# Starting week 5 in St Jean!



## SBale (30 Apr 2005)

Well I got my 5 on friday I'm in 0196E, so far it hasnt been too bad the hardest thing I find is inspections no matter how hard you clean,fold, the night before they will always find something wrong with your cubicle! the tests are really easy, so far I have taken the swim test,pt test,first aid,and NBC test, not hard at all as long as you pay attention. Monday morning I get my C7 which should be fun except for all the cleaning i'm going to have to do to it,  overall though it's not a bad place at all one you get into a routine it's really simple, if anyone has any questions feel free to ask.


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## ab136 (30 Apr 2005)

What about push-ups?  Do they make you do them all the time?


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## mbhabfan (30 Apr 2005)

glad things are going well for you.  Keep up the good work and keep us posted.


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## Gouki (30 Apr 2005)

Yeah I would like to hear more about your life on Basic, in fact I love hearing it from anyone currently doing it (reg force i should add, weekend warrior things dont really cut it imo).

SBale you got a really positive outlook .. don't hear it enough from people going on courses.

How is the fitness there? Your instructors the pro-fitness type or have they been slack with it?


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## onecat (30 Apr 2005)

So how did you enjoy your weekend on the town in St Jean?  That was best part of ending week4 was getting off base.


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## Zombie (30 Apr 2005)

How do you find the in-class parts? When it comes to waking up so early in the morning, I find that I am fine as long as I am active and doing something, but the moment I stop and sit down like in a classroom environment, I can hardly keep my head up. Is the in-class every day, and what is the duration of one in-class session?


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## SBale (30 Apr 2005)

I'll try and answer all your questions the best I can, the Push ups can be tought and easy at the same time the pt test you only have to do 19 so it's not hard at all, during drill if you screw up you do alot of push-ups ones where you go down and hold it about a inch of the ground untill they say you can come up, same with pt if you screw up you suffer, and when I say screw up I mean talk in ranks, move when your standing at attention, stuff like that oh swimming pt is by far the most tyring for me atleast, the runs arnt to bad so far we have done up to 5k you start your run at 0510 it usually takes us about 27mins for 5k, the goal is 25mins, so it's a fast enough jog.   The hardest thing about the class work is staying awake the information they teach you is sooo dry each class is 40mins long just make sure you bring your canteen and drink lot's of water and get your friends to give you a little tap if your falling asleep, the worst is after lunch going in class for 3 straight MK classes, by the time 2300 hours hits you wont have any trouble sleeping.  This weekend is my first weekend free I came home since I live in Ottawa it's only about a 2 hour and 40 minute drive the good thing is when I go back sunday I can drive my own car there, they have tons of parking,    hope I answred everyones questions, keep them coming if there is anything else you wanna know, thanks for all the positive comments guys!


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## Zombie (30 Apr 2005)

40 mins doesn't seem too bad, but I guess 3 in a row would get pretty tough to handle  :boring:  I suppose after a couple of weeks you can get into a pretty good routine though, and it wouldn't be too bad.

What's an MK class?


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## SBale (30 Apr 2005)

Trust me waking up for 430 to go for a run at 0510 you will be tired and falling asleep, but yeah it does get a little easier to stay awake as the weeks go on, MK= Military Knowledge


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## RossF (1 May 2005)

Steve said:
			
		

> Yeah I would like to hear more about your life on Basic, in fact I love hearing it from anyone currently doing it (reg force i should add, weekend warrior things dont really cut it imo).
> 
> SBale you got a really positive outlook .. don't hear it enough from people going on courses.
> 
> How is the fitness there? Your instructors the pro-fitness type or have they been slack with it?



There are other things in life that people are interested in that don't allow for them being away 100% of the time. Doing the "weekend warrior" thing is the least I could do for my country, or the least I will be doing, for that matter.


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## ArmyGirlfriend19 (1 May 2005)

hello,

My boyfriend has just left today for the basic trainning course...He starts May 3rd. I was wondering about your first four weeks. I have heard that you cannot contact anyone,is this true, and if not want do you suggect is the best way it stay in contact with him. Also my second question is about being able to leave the  base. This is new information to me and I am very excited. I live quite a distance away but I would love to go visit him on one of his weekends off. Am I able to go and see him?
Thanks Jenn


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## Sh0rtbUs (1 May 2005)

Steve said:
			
		

> Yeah I would like to hear more about your life on Basic, in fact I love hearing it from anyone currently doing it (reg force i should add, weekend warrior things dont really cut it imo).
> 
> SBale you got a really positive outlook .. don't hear it enough from people going on courses.
> 
> How is the fitness there? Your instructors the pro-fitness type or have they been slack with it?



