# Reserve Training



## jerrythunder (5 Jan 2005)

hi guy's im a new member here and i was wondering, when i enlist and pass the beat test and all the other necessairy tests, what happens after that? do i get to participate in live fire exercises? do i get to travel to other parts of the country? i mean im only just 15 right now but i turn 16 this march and i wish to enlist at the beginning of the summer. what will happen? 
i was just wondering! thanks for your time!


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## Michael OLeary (5 Jan 2005)

If you start by reviewing the many threads linked from the Recruiting FAQ, you will probably find answers to many of your questions:

http://army.ca/forums/threads/21101.0.html


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## xterra rat (5 Jan 2005)

First you will do BMQ. Basic Military Qualification for 14 weekends after being sworen in. I am doing it now. It's two weekends a month from Friday night to Sunday night. It is a mix of classroom lectures on militray law, weopons training on the C7. (yes you will get to hold the rifle we even sleep with it). You will get up at 4:45 a.m. and go running, you will then have a 30 second shower, be inspected and head off to classroom lectures where you will learn Canadian army rank structure, rifle firing techniques, drill - right turn left turn all that crap. You will learn how to wear the uniform and how to maintain your kit, and you will get a lot of kit. Helmet, webbing, long johns, sleeping bag, webbing, etc etc, You will have one weekend where you fire live ammo. Mine is in March. You learn how to read a map, and all those great army abbreviations like BMQ, QM, SQ, SOP etc etc. Each weekend you will have a short test on the previous material. Relax and listen to what you are told. It's hard but when you go home on Sunday you will think that is really cool. The first 4 weekends are the hardest. They try to get rid of the guys you just don't want to be in the army.

Cheers


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## D-n-A (5 Jan 2005)

xterra rat, theres two types of BMQ Reservists can do, the weekend one which your doing and the full time one in the summer(mine was 5 weeks).


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## humint (6 Jan 2005)

check out www.argylls.ca and go to unit op training (left navigation bar) and individual training (centre nav console) -- this may help a little in your search.


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## *Grunt (6 Jan 2005)

Which element are you joining..ie Air, land, sea... and what occupation ie. Infantry, stewart..ect
Depending on what you decide to be will depend on how much training you get and how hard its going to be. 

BMQ is the same for every element, except in my expirence I was in a platoon with all Infantry and odly enough only 1 stewart, and 1 tech. Needless to say our instructors, made it clear they were pushing us harder then any other platoon on course at the time, becuase they were trying to get us ready for the rest of our training to come.

I still didnt find it (BMQ) to be that hard physically, sure we did lots and lots and pushups, situps and running, but even those if you prepare are easy.Man I hated the day we got all our kit though . I think the parts of basic that I found difficult was trying to stay awake  in class sometimes, (i'm sure a handful of you know what i'm talking bout) all the cleaning (I swear they're vents hooked up to the dryer or somthing becuase everyday there's an abundance of lint everywhere) and the sowing.... :

Although I greaty enjoyed the expirence, I had a freakin blast! I'm not to sure how close BMQ for reserves is similar to regular force BMQ. The reg BMQ is 10 weeks and apparently reserves is only 6 weeks?


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## George Wallace (6 Jan 2005)

*Grunt said:
			
		

> ........... and the sowing.... :
> 
> Although I greaty enjoyed the expirence, I had a freakin blast! I'm not to sure how close BMQ for reserves is similar to regular force BMQ. The reg BMQ is 10 weeks and apparently reserves is only 6 weeks?




Out of curiosity....were you planting Wheat or Corn or something else?    ;D

GW


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## *Grunt (6 Jan 2005)

haha yea i'm sorry its early here and I shouldve did a spell check before posting..thank you for pointing that out though.


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## jerrythunder (6 Jan 2005)

well thanks for the posts and advise guy's. i have some more questions tho. um im going for the basic infantry and i am wondering how that 14 weekend thing works. do i go somewhere to train? my local unit is in Cornwall Ontario called the Glengarry Highlanders.


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## humint (6 Jan 2005)

Check with your unit recruiting NCO or Officer -- they should be able to provide you with all the details on either the summer or fall/winter BMQ and SQ courses in your area.


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## *Grunt (6 Jan 2005)

You'll most likely be going to St. Jean but dont quote me.


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## D-n-A (6 Jan 2005)

*Grunt said:
			
		

> You'll most likely be going to St. Jean but dont quote me.



Reg Force goto St Jean, while reservists can go almost anywhere to do theirs.


