# Basic Training-what do you think?



## ryan fitzy (4 Jun 2005)

I am suppose to be going to Basic Training this summer for Reg ARTY Field, This question is for people that have already completed Basic or are in it know! What was the hardest thing in your own opinion that you had to do at Basic? I asked my friend and his answer was "To stay awake" he said that the class rooms are so hot and air restricted that its hard to stay awake- and if you cant you get smoked!!!


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## BDG.CalgHighrs (6 Jun 2005)

It will depend on the individual. 

I don't have a problem being PTed, yelled at, staying awake, or doing long drill lessons. Lots of people do. Other people found the classroom stuff to be easy. I found it slow, boring and utterly repetative. 

Why not wait and see what you can cruise through and what you'll find more difficult.


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## GOMERPYLE (6 Jun 2005)

Nah sleeping isn't a problem just get mirrored sun glasses like my parter on basic did. He got plenty of sleep. We all laughed.

Gomerpyle


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## JBP (7 Jun 2005)

GOMERPYLE said:
			
		

> Nah sleeping isn't a problem just get mirrored sun glasses like my parter on basic did. He got plenty of sleep. We all laughed.
> 
> Gomerpyle




What kind of basic was that? Cadet basic training? They won't let you wear glasses indoors at any training I've attended... No individualism on BMQ, at all!!! One guy got REAMED for trying to "be an individual"...

 :


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## Fishbone Jones (7 Jun 2005)

.... and 





			
				GOMERPYLE said:
			
		

> *just get mirrored sun glasses like my parter on basic did*. He got plenty of sleep. We all laughed.
> 
> Gomerpyle



Mirrored sunglasses are not allowed in the CF, period. And certainly not on your BMQ. So listen up Goober, quit talking out of your ass. Your contradicting the guidelines with your erroneous info (again).


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## patrick666 (10 Jun 2005)

While there is no individualism, there is individuality. No one is the same, no matter what you make them wear or think. Some people will have difficulty running, some might just not get over the classroom material. Some might think staying awake is the hardest or, for me personally, some will find the extreme authoratative nature and demand a little overwhelming. 

The point is that you just might not hate what somebody else does. My advice is to just dive in head first and soak everything up and work as hard as you can. Don't worry about what you're going to hate because that is completely irrelevant. You will have many good times and it will all be worth a little pain.  ;D

Cheers and good luck


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## mainerjohnthomas (12 Jun 2005)

It wouldn't help to hear what we all found hardest, you get six different answers from any six soldiers you ask. Everyone found something about basic hard, that's kind of the point.  The big thing is that you have to learn to help your buddies with what you find easy, and get help from them with what you find hard.  Keep your sense of humour, don't let your inevitable screwups get to you, and sleep really is overrated  ;D


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## Chief Clerk (13 Jun 2005)

_I am suppose to be going to Basic Training this summer for Reg ARTY Field, This question is for people that have already completed Basic or are in it know! What was the hardest thing in your own opinion that you had to do at Basic? I asked my friend and his answer was "To stay awake" he said that the class rooms are so hot and air restricted that its hard to stay awake- and if you cant you get smoked!!!_

I am assuming you are going regular force?  I just came back from St Jean on the weekend visiting my wife whom just grad from Basic Officer trg and is staying for her Language Trg.  This is an easy answer - get in as best shape as possible - if you are in good shape you will be able to stay alert and awake - it is very very hot in St Jean this time of year and the Mega (your soon to be home) is not air conditioned which makes you very tired all the time.  I think some of the replies you are getting must be from reserve candidates (sun glasses, etc) as believe you me I know some of your instructors and this will not be tolerated. Which leads to my second comment:  Get ready to tolerate shouting and screaming at every second - let it go in one ear and out the other and do your best to keep in the GREY zone    Good luck, have fun when you can and try to get out (when you can) to see the sites (Montreal is only a ten dollar bus ride)


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## copecowboy (14 Jun 2005)

I hated the little things like morning inspections, sewing, ironing, ect, the whole physical and in class part was very easy for me.


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## Sivad (14 Jun 2005)

copecowboy said:
			
		

> I hated the little things like morning inspections, sewing, ironing, etc, the whole physical and in class part was very easy for me.



Ya, I think my biggest scare is keeping things all neat and shinny, as well as what copecowboy said.


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## copecowboy (14 Jun 2005)

Sivad said:
			
		

> Ya, I think my biggest scare is keeping things all neat and shinny, as well as what copecowboy said.




its not so bad, as soon as your platoon clicks, everyone helps everyone/


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## Island Ryhno (14 Jun 2005)

The hardest thing is trying to keep your combats, socks etc sorted from everyone elses. Goddamn socks, stupid smiley faces.


