# MOC



## RJG (24 Feb 2004)

I am 16 and am joining reserves, I was thinking either Infantry, Military Police or Combat Engineer. Are there any huge differences other than engineers blow stuff up, infanteers get to snipe and police get to arrest?

Is there a difference in pay or does that only relate to rank?
Is one considered a ""better"" occupation than the other?
Does one lead to more promotions than the other?

Just a few questions, hoping you can set me straight.


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## Michael OLeary (25 Feb 2004)

Pay is related to rank and time in rank, search the forums for pay rates and you should find a previous thread with a link to pay rate tables.

It‘s not a question of being a "better" trade, it‘s a question of what trade is most suitable for your aptitudes and skills. You‘ll be happier in the "right" trade for you, whether or not the stereotypical view of it is the most exciting. Research the different trades and decide which one is your own personal best choice.

Promotions are based on merit and performance, some people advance faster than others. Different trades may have different advancement opportunities depending on the demographic distribution of personnel by time served and rank and based on service requirements. It‘s not very predictable. In the Reserves more so that the Regular Force, potential rates of advancement may also vary between units because of a lower degree of mobility between units to balance local shortfalls and manning requirements.


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## shaunlin41 (25 Feb 2004)

Reserve MP‘s are very different than the regs,
make sure you go in to a unit and speak with the people who do the job so you don‘t find yourself babysitting ammo.


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## 1feral1 (25 Feb 2004)

Mate, if you are joining for those reasons, you won‘t last an hour!

However, if you seek adventure, mateship, brotherhood, travel, and enjoy sharing hardship, cold, heat, and long sleepless times, and working as a team,  then go for it.

Two armies later, I love it!!!

Engineers is a lot harder than blowing things up (bridging, construction, making roads, etc), here in the MP‘s you must have been in another Corps for two years, and there is no PTE‘s in the RACMP, ranks starts at CPL = to Cdn MCPL).

MPs do a variety of things from route marking to PWs, and their biggest inconvenience is arresting people (especially their own forces)!

I do believe that Res CF members (when I left the CF in Jan 95) do not have the same Canada wide ‘Peace officer‘ status, and carry arrest powers the same as your neighbour does. So, might not be as shiny as you think.

As for the backbone of any army, the Infantry, its years before you get on a sniper course ( and only if you meet the criteria), and it all aint shooting. There is stalking, bush survival, and heaps of other subjects, however, the basic tool of the Grunt is the service rifle, so here its the F88SA1, in Canada the C7A1, and you‘ll get plenty of time on it! 

Whatever you do, enjoy it. Its more than a part time job. Great friends and good times in the mess, but plenty of hard work in between.
Regards,

Wes


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## RJG (25 Feb 2004)

Thank you.

I wasn‘t implying they were easy, I was just over simplifying. I guess what you said helps, it‘s either infantry or engineer, but teh recruiter told me they were nearly identical so I guess it doesn‘t matter as much.


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## Spr.Earl (25 Feb 2004)

RJG,
I‘ve been an Engineer 28yrs now in our Militia.
Like Wes said the Engineer‘s is a very hard trade.
We support every one from the REMF‘S right up with the POINTY END.

We do the thing‘s that city engineer‘s do to keep a city running but in the Military sense.
It‘s fun,rewarding but very hard work!

Be wise in your choice and enjoy it.


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## RJG (29 Feb 2004)

I just applied to the 2 Field Engineer Regiment, for the reserves, Friday and heres hoping that I get in okay.

I know there is alot of physical labor and all the guys that I saw who were part of the regiment were rather big. I am 5‘9 and only weigh 130. Can I physically endure the stuff they do? I can bench my weight, but I don‘t know if that‘s teh kind of exercise that will help me.


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## portcullisguy (29 Feb 2004)

RJG, you won‘t have any trouble being a small guy in 2FER.

We had a couple of engineer‘s attached to my sect for the FIBUA/OBUA phase of Stalwart Guardian last summer, and they weren‘t big lads at all.  Although they were kinda bored... we didn‘t let them play infantry very much, and the mousehole charges they had weren‘t real so they didn‘t get to actually blow anything up. They basically ended up carrying our ladders and making up numbers on the assault.

That said, engineers seem to have a fun job in the army.  They‘re right in the teeth of things at times, and get to make significant changes to the geography of the battlefield.  For most of th arduous labour, they have machines to do the work, or failing that, an infantry section or two.

You only dig trenches in SQ, it seems!    

Just try to improve your overall fitness and maintain yourself at an acceptable level.  You do not need to be He-man.

Enjoy!


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