Quantity over Quality in the Reserves

[YoungSoldier]

In the last few years I have noticed that courses have become slack. Instructors who in the past have trained some of the best soldiers in the military now have their hands tied. Getting rid of problem soldiers on courses is like winning the lottery. Once you start the paperwork our short 6 week courses are over. (summer being the prime time for reserve courses) Raising your voice is looked down apon now, charges of harassment for the most trivial things are rampant. Their is a aura of make beleive in the higher up thinking. Training for war is not done. I have seen privates on BMQ courses and SQ courses roll their eyes at Sgt‘s and the most the Sgt can do is red chit them. (which we all know is just a scare tactic) Pumping the troops through just to fill positions is not going to work in the long run. I have seen Master Corporals after 3 years in. Discipline is non existant unless your the sgt maj, the troops know they can get away with alot. Troops are their for the money they care nothing of the unit or the flag. But can we really blame them? What do they know of honor? Nothing! and how could they. Officers turn a blind eye and don‘t do their jobs in the reserves. They are in a sense YES men. Keeping the status quo is the new watchword. I know I just ranted but it just makes me sick. I would like your opinions.

 

[Infanteer]

Well, it is an aimless rant. Here is the instruction manuel for how to produce a coherant arguement.

1) Try picking a specific issue you have a problem with.

2) Supply specific examples of how the problem is affecting the CF/Reserves/Officer Corps/Your sex life.

3) Most importantly, offer up a workable solution. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

4) Try not to paint with a broad brush...nothing is black and white, and it just weakens your arguement.
-Not all officers are yes-men.
-Discipline is NOT a non-existant thing (If you feel that way, I can introduce you to a few NCO‘s)
-Not everyone in the Militia is works only for the money and has no sense of honor.


Care to try again.

 

[Enzo]

I haven‘t served in the Reserves so I don‘t want to disparage upon those people who are actually have their **** together. As for the remainder. In my limited experience, I have encountered too many nitwits wearing the green as if it were an extended summer camp. Nothing was worse than having to endure those 4 RCR kids who strutted around with the cap badge after their 6 weeks. 6 weeks. Jesus, we devoted that amount of time to weapons training alone. I don‘t consider myself to be a close minded SOB, but one instance comes to mind where I was walking behind a RCR reserve Sgt. who was maybe 19 and a fat tub of... Anyway, he was using his authority to IMHO humiliate some reserve grunts. I came up behind him and intervened (bear in mind, at this point I‘m a 26 yr old "untrained" pvt in the RCR w/ 5 months in). So technically, I‘m way out of line. He has rank on his side. I didn‘t actually do much, just stepped in, gave him a look and said, "haven‘t you anything better to do?" He froze. That pissed me off even more. I told him to smarten up and think about what he‘s doing. At this point two RCR officers I recognized walked past. They kept on walking, one of them grinned at us. The Sgt. left right then. The grunts smiled and took off. I do not tolerate bully‘s. But even still, how did he get that rank without earning it? Anyone with a brain could see he was a walking disgrace. He‘d have lasted a week in the Regs.

Just one instance. I met quite a few guys who‘d have fit in well with us. Got along well with them in the ranks. In time after my injury my WO suggested I go to the reserves. It seemed a radical thought. But now that I‘m in school, the idea of an reserve unit isn‘t a bad one. Doubt I‘d get along well with the ranks if they are expecting a summer job mentality from me. Could be fun

 

[Enzo]

P.S.

Some times a rant is a good way to vent frustration. Bring it on Young Soldier. If it helps you, then it‘s a positive. If you can focus as Infanteer suggests, great. If not, let your thoughts flow. See what comes of it.

Cheers.

