Navy ballcaps in CADPAT

[dimsum]

Service before self.

The tribalism and will we possess to self sabotage the project didn’t help either.

It could still work, we only need to have the desire to put our national interests above our personal ones. Instead we focus on buttons and bows and argue about whose more important rather than what we need to actually accomplish.

Now we have a bastardized system which is neither fish nor fowl and arguably the worst of both worlds.

I don’t know what your experience with the USN / USMC is like, but I can assure you that it is not seamless or even friendly at times. Ask anyone from the USMC how much they like being called “part of the Navy”, because they are under the Dept of the USN.

I have worked with those folks and our system has faults, but the single admin process for all services is much smoother than in the US. Ask a clerk (for example) what their trade is and the answer, including MOSID, will totally depend on their branch of service.

Similarly, while the majority of CAF members don’t really work with the other elements, at least we have a vague awareness due to a single BMQ and BMOQ. That is not always the case in the US military - I have seen examples where US Army folks (for example) didn’t know that a USN equivalent of a Maj is LCdr, even though they have the same oak leaf device on some of their uniforms.

 

[Halifax Tar]

TBH, in 1968 Hellyer should have photocopied the USN/USMC team and kept the RCN, turned the Army into the RCMC and made the RCAF Naval Aviation and Army support aviation.

If that's what Hellyer wanted, that would have accomplished it.

 

[FSTO]

USN / USMC is like, but I can assure you that it is not seamless or even friendly at times.

That is because the Marines have been called the Navy's police force. And you know how much the meatheads are loved here in Canada.

Originally the Marines of all Navies were created to repel boarders, man the topsails during enemy action, be the main body of a landing party, and put down mutinies (or maintain discipline, take your pick). The last one was not particularly liked by lower decks.

 

[FSTO]

If that's what Hellyer wanted, that would have accomplished it.

There is a tale of the RCN aviators pranking the new defence minister by sending a blind pilot to the Tracker that Hellyer was to be on. Little did the pilots know that Hellyer had no sense of humour and that their prank may have sealed the fate of RCN Naval Aviation for all time.