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## mainerjohnthomas (14 Jun 2005)

Island Ryhno said:
			
		

> The hardest thing is trying to keep your combats, socks etc sorted from everyone elses. Goddamn socks, stupid smiley faces.


     I've been out since '94 and my socks are still in neat piles, all smiley.  Hard habit to break. Drives the 9'er domestic crazy.


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## copecowboy (14 Jun 2005)

Island Ryhno said:
			
		

> The hardest thing is trying to keep your combats, socks etc sorted from everyone elses. Goddamn socks, stupid smiley faces.




Thats the whole reason behind sewing your name on every peice of kit.


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## qor556 (14 Jun 2005)

copecowboy said:
			
		

> Thats the whole reason behind sewing your name on every peice of kit.



Ouch, you couldn't use a black marker instead?


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## LL (14 Jun 2005)

> Thats the whole reason behind sewing your name on every peice of kit.



What!!!!!!  u have to sew???


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## Island Ryhno (14 Jun 2005)

Yes you have to sew, go learn now and it will be considerably less painful for you. As for the sewing on being a help, well it is when you had the time, most often though in the perpetual rush that is basic you would end up with at least one thing that was way to big or way to small. But hey, what's more fun than running with a t shirt on that's 2 sizes too small.


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## SBale (16 Jun 2005)

The hardest part is the attention to detail


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## Buzz (20 Jun 2005)

Basic training is a test of motivation of how bad you really wanted to be there and to see if you can handle the crap.  To make it through basic with little resistance, practice eyes and ears open, mouth closed.  Cannot stress that enough.  Show drive where ever you can. It not only shows you want to be there but also for drill it's a friggin decent work out.  Constantly driving the body makes you a stronger person and they teach you to listen to the words of command and to react on it with everything you have.  I find it  amazing for the logistics of the whole 10 weeks.  Because everything is planned right to the second which means timings must be met.(carry a pen and pad or you'll be all screwed up from listening to your buddies who didn't right it down either)   
I have to say Dress, Drill and Deportation is practiced ever moment you are there and when you go to civy street you find yourself subconsciously practicing the 3 D's. lol  Once you learn it's not that hard to maintain.  

Basic is a place where you get to first feel like you have belonging along with acceptance into a group. An intermixture of Navy, Army, and Air Force all working together. (Your Platoon) and to act for a common goal as one.  Every day is not the same for it has it's ups and downs.  The thought of VR didn't come to my mind once. But came to a few peoples.  They always felt the need or compelled to tell me..and i basically told them to get that thought out of their %^&$'n head and think about how long they would stay on PAT versus the number of weeks to Graduation. Same with those that wanted to go MIR same deal.   Basic is a complete mind game of determination and will.  I loved it. I like the challenge but at the same time I'm happy that portion is over with so I can carry on with my trade but to show just as much drive and determination and work hard as I did at Basic.  

It's definitely not for all. Everything done there is easy. It's unbelievably easy (once sorted out) and must be taken one day at a time. One thing I had to remember was it's Only 10 weeks and a piss in the pot compared to the rest of my career.  Hooaaaa! 

Cheers
-Buzz


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## badger4 (20 Jun 2005)

hey man, I never did basic back home in canada but did it out here in australia, and i reckon its the same all over the world.  Keep your head up, your lips tight, your kit squared away and your ears open, and you should do alright... The hardest thing for me was to go through the gates on base and no smoking for the first couple o weeks...


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## badger4 (20 Jun 2005)

sbale, good point, attention to detail is key, at any level of soldiering


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## Buzz (20 Jun 2005)

Attention to detail is very key and it's a given.

Cheers
-Buzz


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## davidk (20 Jun 2005)

Another important thing is not to ask too many questions. A little inquisitiveness is ok, but there's a time and a place for it, and it's not on BMQ. Your instructors may tell you there's no such thing as a stupid question, but they probably don't want to hear yours. Everything that's taught is taught for a reason, which you'll learn on your own.


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## Buzz (20 Jun 2005)

Pte D. Krystal said:
			
		

> Another important thing is not to ask too many questions. A little inquisitiveness is ok, but there's a time and a place for it, and it's not on BMQ. Your instructors may tell you there's no such thing as a stupid question, but they probably don't want to hear yours. Everything that's taught is taught for a reason, which you'll learn on your own.



You are so right...in previous training, I was allowed to ask 2 questions a day and the rest I had to figure out on my own and know to a tee when given a tasking to perform..so they had to be good questions that others can learn from and use them wisely. 

