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MAJOR_Baker
Guest
I was wondering if CDN politicians ever visit deployed CDN troops?
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Yes but quite frankly I wish they wouldn‘t. They are a pain in the butt.
M
mattoigta
Guest
just last month Chretien visited, or was it before that?
Devlin
Full Member
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The best is watching them (politicians) try and come across as one of the guys. Even better during a "VIP" visit on a field EX one local politician sat down for an IMP with us.
His question --- wait for it....
"Do you guys only eat these things in emergency situations?"
Guess he didn‘t like what was for dinner...
His question --- wait for it....
"Do you guys only eat these things in emergency situations?"
Guess he didn‘t like what was for dinner...
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I find it funny when people like Jean Chretien visit the troops. If they had there way there would be no CF at all, and yet they come and visit, and pretent they actaully care. Its one of the things I‘m not looking forward too, once I get in. I;ll just have to pray that if it‘s a politican like Jean that he won;t stop and ask me a question.
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When we were in the Gulf we had the Governor General come to the Canadian Task Group, at first didn‘t think much on it but appreciated the gesture after.
T
toms3
Guest
S_Baker
He went to Afghanistan.
Cheers
He went to Afghanistan.
Cheers
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"Must be hard for the politician too, to pretend that their valuable time is appreciated in what is only meant as a goodwill gesture."
yep I‘m sure it is hard for then. I do appreciate the time, just not the visit. If its some who actually cares about the Forces and missions like McCallum... then sure its great. But for politician Like Jean... I prefer that they just stay in Ottawa.
yep I‘m sure it is hard for then. I do appreciate the time, just not the visit. If its some who actually cares about the Forces and missions like McCallum... then sure its great. But for politician Like Jean... I prefer that they just stay in Ottawa.
Gunnar
Army.ca Veteran
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You really think so? I haven‘t heard much about the Defence Minister from anyone, good or bad. To me he seems to be a somewhat clueless, hard-working manager type. He‘s made some attempt to learn, and I think he plays the manager game they all play a little too efficiently, but you believe on balance that he‘s a good guy who cares about the Forces?
Just wondering. I haven‘t heard too much postive or negative about him from Forces people...
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Wonder when the last time some people went to ottawa to support "them" 
It‘s always a hassel having VIPS go out on excersises or operations. You have to disrupt your day to day patter, you might miss out on some sleep, internet time or a meal here and there. It‘s annoying having everything turned up side down for them. i still appriciate the fact that they make the effort. Is it basically a paid vacation? Sure is. They fly over for a week, get doted on ahnd and foot and get to fly around and see all the cool stuff and not deal with the crap. They ALSO get to see what really goes on in person and not just from one of their lackies in NDHQ telling him how great the troops think the iltis is. VIPs visiting is a perfect example to tell them what joe private really thinks. Now if the soldier sticks to his guns and is truthful OR if he just nods his head and tells the VIP what he‘s suposed to hear is another question all together.
Theres going to be some goofs who let it go in ear and out the other but theres also going to be some who listen. Operation Clothe the Soldier started after one troop complained to a visiting VIP about how stupid it turning their goretex kit in after their tour. I don‘t mind someone eating the crappy food next to me while im wearing a goretex parka and wind pants when its freezing out.
It‘s always a hassel having VIPS go out on excersises or operations. You have to disrupt your day to day patter, you might miss out on some sleep, internet time or a meal here and there. It‘s annoying having everything turned up side down for them. i still appriciate the fact that they make the effort. Is it basically a paid vacation? Sure is. They fly over for a week, get doted on ahnd and foot and get to fly around and see all the cool stuff and not deal with the crap. They ALSO get to see what really goes on in person and not just from one of their lackies in NDHQ telling him how great the troops think the iltis is. VIPs visiting is a perfect example to tell them what joe private really thinks. Now if the soldier sticks to his guns and is truthful OR if he just nods his head and tells the VIP what he‘s suposed to hear is another question all together.
Theres going to be some goofs who let it go in ear and out the other but theres also going to be some who listen. Operation Clothe the Soldier started after one troop complained to a visiting VIP about how stupid it turning their goretex kit in after their tour. I don‘t mind someone eating the crappy food next to me while im wearing a goretex parka and wind pants when its freezing out.
S
SNoseworthy
Guest
IIRC, DND has a program in which it chooses half a dozen or so Members of Parliament each year to participate in a program that shows them first hand life in the military. Not sure what the troops think of this plan, but from a civilian point of view, I think it does help somewhat when the politicians know (albeit they only learn a little) about the military and how it operates.
M
mattoigta
Guest
re: McCallum
I was doing some reading about him and apparently even after he was the MND he had never heard of a place called Dieppe.
I was doing some reading about him and apparently even after he was the MND he had never heard of a place called Dieppe.
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Conpared to Chretien, McCallum is a great guy. I didn‘t say he was best just that conpared to Jean. I would prefer to have to him doing the inspections. There all Liberals, so none are going to be very good at it. Just that McCallum has actaully tried harder than the others that have been in the post.
Gunnar
Army.ca Veteran
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That‘s the funniest thing I ever heard. Crazy granpa to work day....and the pic really looks like it too...
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Yeah, about trying harder than most...that sort of what I got out of him too...trying hard, but as a Liberal, not really getting what the CF is for, so to some extent crippled in his ability to learn. But at least trying. Although he had no idea what Dieppe was (and he was a former Cadet, at that! I know, it‘s not the military, but it would be like being in the Boy Scouts and having no idea where BP got the idea for "scouting"), he learned about it when it was pointed out that he knew nothing.
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Yeah, about trying harder than most...that sort of what I got out of him too...trying hard, but as a Liberal, not really getting what the CF is for, so to some extent crippled in his ability to learn. But at least trying. Although he had no idea what Dieppe was (and he was a former Cadet, at that! I know, it‘s not the military, but it would be like being in the Boy Scouts and having no idea where BP got the idea for "scouting"), he learned about it when it was pointed out that he knew nothing.
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All things considered, the program that SNoseworthy mentioned can only help. If nothing else, at least it‘ll give a few MPs some insight into the world of the military and best case scenario, actually keep their experience in mind when the military is being discussed in Ottawa. The biggest waste of time (and money) I‘ve seen was when the LFRR group came to visit in Bosnia. They basically let us bitch at them, but then replied "Okay we‘ll consider that" to everything we said. Then when one NCO apparently went a little to far, he got sh!t on for doing so. As Ghost said, sometimes these things are a waste of time and just another unneeded disruption in your day. It seems to me that the civilians (MPs) visiting take away a more sincere experience than the higher ups in uniform. All they seem to do is tell you to shut up and soldier on, it‘s like "Thanks for the advice sir, but I‘m already doing that. Now go away and let me do my job."
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