 

[Jeff Boomhouwer]

There is nothing more frustrating than showing a CPL proper drills on a C9. If your a reservist for the money you need a new job and selling the moe as a summer employment oppritunty is half the problem. When I did my QL2/3 weekends off was a belt fed c0ck tease. I hear these freshly trained troops complaining about the 2 weeks of PT they had to endure.They having to sign in on Sunday when cource doesn‘t resume until 0500 Monday. Now I don‘t mean to get into a pissing contest with any of the old sods about "I remember walking to school 20 miles in a blizzard crap". But something has to change. Rolling your eyes at SGTs or CPLs was unheard of. These guys were scarey.Disipline is missing and the problem is we are not training to fight wars any more and instructors have their hands tied when dealing with sh1tpumps. The problem is the recruiting process not sreening properly. The CF spent a tonne of cash on a recruiting campagn and wants bodies to fill some BIG holes and is willing to look the other way when some of these yoyos come strolling through the door. Beating troops is not the answer and we know how serious we take red chits. A happy medium has to be established. PTing to the point of puking was very effective to me. Not only did I recieve a well deserved punishment, the CPL and I got some exercise. I was corrected and it was enforced thoughly and expertly. Ever do polymetric hopping for a hundred metres? I couldn‘t walk properly for two days.

 

[Alex]

I‘m not in the reg, reserves, or even cadets so I‘m not going to pretend I have the slightest clue what I‘m talking about, but for the sake of discussion, I have another example of what might perhaps be a reserve blunder.

There‘s a 16 year old in my German class who pretty much wears his PPCLI shirt everyday, and he says he‘s in the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. That‘s fine and all. He also says his rank is master corporal. I said, "wow that‘s really up there for a 16 year old," not at all sarcastically (bearing in mind I don‘t have much CF knowledge). He attributed it to being in cadets earlier and his dad being a former reg turned reserve Major.

I‘m not saying that scenario is unlikely, but I‘m just curious as to whether or not it‘s good if we have 16 year old master corporals who probably haven‘t even been in the reserves for a year when there are people with more time in who are in the reg forces and aren‘t even trained privates yet. Thoughts anyone?

 

[Caz]

Alex, he might be a MCpl in the LER Cadet Corps

But not a chance he‘s a MCpl primary reservist. Not a chance.

Correct me if I‘m wrong, but don‘t you have to be 17 to enrol into any component of the CF, anyway?

 

[Jarnhamar]

:warstory:

 

[Roger]

Humm, I guess I am a special case, I was in before, was a senior NCO but have been out for more than 7 years so I had to re-do my BMQ, SQ1 and 2. To be offered corporal.

So if some cadet at 16 or 17 came in as a master corporal, well I am very pissed off, and
I do not think it is true. As far as the past and the future, there where slackers in the past and there will be in the future, re-doing my basic opened my eyes to the lazy guy‘s who kissed the instructers but to get good course reports but when there where no instruters they where lazy. I also saw sadictic instructors who had no respect for anyone.

But overall, I must admit that the core of today is better than the past, what you are being taught today is making you a better soldier overall than the past.

And I remember being a corporal in the past was a section commander so it happened in the past, and hey guess what, it could happen in battle.

 

[Slim]

I have one story.

After leaving the regs I decided to join the reserves but in a different trade, making it nesseccary to complete a new QL3/QL4 ( to give you all an idea of the timeline involved when I joined first it was TQ this and TQ that.)

The standard of people in this trade was so incredibly bad. Most of them should‘t have even been in the army, never mind the trade in question.

One soldier in particular stands out.

He was a thief ( we couldn‘t trust him alone with your stuff lying around). He had to be carried through both courses, was openly hostile to NCO‘s, Disobeyed orders to the point where we figured he was history, right.

Nothing doing.

It got so bad that the staff and students teamed up to try and present an accurate picture of this soldier‘s behavior to the powers that be.

They wouldn‘t throw him out. He was finally sent back to his old unit around a year and a half later...for exactly the same things that he did on course.

Shameful.

I know the regs aren‘t as stiff as they used to be but coming from a reg force combat arms regt to this was too much.

Discipline has to be maintained or what msg does it send? I don‘t think I want to find out...