Just to add they say they don't mind repeating themselves either....but a pen and pad helps prevent the game "repeat" which everyone loves to play! They love the game and I loved hearing the same thing being told over and over again. (sarcasm)   Being sharp and up to date was to easedrop in conversations between instructors and students on advice and what to look for.  Inspections is a good example.   I listened to 5-8 inspections before my inspection. (between 2 sections with ears open). When it came to mine...i would gather my mistakes along with the others and incorporate it into mine.  

What it comes down to is you can make it real easy for yourself..or you can make it real hard for yourself.  If you do what they say and how they say it, you will have no problem. Work hard at everything and it will show. 

Cheers
-Buzz


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## davidk (20 Jun 2005)

Buzz said:
			
		

> You are so right...in previous training, I was allowed to ask 2 questions a day and the rest I had to figure out on my own and know to a tee when given a tasking to perform..so they had to be good questions that others can learn from and use them wisely.



Something I've noticed, though, is that if you do ask questions, make them "how" questions instead of "why" questions. Asking why things are done a certain way is merely challenging protocol that you don't understand, and don't need to understand yet. Asking how things are done is something else entirely, and your course staff would be more than happy to tell you _how_ to clean/assemble your rifle, _how_ to put on your gas mask, etc, because these are things that are important for a soldier to know how to do.


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## Buzz (20 Jun 2005)

precisely


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## copecowboy (21 Jun 2005)

LL said:
			
		

> What!!!!!!   u have to sew???



LOL are you in for a surprise, had no sewing experience before basic, now I consider myself martha stuert.


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## atticus (21 Jun 2005)

In the reserves it was a black sharpie to put your name on everything and something to help you take off the darn name of the poor reg guy who had to sew his name on everything.  ;D


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## RiflemanPhil (24 Jun 2005)

O btw, for those of you havin trouble keepin your laundry in order: take pins, like bobby pins or whatever you call them, and pin all of your shit together, that way you're not sortin through every1 elses shit.


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## McFarlane (24 Jun 2005)

Do you mean safety pins? I don't see how a bobby pin could hold laundry together.


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## KLAVER (24 Jun 2005)

did you guys find the class room stuff on bmq to be hard and were their test on the material you were taught. were the test hard? 
thanks


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## RiflemanPhil (24 Jun 2005)

ya, lol, sorry-safety pins, my bad


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## BDG.CalgHighrs (27 Jun 2005)

I think this whole basic training thing is being over-thought.


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## Standards (27 Jun 2005)

Pte. Gaisford said:
			
		

> I think this whole basic training thing is being over-thought.



I concur.

BMQ is just not that difficult, certainly not in the mental sense.  I can understand people having difficulty with culture shock and that sort of thing, but don't try and over-analyse how much mental capacity it takes to pass the course because it doesn't take much.

Essentially all the information you need for BMQ is spoon fed to you, just don't make the mistake of thinking all your future courses will be this easy.  It is quite rare for someone to fail BMQ due to academic reasons, usually it is medical or personal related (i.e. they changed their mind about being in the army).  

Whenever I wonder about how tough some course may be I just think to myself "look at all the coneheads who have passed this before".  Litterally thousands of other people have passed BMQ, so provided you put in a modicum of effort and listen to what your instructors tell you, you to will become a successful graduate.


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## Northern Touch (28 Jun 2005)

Pte D. Krystal said:
			
		

> Another important thing is not to ask too many questions. A little inquisitiveness is ok, but there's a time and a place for it, and it's not on BMQ. Your instructors may tell <b> you there's no such thing as a stupid question,</b> but they probably don't want to hear yours. Everything that's taught is taught for a reason, which you'll learn on your own.



...just stupid people

normally works for finishing that sentence


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## JBP (30 Jun 2005)

I don't think BMQ was that hard really. Hardest things for me was A.) Getting used to army regulations (when to salute, when not to, HOW, etc...) and B.) C7 Weapons handling test. This is mainly due to the fact I've never even fired any type of gun/rifle/weapon in my life other than a paintball gun and had no familiarization with the weapon other than training...

How did I do? I didn't make even 1 single mistake! It's simple like everyone has said, pay attention, listen to your instructors and PRACTICE what they preach!!! The night before my C7 Handling test, I did about 45mins-1hr of self instruction on everything I could think of with it and then I went over my written notes also.

One thing I could have used and think there should have been more of: PT. Wasn't enough PT and there was only 1 time during BMQ that it was actually very difficult. Other than that, BMQ was fun really and I always thought it would be the easiest course I'd take. SQ has been better because of the different toys, but they also expect more out of you. No screwing around and pretending to be stupid like many guys do.

Joe


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## jarko (1 Jul 2005)

I will be graduating from bmq this week. To tell you the truth i didn't find it very hard, yes some days are tough, but not tough enough to make not like what you are doing. Yes some classes are too damn boring, example (edo classes).


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