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## *Grunt (7 Jan 2005)

ok well sorry for the inaccurate info, i've only reg expirence..


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## elminister (7 Jan 2005)

I believe that as a member of the Canadian Army every individual should receive their SQ training. (my opinion) 
Concerning your question I think some unit allow you to train with them even if you are not SQ qualified, they just give you GD to do until you are SQ trained.


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## *Grunt (7 Jan 2005)

As an infanteer from what info i've gathered you do BMQ, then SQ/BIQ then.... you get posted with your regiment...this topic I find is very informative on this subject please read it!

http://army.ca/forums/threads/1254.0.html


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## Highland Lad (7 Jan 2005)

Let's see... it's been a few years since I did this, but I'll be coming back in (grievance finally settled - yay! not in my favour - boo!) and parading with the Glens (SD&G Highlanders) as well.

Way back when (insert your favourite cliché about "how long ago" here) - when I first joined the Muh-lissha, everyone waited for a course run at the district (now Brigade) level, and paraded with their unit while they waited (usually doing general duties or being learning dummies for corporals who were going on leadership courses and needed some instructor practice, or some other such "unskilled labour" type job).

Once your BMQ (Basic Military Qualification) is over with, you will probably be joining your unit and taking part in more unit-level training (but then you'll understand what's going on    ) and waiting for BIQ (Basic Infantry Qualification), usually run during the summer (for you, up on the Matawa plains in Petawawa, unless things have changed drastically).

So the basics of your training will be like this:



Part 1 - BMQ teaches you to walk and talk and think army-style - drill, basic weapons handling, basic intro to most skills needed by soldiers (map reading, communications, basic mil law, etc.) and basic bushcraft (living under a complicated army-type tarp called a shelter half, cooking IMPs, walking around outside in the dark, etc.)


Part 2 - Unit training teaches you about your unit - unit history, who's who in the regiment, how to wear a kilt properly and with pride (unless you're unlucky enough to have joined a "panted" unit   ;D ), and to meet the guys* you will be working with on a regular basis. You will also learn what's awaiting you in your military career.


Part 3 - BIQ teaches you the specific skills needed as an infantry soldier, and refines the basic bushcraft skills learned in BMQ. You do a whole lot more weapons training, and learn how to function under a lot more stress, with a lot less sleep.

Once you've finished these, you will officially be a trained infantry soldier, ready to continue the training in the direction that it needs to go - specialty trades training, leadership courses, special courses (depending on your aptitude, drive, and ability, you can take just about any course you would ever imagine - I know one guy who was with the Reserves his whole career - he had his CF parachutist course, completed US Army Ranger school, was a Pioneer, and really wanted to get his Demo Instructor course). There is one important thing to remember, though: YOU ARE ALWAYS LEARNING AND DEVELOPING - If you ever decide that you know everything you need to know, and that you can stop applying yourself, then you have at that point failed yourself, your buddies, and the CF.

Good luck, and enjoy!

* note that, even in today's PC army, I will persist in using the term "guys" in a gender-neutral way. (if you don't like it, go pound sand!)


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## humint (7 Jan 2005)

It depends on the unit and what kind of soldier you are (read switched-on!).

It the Argylls, you may be rolled into the rifle company even if you only have BMQ. 

Otherwise, you will be rolled into HQ/SP and will likely do CP (CS 0) duties on exercises or will be in the training cell on parade nights -- but on exercises your duties include patrolling, force protection, etc. 

In either case, you will train with the unit and will go out on exercises and do all the unit training. 

There's no point in having bodies in the unit if they can't do the good stuff. 

Even our pipe and drums goes out into the field, and they either do HQ/SP work, or serve as OPFOR. In addition, we take brand-new recruits and drop them into a pre-course training cell. This way, they start to do in-house training before they do their qualification course. And, we even new recruits out into the field on unit exercises (where they work in the unit training cell) to do basic survival training and to get exposed to field conditions, etc.  

If you got a pulse, you got a job.

Now, that said, it depends on the unit!


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## Eowyn (7 Jan 2005)

*Grunt said:
			
		

> As an infanteer from what info i've gathered you do BMQ, then SQ/BIQ then.... you get posted with your regiment...this topic I find is very informative on this subject please read it!
> 
> http://army.ca/forums/threads/1254.0.html


That's the process for the Regs.  It is different for the Reserves.  You can parade with your unit without SQ or even BMQ (though you are limited in what you can do).  Since you only have experience with the Regs, why do you answer questions on Reserve training?


