JavaMan said:
- What does civvie street have to do with this? It would follow then that it must really be hard for civilians to tell the difference between an NCM and an officer in the CF, as they have the same uniforms. But then, does it really matter whether or not civilians can tell the difference?
Yes it does, when we're in public, or when a parent comes to the unit looking for someone in authority.
- You're right, I have no CIC experience. How does this address my comment? I still believe that CIC's have more in common with cadets than the rest of the reserve. CIC's do not have the same training, share the same experiences, are not deployable, and have few of the skillsets that other reserve soldiers have. You do have training to supervise and manage a youth program. Is my information wrong? I'm asking these questions because I have little to no experience in this area.
I've been both a naval reservist and a naval CIC officer. In principle, there isn't a huge difference between running a naval reserve unit and a sea cadet corps. In both cases, you're essentially running a school that teaches classes one evening a week and some weekends. We are trained to organise training, to employ instructional techniques, to evaluate and develop instructors (cadets and officers both), to administer staff, to control supplies, to perform public relations tasks, and countless other little details that have to be looked after.
The cadets in a corps aren't a single hohomogeneous group; they have almost the same rank structure as the navy, and cadets of higher rank are increasingly responsible for the boots-on-the-deck running of the unit. The biggest difference is that the "troops" are our clients rather than our employees -- a small distinction with teenagers, but significant none the less. They're not accountable the way NCMs are (you can't charge a cadet for service offences, e.g.) Nor do most of them have the level of maturity that most NCMs have, so leadership is a different challenge for the officers.
Another significant difference is the level of support received from outside of the unit, and the equipment held by the unit. The cadet unit CO deals with a sponsoring body (usually the appropriate cadet League) to supply things DND does not (musical instruments, for example). The sponsor usually isn't made up of military or ex-military people (but sometimes includes some), so a very different approach is necessary when interacting with them.
The last big difference is that most P. Res units control their building, while most cadet units are lodgers in someone else's building, sometimes a DND building and sometimes not.
And of course there are other, smaller, differences, but looking at the framework of it, the job isn't dramatically different.
It's quite wrong to say that CIC officers are more alike cadets than other service members; I'd argue that the difference between CIC officers and cadets is much more pronounced than that between a NAVRES officer and his NCMs. The client/employee issue and the degree to which work can be delegated to the cadet or NCM are the two most defining differences.
- You're absolutely right about maintaining a distance. But isn't that why you're an officer? You can still wear the same uniform and maintain a professional distance.
Ah, but look at it though twelve-year-old recruit eyes, at the 18-year-old DPO and the 20-year-old Divisional Officer wearing the same uniform. The distinction blurs quickly.
yet in some of your other comments you argue that even with a CF uniform "people...think less of them because of their branch; because of unprofessional attitude cases who will replace proper military courtesy with rude remarks; because the local supply outfit doesn't bother to stock the correct ones; or any combination of the above and other reasons." you're referring to other CF members, I take it?
Yes, and I've seen enough of that to know.
