I‘m sworn in!!

[kurokaze]

Hello all, I‘m now a new & proud member of the
Canadian Forces. A 2Lt of 7 Toronto RCA to be
exact. woo-hoo!!

Got sworn in last night, picked up part of my
kit (though they couldn‘t find me a parka that
fit well, guess I‘ll have to wait until I get issued
the gortex).

I start BOTP this Friday (Jan 17) at Denison
Armoury. Anybody else doing the same?

 

[MethylSilane]

I‘m supposed to be on that course too. I‘m waiting to get sworn in as a new 2Lt for the Queen‘s York Rangers.

That is IF all the paperwork is taken care of so I can be sworn in. Hopefully I‘ll see you there.

 

[humint]

Lucky you. I‘m glad you made it in.

I‘m still sitting on my hands, waiting for something to happen. Originally, I was to be on a Nov course, and then that changed to this Jan. Then that got changed. Now, I‘ve been promised a board interview by the end of the month and then course in April or so, but there are rumblings about budget deficits, re-training for mortars, and all sorts of stuff such as downsizing. A freakin nightmare. At this point, I have no idea what is going on. All I know is that I ain‘t getting any younger.

Does anyone have an extra "qualified university graduate seeking military career" sign I could hang around my neck!!!

 

[kurokaze]

Hey MethylSilane glad you made it in!

Look for me, I‘ll be the guy in dark blue coveralls!
(no combats for me yet!)

humint, how long ago did you apply? I was also
very anxious about whether or not my application
would be done on time. You haven‘t even got
a board interview? wow, what unit? They
(7 Toronto RCA) were able to get me a board
interview in only a couple of weeks after I
submitted my application.

On another note, does anyone know if they‘ll
cut you hair on the weekend courses? I ask
because I need a haircut (shave actually) and
I won‘t bother doing it if the army is gonna do it
anyway!

 

[SpinDoc]

Oh, they don‘t pull a Full Metal Jacket on you... if your hair‘s too long they will tell you to get it cut... which means you have to shell out $$$ for it. I would suggest do it now so you won‘t stand out as a slob.

Maybe I‘ll bump into you guys one of the weekends when I‘m working...

 

[kurokaze]

Hey SpinDoc are you going to be one of our instructors?,

My hair is quite short already, I normally have
a buzz around the sides and back and maybe
an half an inch to an inch on the top.

Its growing so its about inch and a half to
two inches on top now.

That won‘t make me a slob will it?

Just thinking I could save myself a few bucks
and just let the army shave my head.. hehe

 

[SpinDoc]

Nono, I‘m not YOUR course officer. You aren‘t THAT lucky and I‘m not THAT unlucky. j/k If you see a 2Lt hanging around in CADPAT not on your course on a weekend, it might be me...

I usually keep my hair at finger‘s width length -- the sides and back are probably the most important. If in doubt, check with your senior subaltern at your unit (one of the 2Lts or Lts who have been in for a couple of years) or ask your adjt since he‘s in charge of your dress and deportment.

 

[portcullisguy]

Most of the officers on my course seem to have long hair, compared to the rest of the gaggle of instructors, etc.

Still off the collar and off the ears, but longer than, say, the buzz cut that the majority of the recruits like myself have adopted.

Out of curiosity, who are the instructors, normally, on a basic officer course? Sgts/WO‘s? Cpls and MCpls? Other officers?

It must be akward for an NCM to have to say, "Sir, you need to do 25 motivational pushups with me right now..." or do they normally dispense with the formalities on course?

 

[humint]

Kuro,

Well, I started the whole thing with the 11th Field in late July. I had the CO interview in early Sept, and he supported my appl. I then went through the app testing, med, and fitness, and officer int with the Capt at the CFRC -- all of which I passed. I got word from the CF recruiters in Nov that all was a go and I could join.

At this point, the recruiters were pushing me to go reg force rather than res. To be honest, I probably would have gone reg had I not re-signed a work contract for the nect 3 years.

Anyway, back to my story...

I was to have a board interview in Nov. Basically, I got a call one morning (no notice at all) and they told me that it would be that night. Then, they called me an hour later and said it was off. I was then told that they would re-schedule for sometime in mid or late Nov.

