# Priorities of new entries to Mil Col



## elscotto937 (15 Jun 2005)

I have been reading the posts in the RMC, CMR forum and I became interested in the comments made by the guys recently accepted by RMC. What I want to know from those young Ocdts is where thier priorities are. For example, are they more interested in attending RMC, with all it entails, than leading troops as an officer in thier chosen field. I'm not saying that one is wrong or right, I'm just curious as they could end up being leaders in my unit.


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## andpro (15 Jun 2005)

People seem a lot more concerned about RMC because they want to know about what they are potentially getting into. they don't seem as concerned about their service after because it is not for another few years. There are also the odd group of people who don't care about the military and just see free university ( these are the people who would most likely fail BOTC). I was talking to one of my friends about RMC and he said he was going to apply and I told him it was a lot more than university and he said "I don't care it's free isn't it". This comment made me realize that he would probably not get very far in the CF if he got accepted. So there is people out there like that and I think the CF should do more to weed them out during recruitment.


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## Basic Person (15 Jun 2005)

Well, I got enough scholarships to pay for my first year at UBC or SFU, and even my grandmother offered to pay for my tuition if I didn't join the army (my uncle died in Vietnam so she's not very happy about this...). I still registered for my courses at UBC as a backup incase I fail BOTC, but honestly, the money is not really an issue, even though I looked at the pay scale for a Captain and it was one of the things that I was concerned about, as I am from a middle income family. So I won't be making as much money as my other family members or friends,but  I still want to do my best for this country


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## andpro (15 Jun 2005)

Basic Person said:
			
		

> I still want to do my best for this country



That is what we need today.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (16 Jun 2005)

This probably won't be the "correct" answer but I would have no problem with a kid saying "for the free degree", BEFORE he/she gets there.
 To my mind, it would be up to the school to make them want to be "leaders of men" and if after awhile it becomes apparent that it will never happen then.......whoosh!
Anyone can spout the party line beforehand, I would rather have the straight goods myself......


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## elscotto937 (16 Jun 2005)

Right Bruce, as you said it's not the party line, but in many cases the free education is the enticement. But I'm not judging peoples motives, I'm just wondering, it is high school kids saying I want to be an officer, and RMC is a means to an end, or is it that other universities are so expensive and being in the military wouldn't be too bad. I believe, although I don't know, that those who enter under the free education basis would quickly change to I want to be in the military, or I want out of this place.


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## Paish (16 Jun 2005)

I am going for a mix of things, To serve my country, to continue the family line of military service(i dont feel obligated, its something i really want to do) and of course a free degree doesnt hurt. I personally am thrilled and am looking forward to a career in the artillery afterwards. But before that comes i must learn to take orders before i can ever give them


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## elscotto937 (16 Jun 2005)

Basic Person said:
			
		

> I looked at the pay scale for a Captain and it was one of the things that I was concerned about, as I am from a middle income family. So I won't be making as much money as my other family members or friends,but   I still want to do my best for this country



You must come from the very high end of the middle income if a Captain would seem like the poor member of the family, and your grandmother could even offer to pay for university. I'm not slagging you, just never heard of it mentioned that way.


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## DVessey (19 Jun 2005)

I remember myself being concerned about what I would be allowed to have in my room during IAP and FYOP, and whether computers were allowed and all this other stuff that I eventually came ot realize doesn't matter that much. I don't mind answering all the questions people have about RMC, I can definately see how I might have annoyed some people when I was asking similar types of questions though.

I was one of those fresh out of high school kids looking for the free education. I knew about the leadership, but the free education definately sucked me in.
You do soon realize that it's not all about the education, and that you're committing five years of your life to *leading* people. Intimidating, yes, but you also realize that it's not impossible.

Just my two cents...


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## ArmyRick (19 Jun 2005)

Basic Person said:
			
		

> even though I looked at the pay scale for a Captain and it was one of the things that I was concerned about, as I am from a middle income family. So I won't be making as much money as my other family members or friends



LOL. Thanks for making me silly making SGT (IPC3)  :-\


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## DG-41 (4 Aug 2005)

OK, here's my advice to all those going to RMC or thinking about RMC:

I went to CMR from '88 to '91, college number 18145. I signed up at 16, and was sworn in a couple of months after my 17th birthday. I never actually graduated 
from high school; those of us from English Canada (I'm from BC) who did CMR Prep
Year went straight from Grade 11 right into MilCol.

I joined up to be a fighter pilot - because I thought that was cool. And because
everybody knows that a military flight record is a direct ticket to a
high-paying airline pilot job. I went to a military college because the
recruiter told me that was the best way to ensure I made pilot, and I went to
CMR becasue the recruiter told me that CMR was the fast-track to success, due to
the fact that you learned French faster.

In retrospect, that was a giant steaming pile of bullshit, and I suspect that
somebody somewhere had a quota to fill....

I had absolutely ZERO idea of what it meant to be an officer. ZERO. I had been
in Air Cadets, and our CO was the guy that took the salute on parade (and that
was pretty much it). I had no clue about the officer ethos, about what was
expected of an officer, about what leadership was or anything else. I was pretty
much your typical teenaged punk.

So CMR was a little bit of a culture shock. Northern BC high-school French
turned out to be completely useless (I couldn't even hear the breaks between
words) I couldn't understand why they kept harping on all this "leadership" crap
- I was just going to fly a damn plane, where's the leadership in that? Leave me
alone! And I had been one of the top students in my high school and got away
with murder becasue of it; at CMR, I was a bright light amongst bright lights
(and dimmer than most of them) and went from special child to problem child
overnight.

I ran 4 circles every morning from the third day in recruit camp all the way to
the day before we left for Chilliwack and BOTC. I did so many ED's that I wore
out a set of gaitors. And my marks... shall we say less than spectacular? Enough
to pass me, but not much better.

