The problem isn‘t the pay. Nobody joins the army to get rich. The problem is inherent in the system. Too many people still think our military is supposed on the original colonial premise that a small regular force backbone with an established militia/reserve will be enough to form the basis of an effective fighting force if the country is required to go to war. The idea is that we can draw from the population whatever personelle neccessary to win. Except that I don‘t see the kids with a squeegee in their hands answering the call, nor do I see the little fat kid dropping his Nintendo to go off to fight. The desk drivers in Ottawa see the old big picture, and justify all the brass hats, they need to look at modern militaries and adjust. Another problem is retention. We used to have guys that were proud to wear the uniform, now, after seeing what a Mickey Mouse recruit course we run, half of the kids want to release after a couple of months pushing brooms around in PAT platoon. Because of budget restraints and a general lack of drive on some of the training staff, young soldiers spend alot of their time with their thumbs where they aren‘t supposed to be, wondering why they joined. The ones that stick around, get so used to the good life, that when they get to battle school or their units, they crumble as soon as the sh*t hits. I would like to know what we‘re supposed to do with troops who have never been stressed out beyond the requirement to keep their rooms neat because mommy isn‘t aloud to do their ironing.
I could go on. If I were king, there would be alot less whistle heads in Ottawa forming commitees and study groups all the time. They would be experienced leaders of men with a serious understanding of what is required to shape the unwashed masses into the dirty soldiers we need to form an effective fighting force. The first thing I would do, is get rid of the application of the charter of human rights in it‘s entirety as it applies to sodiers. When you join, you give up your rights as an individual. Sure, a certain amount of common sense must apply, but all the kissy/huggy cr*p has got to go. Soldiers who have suffered together stick together and are proud that they have survived. Trust me, I see first hand what‘s coming out of St-Jean, we don‘t build them like we used to.
I may have gotten a bit off topic...I‘ll sign off now.