Then, by early Dec I got a little antsy. I called the recruiting officer at the regiment and he said that I was to be sworn-in in mid Dec. I then told him that I hadn‘t had the board and he basically sh!t his pants -- he totally forgot about the previous mix-up and thought that I was passed by the board.

Then everything got pushed back further and in late Dec/early Jan I was told about the money situation and that I would likely have the board at the end of Jan or early Feb, likely be worn-in in by Feb or March and would likely be on course for April or May.

It all seems to be a little messed up right now. Not sure where I stand.

 

[Jungle]

Portcullisguy, Ocdts are not commissionned (therefore they are not officers), and are not much different from recruits. They are adressed as "mister" or "miss" when all is going well, and by other (more imaginative) names when thing don‘t go so well... they are instructed by a Platoon staff consisting of (usually): 1 Capt, 1 WO and 3 Sgts.

 

[kurokaze]

humint, that‘s really messed up. I submitted my
application in the middle of november.

what unit were you trying to join?

on another note, I‘m mistaken about the colour
of my coveralls, they are dark green not dark
blue and I‘m missing a shoe lace for my boot!
argh...

hey MethylSilane you‘re going to have coveralls
too right?

Jungle: so we are ocdts until we pass BOTP and
then we become commissioned?

 

[humint]

Kuro,

11th Field, Guelph.

I‘m not too worried, I‘m sure things will work out.

I‘ve also been reassured on numerous occassions that it just takes time, that the admin stuff is a nightmare to get through and the red-tape really bogs the process down. Curious, though, that other people, such as you, have been able to get through much quicker. I guess it really depends on the unit.

It‘s too bad, ‘cause I have a lot of free time right now and could have completed the fall/winter training. I also have a few weeks off this summer, which would have put me that far ahead. That‘s why I started the whole process back in July -- I wanted to get in early and do as much training as possible while I still had some free time on my hands.

So much for planning ahead.

 

[SpinDoc]

kuro and others : They do give people the rank of 2Lt when they join if s/he has a university degree -- at least they used to. Not 100% sure this year since they changed the training/entry programs. It also depends on the unit, because I think it‘s partly their perogative whether to enrol the candidates as 2Lt or as OCdt.

On course, even if you‘re a 2Lt, chances are the instructors are going to call you Mister or Miss. I‘ve had a full Lt referred to as Mister for the whole course too (he was commissioned from the ranks as a Sgt). But some instructors also call OCdt Sir because it‘s shorter and/or they don‘t know your name. Don‘t bother drawing too much significance out of this, because bottom line is that you are all candidates on course.

 

[Jungle]

Jungle: so we are ocdts until we pass BOTP and then we become commissioned?

I was referring to RegF entry, I am not sure about ResF entry. Most candidates join as Ocdts, and are commissionned somewhere down the road (graduation or later). Of course there are Slts, Lts and the occasional Capt, but they are all the same on the course, and are not saluted until they graduate. As Spindoc said, IAP/BOTP instr refer to students as mister/miss mostly out of convenience (Ocdt is too long).

 

[MethylSilane]

I realize it‘s late, but I‘ve been told that I don‘t need to bring anything with me except my OHIP card, my toiletry kit, towels, PT kit, and a sleeping kit...

...other than that (and the autobiography) is there anything else I need to bring? Nobody gave me a list or anything like that.

 

[shado_wolf]

Check this out. It is in the recruiting archives.

http://cdnarmy.ca/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=18;t=000002

Dylan

Edit -
Sorry I shouldn‘t speak on what I don‘t know and I am not sure if this is what you are lookin for...

Just thought I would point it out anyways.

 

[MethylSilane]

Thanks.

 

[humint]

After all my searching, I‘m finally at the end of the road -- I‘ve accepted an Infr Off spot with the Argylls. Oddly enough, I started the process trying to be an Arty Off.

My God, what have I done!!???

My apologies to all my Arty buddies out there. The first, second, and third rounds are on me!

 

[Dacier]

Just sworn in myself this morning. Leave for Saint Jean Feb 9th.

On that list by Mike Bobbit, it says a "Brasso". What is that?

 

[typhoon85]

"Brasso" is a polish for brass
"Silvo" is a polish for silver
It comes in a little container u can buy it at your local save on foods or safeway