you‘re old enough.


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## Argyll_2347 (10 Jan 2003)

Haha! Yes I was - Basic 2000, CL 2001 (went to Detroit that year, was one of the 3 players from CL that played with the competition band).


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## Argyll_2347 (10 Jan 2003)

lol, yep!  It‘s Spearin.


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