And at BOTC, it was more of the same; at least at first. Things looked pretty
dire, until we went to the field. There was a suprise lurking there for
everybody.

After my first field leadership task, I was pulled aside by a hopping mad
instructor. He was hopping made because he had mentally pigeonholed me as a
lost cause; a failure waiting to happen. And then I had displayed leadership
potential and a certain amount of skill in handling troops in the field - and
now he had to work to save my ass. This came as a complete shock - it was the
first good thing said to me in about a year - and yet it rang true. I LOVED
being in the field, I LOVED the challenge of getting people to carry out my
objectives in a highly stressful environment, and against all odds, I had some
degree of natural talent at it.

That started some degree of attitude adjustment... but it was a slow process
that I (amazingly and stupidly) fought every step of the way. My guts told me
that what I wanted to do was drop the whole pilot thing, remuster to armour,
change my degree to Military and Strategic Studies, and make a career of the
combat arms as a professional officer. But every time I started to make that
happen, one of my friends talked me out of it, and always for the same reason:

"What are you going to do when you get out, when your only marketable skills are
military? You need to have skills that you can sell on civvie street."

So I stuck with pilot and comp sci, and because my heart wasn't in either, did
crappy at both. I failed PFS after 14.7 hours of flight, and instead of going
armour like I wanted to, went Sigs because that was marketable. And at the end
of third year, I failed two courses out of pure neglect, and had my choices
drastically curtailed for me. As ye sow, so shall ye reap...

Now, as it happens, the story has a happy ending. My early and unplanned exit
from MilCol wound up being the kick in the teeth I so desparately needed, and my
attitude made a 180 degree turn. I wound up going into the ranks (first as a
regular, then as a reservist) and eventually worked my way back up to Lt. in an
armoured recce unit. I embraced my true nature to a certain extent, and wound up
making a reasonable officer in the end. But that is NOT, I say again NOT, a
career path I would recommend to ANYBODY.

So then, here is my advice to anybody going to RMC:

1) The military college system is there to train you to become a professional,
career officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. Period. If you are there for ANY
other reason; if you do NOT see yourself living a life in uniform, Other
Institutions Beckon. You will be MUCH better served attending a civvie U.

2) It behooves you to make greatest use of the unique resource that is put at
your disposal. Everything you do should be with an eye towards making you a
better officer. Read and study the history, take advantage of every opportunity
to learn to lead, make all your mistakes NOW, when the only penalty is a loss of
face and some time marching in circles, rather than killing a soldier.

3) Follow your heart, and keep an open mind. There was a TON of inter-service
badmouthing and other peer pressure to follow certain paths (in particular,
combat arms and the social/humanities were seen as paths for those who couldn't
hack the demands of science/engineering and aircrew) BULLSHIT! You will be far
better off doing what you want to do, rather than doing what you think you
_should_ be doing, or what your friends think you should be doing.

4) Your time at RMC is going to be very, very difficult at times - far worse
than you will ever expect. But it is also going to be one of the most powerful,
most influential, most rewarding experiences of your life. Even with all the
shit I wound up putting myself through, I wouldn't trade my time at CMR for
ANYTHING. Ultimately, it made me a far better officer (the lessons took a while
to sink in, but they did eventually stick)

In fact, I'd give a body part for a do-over - or the opportunity to go back in
time and have a long heart-to-heart with my punk-ass 17 year old self.

5) Arrive at RMC with an understanding about what it means to be an officer. Get
an idea of the ethos that you are about to enter. That means reading. Read
"Shake Hands With the Devil" (Gen Dallaire was the Commandant at CMR while I wa
there, and I never met a finer commander) Read "Vimy" by Pierre Burton. Read "A
Bridge Too Far" and then watch the movie. For that matter, watch "Zulu",
"Glory", "Saving Private Ryan", and the entire "Band of Brothers" series.

The idea here isn't so much to find someone to emulate, but rather to get an
idea of about what the life of the professional officer is about, so that when
you start getting it for real, you have a frame of reference.

6) Be ready to be humbled. If you've been accepted to RMC, you're probably a
shit-hot playa (in some manner or another) in your local community, and you're
18-ish, so of course you know everything. Purge yourself of that. A combative
spirit is a necessity in an officer, but don't direct that towards the people
who are ultimately trying to help you, like I did.

And never forget that once you graduate and go out into the real world, the humbling process starts all over again. Your troop WO and the BC will not give a flying fuck at a rolling hat that you were the CWC.

Good luck. Take these words to heart, and you'll do well. 

DG


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## elscotto937 (12 Aug 2005)

DG-41, other than being on the other side of the country, I think we had the same recruiter. That was an excellent post, and those entering the system now, listen to what he's saying...I still have Circle flashbacks.


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## Zee (15 Oct 2005)

I'm not attending RMC, but I'm applying. I'm happy that someone took the time for a detailed post of that manner, it is helpful. But the motivating factors to choose RMC? Of course the free education is attractive. If I ever let anyone know that I'm aspiring to be an officer cadet they assume the money is the chief reason. Nowadays university is tremendously expensive, but that isn't what drives me to compete for a career in the CF. Since I was old enough to learn about the World Wars and what Canadians and allies alike went through, I was convinced that if I could be half the man of the volunteers that chose to go overseas staring at a bayonet between the eyes, that my life would be a fulfilling one. Joining the CF seems to the avenue in which to accomplish that. Regardless if I'm rejected from ROTP, I'll accept RETP and pay for RMC. And if I'm rejected from that, I'll join the reserves until I graduate from a civilian university and transfer to Regular Force. Money is helpful but effecting positive change in the broadest sense is far more valuable.

To all those who have served and are serving in our military, I thank you for the inspiration.


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