Slim

 

[YoungSoldier]

Infanteer I welcome your comments and you are right not all are the way I said. Your in the reg force right? Reg force and Reserve are different and in some cases vastly. In the reserves the more ppl they have on paper the more money they get in the budget. So they go out and recruit anyone and I mean anyone sometimes turning a blind eye to medical problems. I just want to tell people what really goes on in the reserve units. Now like I said not all units are like this but I have worked with most so I‘m not telling lies. You can get in the reserves at 16 with parental consent. No way can someone be a master jack at 16. I agree with boomer a happy medium is needed. Right now it is like the instructors are on course and not the students because the instructors are watched like hawks. One deviation and their in ****. Cursing while talking with the troops (a almost subconscious thing for army ppl) can get u in a heap of trouble now. It‘s not getting any better that‘s for sure. What is frustrating me is when a soldier comes up to me and says how he does‘nt feel like he‘s in the army. That his uniform might as well be a mac donalds one for all he was told about it. I try to explain to him about the honor among ppl who were that uniform and how for me I gained that sense of duty during my basic and trade course. Most of the time they just smile and look at me funny like I just talked in some foreign language. Demoralization is the problem. Any Ideas? Sorry infanteer only my 4th time posting on a forum ever if I do it wrong.

 

[Infanteer]

No, I‘m a reservist too and I know exactly what some of the problems you bring up are. When I got back to my regiment after spending a year in the Regs on tour, all I could say was What The ***K. I think the problem is systemic though, not the fault of any specific group of soldiers (ie. officers, generals, recruits, CFRC, etc.)

 

[Enzo]

When I first came home I stopped by my mom‘s place. I walked into her kitchen and said, "Hey mom, how‘ve you been." She stopped in her tracks, looked right at me and said, "I know things are different for you in the military, but when you‘re in my home I‘d prefer it if you didn‘t use that language."

I said, "what‘re you ******* talking about?"

I noticed my profanity at that point, hadn‘t noticed it when I walked in the door. Whoops. I just wanted to add that for fun.

As for those who are getting in with medical problems. Which units, I‘m sick of fighting w/ CFRC

 

[tmbluesbflat]

To young Soldier that moral and identity thing comes from your regimental/military history etc or at least it should! But with people re-badgung every couple of months it is hard to work up the necessary pride etc about such untenable things, young soldiers don‘t get enough indoctrination on those very vital elements!

 

[Jeff Boomhouwer]

Enzo I did the same thingwhen I came off my QL3. We sat down for dinner and I began to inhail my dinner in about 2 seconds and without thinking I piped up " Greatf88cking potatos mom!!"

 

[Enzo]

Where‘s a camera when you need it for those precious moments eh?

 

[Yeoman]

enzo; what‘s wrong with the 4 RCR troops? I know a good chunk of us are reg troops or were at some point, and over half of us have been on tours. I may admit I didn‘t earn that cap badge while on my bmq, sq, and biq. though when you have two former 2 commando‘s come up to you and say "you earned that cap badge on basic para".
I bet I know exactly what Sgt. you speak of if I‘m thinking of him, some of them are just like that.
I may not have trained as long as you guys in the regs do to get your cap badge, but I train just as hard as any of you.
Greg

 

[Enzo]

Greg - As I said, only one instance and it was back in ‘98. It‘s the way of things to recall the few negative moments and take the remaining positive ones for granted. As I also said, quite a few of those guys fit in well with us and that was fine. As I said at the beginning, I didn‘t want to disparage upon those guys.

I suppose its a matter of ones perspective. You earned your cap badge and are proud of the effort that required. The reg guys feel the same, but it takes awhile longer, so there‘s a sense of fulfillment along with that. Basically, it‘s a pissing contest I suppose.

End of the day, who cares. Its all training. If you are good at what you do, then revel in that. Just don‘t ever be a REMF like that fat ...

Cheers.

 

[chrisf]

Originally posted by BOOMER004:
[qb] Enzo I did the same thingwhen I came off my QL3. We sat down for dinner and I began to inhail my dinner in about 2 seconds and without thinking I piped up " Greatf88cking potatos mom!!" [/qb]

Fortunately for me, both my parents are ex-CF... despite some disapproving glances, any... err... "service language" is forgiven.

 

[Pte. Bloggins]

On course last summer, while calling home, I tried my best to keep myself from swearing. I was being quite successful until a buddy comes by and tells me change of plan, and to get cleaning, we have another inspection soon. I respond accordingly, much to the displeasure of my dear mother on the other end.