# Info on specialisation courses ie gunner course



## Mud Crawler (27 Dec 2000)

Once somebody has taken a course like the gunner‘s course, is he mandated to become a gunner or can he still be a infanteer?Because i wan‘t to take a few courses like maybe sniper without becoming a sniper, all I want is to become a better marksman, I still want to be an infanteer.By the way, what sniper rifles are in use in Canada.I heard about the Sig SG3000 so no need to mention it if it‘s in use, if it isn‘t, correct me pls.Thanks in advance.

Mud Crawler
We need a few mad people, see where the sane ones have landed us


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## fusilier (30 Dec 2000)

mud crawler
I apologize for my earlier made comments and I remember when I first joined and was full of questions.  I have been in the infantry for over 2 years, and would be glad to answer any questions you have.  my address is matt_archibald@hotmail.com, feel free to contact me.
In regards to your question
After you complete basic infantry training (QL3) you will train for a year in garrison.  Then to receive your corporal‘s you have to take a QL4 specialty course such as Machine Gunner‘s, Sniper, Reconnaissance Patrolman, Driver, Communications, and others.  Sniper is usually only offered to the reg force, and recce patrolman is hard to get.  These courses just qualify as a corporal and don‘t specify your trade.  However chances are if you have a Machine Gunner course you will get a machine gun, if you have comms you might be a platoon signaller.  However you will always be an infanteer.  

Fideliter


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## Doug VT (30 Dec 2000)

The Recce course is a prerequisite to the sniper course, as well as qualifying in a shooting skills test.


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## RCA (31 Dec 2000)

As Mud wants to be a an officer the crses are slightly different. You must take crses that are applicable for your MOC - which will be 23A if I‘m not mistaken - Infantry Officer. Your first crses will be mandated by your trade - Ph I to IV which is Officer Basic Trg  up to Pl Comd. Being an officer puts you in a different stream from basic trades trg and focuses on leadership and comd and that is what your trg is based on. If you want crse to be a gunner the closest I can see is the Mortor Officer Crse. which is not real gunnery but as close as you are going to get. But that would be a few years down your career path.

Ubique


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## Mud Crawler (31 Dec 2000)

What i want to do is take the recon course and sniper course.And I‘d like to do parachute course as well.Maybe in a few years, apply for the US Rangers course, and yes i know it is very very hard.
Do you all recommand i start shooting before entering the forces or learn with the instructors in the army?
I knew you would understand fusilier.I think everyone goes tru a question phase.


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## Doug VT (1 Jan 2001)

Sounds like you would like to be in a Recce or Pathfinder platoon.  It might be a good idea to put the officer thing on the back shelf for a while if this is what you really want to do.  As an officer you may only have the chance once if at all to command a Recce or Pathfinder platoon, and even then it would only be for usually two years.

We just had two Americans(the first ones ever!) up for the last Pathfinder course, one didn‘t make it and the other barely scraped by.  The one who made it said that after doing this course that the Ranger course was for girls!  It was a little harder then they expected, considering that the US Pathfinder course is not much more then a DZ/LZ controllers course!

Some of the courses of intrest for you would be;

Basic Para- jump static line, double doors+Ramp(5/6 jumps)
Mountain Ops
Hel Ops
Packer/Rigger
Recce
Sniper (need Recce course first)
Military Freefall Parachutist  (need Basic Para+15 static line jumps+someone who likes you!)
DZ/LZ controller (need JLC)
Master Sniper (need sniper of course)
Mountain Ops Instructor (need Mtn Ops+JLC)
Advanced Recce (Recce+only MCpl‘s and Sgt‘s need apply!)
Pathfinder (need JLC, Recce, DZ/LZ Controller)
US Ranger (usually only MCpl‘s and above go on this one)
Jumpmaster (need JLC+25 static line jumps)
Parachute Instructor (need JM)
Freefall JM (need JLC+MFP)
Freefall PI (need MFPJM)

A careers worth of courses!

Cheers!


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## fusilier (1 Jan 2001)

Mud Crawler
Infantry officer training is broken down into four phases.
Phase 1 - basic officer training (how to march and shine your boots)
Phase 2 - infantry section tactics (roughly equivalent to the JLC/JNCO Infantry which qualifies you to be a section commander)
It‘ll teach you about recce, ambushes, and everything else we do in the infantry.
Phase 3 - infantry platoon tactics - it will prepare you to lead a dismounted platoon
Phase 4 - Mechanized infantry tactics - teachs you how to lead a mechanized infantry platoon

After these courses you are pretty well a trained infantry officer, all the other courses you take will be basically staff courses, after you pass Captain you pretty well become a staff officer, unless you‘re a company commander or 2i/c.  These courses are very phyiscally and mentally demanding, so prepare your mind and body.  But they‘re worth it in the end, as you get to lead troops into the field.  It‘s not all glory either my friend, sometimes it‘s a dirty miserable job, but hey someone has to do it.


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## Mud Crawler (1 Jan 2001)

Hey, now i understand why when Canadians take the Ranger course in the US, they finish first, cause Americans are...well i leave the next part to each and all of you to put in the word of your choice.A career worth of choices, I like that!Hey, gotta keep busy huh?Ok so can I just enter as a simple soldier, not an officer, take the courses wich I would like(most of the above he  )and then become an officer?Would it have to be thru Kingston?Regarding someone who loves me, my friends got a cousin, a major, who handles nukes, bio and chem devices, that could come in handy and if it aint enough, well, i will resort to ass licking, in other words, Upper Level Back Door Shining.Whats Packer/Rigger course and is there something like a Jungle Warfare course and how can I learn more foreign languages(spanish, arabic and german for a start, maybe after I‘d go for russian and japanese afterwards)?Don‘t worry i can handle the languages, I speak both official languages since I‘m 7.Used to take private lessons but I dropped after 2, I already knew what she was showing us he.


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## Doug VT (1 Jan 2001)

Usually Canadians place high on the course.  A couple have topped it.  Like Sean Calis(from 3RCR-now a SAR Tech) And a Capt. from 3PPCLI who also did extremely well on the last course that Canadians were on.

Sure, be a soldier, get some kick ass courses, then go for your commission.  Sounds like a good idea if it works, however you might like being a simple soldier.  You might have to go to Kingston, it depends on how far you go.

When I said "Someone who likes you", I meant the person/s who do the nominating for the courses, it‘s like a Lotto!
Packer/Rigger is where you learn how to pack parcels for a parachute descent, like supplies, toboggans, etc
There‘s a Jungle warfare, Desert warfare, and Arctic Warfare course.  The only foreign language you‘re likely to learn from the Canadian Forces(in the Infantry) is French! But you don‘t need that, so you career is already half way there!

EX COELIS


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## Mud Crawler (2 Jan 2001)

It‘s interesting to see how people in the rest of Canada(all except Québec and maybe New-Brunswick) see french as a foreign laguage even if a third of all Canadians speak french.By the way, i wasnt offended by what you said or meant to offend anyone, its just some opinion of mine.Ok so i CAN be a simple soldier and then aplly for officer course, good, maybe imma do that afterall.I wish i could do the Desert and Jungle warfare courses, I don‘t like cold too much.Does anyone know how those courses go regarding what is tought and the duration of the course?If someone in here did either desert/jungle warfare, I‘d like to hear about it from you, thx in advance.


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