Steve, I've done my BMQ/SQ on a coop program and i can say that i would much prefer the reg Force system. i've done class B courses, so i have something to compare. Living away from home with the stress is one thing, but waking up at 4 every morning to hump all your kit (and i mean ALL my kit) several km's and take an hour bus ride to show up for morning PT where most class b courses are just waking up and going. Its a very stressful schedule to keep up, so dont sell the reserves short. 

I've spoken to MANY reg Force troops, and my general impression is the reg Force is for the most part extremely relaxed.


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## aesop081 (1 May 2005)

ArmyGirlfriend19 said:
			
		

> I have heard that you cannot contact anyone,is this true,



Jenn,

its not true.   When i went trough there , there were payphones in the elevator lobby on all the floors where the recruits stay.   So your Bf can call you when he gets time.   Keep in touch with him trough e-mail and snail mail is my suggestion to you.   Also dont listen to rumours and your freinds that dont have a clue about the military.


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## TCBF (1 May 2005)

Take everything you hear with a grain of salt.  You want to know what conitions are like NOW, but everyone you talk to wants to give you a history lesson and pass it off as current affairs.  Former members of the CF are the worst for this.  Their reality is frozen in time at the date of their release, if not sooner.  I was a Recruit Platoon Commander at CFRS Cornwallis and ELRFC St Jean, and I can only remark on what happened in my platoons while I was there.  I cannot even comment on the Company at the time, let alone the rest of the School.  A former recruit's experiences are a snapshot in time, nothing else.

A lot of old retired guys and gals find it hard to believe that the minute they retired, they became obsolete, just another super-annuitant.  They cannot grasp a military one half the size it was when they were in, with quadruple the tours.  I once listened to an expert describe today's forces, then ask me if we still used the Bren Gun.  No, I said, we adopted the FN C2 forty years ago, but it too, is obsolete, like him.  He seemed surprised when I told him that we have not been paid more than the Americans for some time, and that I paid $12,000 a year in income tax, and that the Army he was in existed only in stories.  With voters like that, it is no wonder we are in the predicament we are in.

Even worse are the people who tell you about the military - horror stories and all - then you find out he "Was in army in old country."

Yeah, that really applies, doesn't it?

You're reality will be different from others.  Use the toolbox approach when getting free advice (including this post) : If it fits and is the right tool at the right time, use it.  If not, put it back in the box.

Keep the home fires burning, stiff upper lip, and good luck.


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## ArmyGirlfriend19 (1 May 2005)

hello,

Thanks a lot for the advice. I totally agree. Thanks again...Jenn


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## Skinny (1 May 2005)

_me if we still used the Bren Gun.  No, I said, we adopted the FN C2 forty years ago_

what??? we dont :


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## RS (2 May 2005)

Sh0rtbUs  
In regards to your statement:

I've spoken to MANY reg Force troops, and my general impression is the reg Force is for the most part extremely relaxed.



Don't know who the heck you have been talking too.   But my hubby has been in the Reg Force for 22 years.............we've been posted all over the country and I have met ALOT of members.   Never had I ever heard any of them say that the Reg Force Basic Training course was "extremely relaxed".     Maybe you should re-think your general impression.


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## brin11 (2 May 2005)

TCBF,

I disagree with some of your comments.  A person does not become "obsolete" or someone who's advice is worthless simply because they are retired or have "gone through" sometime in the past.  Of course things change, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.  Everyone will have a slightly different experience but the basic premise of basic training hasn't changed much over the years from what I am told.  I guess I'll log off here in a few years as I'll be completely obsolete and not able to contribute any advice/suggestions to the new guys here.


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## Gouki (2 May 2005)

Sh0rtbUs said:
			
		

> Steve, I've done my BMQ/SQ on a coop program and i can say that i would much prefer the reg Force system. i've done class B courses, so i have something to compare. Living away from home with the stress is one thing, but waking up at 4 every morning to hump all your kit (and i mean ALL my kit) several km's and take an hour bus ride to show up for morning PT where most class b courses are just waking up and going. Its a very stressful schedule to keep up, so dont sell the reserves short.
> 
> I've spoken to MANY reg Force troops, and my general impression is the reg Force is for the most part extremely relaxed.



Well before this gets too big.. I spent time in the reserves too, 3 week straight program living in the armouries under a tent with reg force Patricia instructors and course warrant, so I would say it wasn't quite as easy as most Res bmq's may be. That being said, while I know how "stressful" a Reserve BMQ is and such, I'm not particularly in love with the Reserves for reasons I won't mention because this has sort of hijacked the thread enough as it is, just that I would much rather listen to someone in a reg force basic training than a reserve basic training.


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