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## dutchie (7 Jan 2005)

Order of training simplified:

1-BMQ: a course all CF pers must take.
2-SQ (soldier qualification): a crse all land staff pers must take (IIRC).
3-Trades training-a crse soldiers must take to qualify them in their trade. In your case Armyboi, that would be BIQ-Basic Infantry Qualification.

You CANNOT train with the unit until you are BMQ qualified, as per CF regs (again, IIRC). Your unit may still not allow you to train with them until you are SQ or even BIQ qualified, but that is determined by the unit.
In my unit, you train with the unit as soon as you are BMQ qual'd. All BMQ or BMQ/SQ qual'd are loaded into their own platoon, and go on ex usually as enemy force under their section commanders, or maybe CS0 (working in the command post) under Ops staff (Ops Warrant/Ops O/CQMS/Etc).

But make no mistake - you will not go on ex FOR SURE until you are BMQ qualified, and maybe not until you are SQ or BIQ qualified.

Clear as mud?


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## Eowyn (7 Jan 2005)

Caesar said:
			
		

> Order of training simplified:
> 
> 1-BMQ: a course all CF pers must take.
> 2-SQ (soldier qualification): a crse all land staff pers must take (IIRC).
> 3-Trades training-a crse soldiers must take to qualify them in their trade. In your case Armyboi, that would be BIQ-Basic Infantry Qualification.


Just to add confusion...  For CSS trades, you can take trades training before SQ.  At least in the Reserves.


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## dutchie (7 Jan 2005)

I'd imagine that is because your trades training is not building on what you learn in BMQ/SQ, whereas Combat Arms trades training does.

But it's still screwy, IMHO.


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## aesop081 (7 Jan 2005)

When th SQ corse was still being sorted out and there were long line-ups for the course,CFSME had to put soldiers trough their QL3 before doing their SQ course.  This is for combat engineer reg force.


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## Michael OLeary (8 Jan 2005)

SQ is a basic qualification course for all Army NCMs which follows the CF standard BMQ. The BIQ course is the one that qualifies its graduates to be Infantry soldiers. See the FAQs for deatils on SQ and BIQ training.

Recruiting FAQ (see the SQ threads) - http://army.ca/forums/threads/21101.0.html

Infantry FAQ (see the BIQ section) - http://army.ca/forums/threads/21131.0.html


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## humint (8 Jan 2005)

It is at the discretion of the unit as to whether you are able to do unit level training before you complete BMQ. We can argue about this until we are blue in the face. 

Speak to the unit, they will let you know what's up. 

I can only speak on what WE DO in the Argylls -- and yes, we get recruits out there doing the good stuff (although under max supervision) ASAP.


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## Sapper24 (8 Jan 2005)

some one correct me if I'm wrong but I believe your BIQ is done over the summer right after your SQ training, and the BIQ qualifies you as an infantry soldier.


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## Pte. Bloggins (8 Jan 2005)

Eowyn said:
			
		

> Just to add confusion...   For CSS trades, you can take trades training before SQ.   At least in the Reserves.



Yay! More confusion! Not all CSS trades, a friend of mine (you know who you are) had to take SQ before they would let her take her Sig Op 3s last summer. 


			
				ARMYboi69 said:
			
		

> BMQ= Co-Op, 2 periods a day.
> SQ= 2 Months during the summer.
> BIQ= ?
> 
> How long does BIQ take?



SQ is 20 training days (4 weeks) and can be taken during the summer or, in some cases, on weekends. BMQ can also be done in the summer, and is the same length as SQ. BIQ, well, I ain't no infanteer, but I'll assume it's around 4 weeks as well since I've heard of SQ and BIQ being done in the same summer.


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## J.F. (11 Jan 2005)

Is anyone here from Calgary?  I am going through a similar situation where I will be doing the BMQ on weekends, and I think it will happen in Wainwright.  I cannot see where else it would be held actually...
Cheers, JF


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## Eowyn (11 Jan 2005)

J.F. said:
			
		

> Is anyone here from Calgary?   I am going through a similar situation where I will be doing the BMQ on weekends, and I think it will happen in Wainwright.   I cannot see where else it would be held actually...
> Cheers, JF



If it is a weekend course, it could be held at Mewata or the NE Armoury.  I haven't heard of a weekend course being offered.  If you get any official confirmation, can you PM me.  We have a few soldiers who need the BMQ.


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