questions for the infantrymen

[JoeyTheHoser]

i have wanted to be an infantryman since i was 7 years old and im finishing school in soonish and i have a bunch of questions and hopefully you can answer some so i can see if this job is right for me.
1. how long are your work hours (from what i have seen its 8ish hours a day)
2. what is the difference between deployments and exercises ( i have seen conflicting answers on this)
3. are deployments mandatory
4. how many exercises do you do per year
5. how long are these exercises
6. in general how many weeks/nights per year do you spend in the field
7. do you enjoy these weeks/nights in the field or do they always suck and you wish never you joined
8. how many of these weeks/nights are mandatory
9. during dp1 (which is 17 weeks according to forces.ca) what percentage of nights do you spend in the field vs in the barracks
10. also during dp1 how much free time do you get ( i assume little do none but may as well ask)
11.what does the average day look like ( not at bmq or dp1)
i realise thats a lot of questions, but even tough its something i have wanted to do for over a decade i want to know exactly what i would be getting into.
thanks if you answer

 

[Jarnhamar]

1. how long are your work hours (from what i have seen its 8ish hours a day)

Always depends. A normal day could see you doing PT from 8am to 9am.
Shower from 9 to 10.
Some kind of work or training from 10 to 12.
Lunch.
Sone kind of training from 1pm to 4pm

Other days you could start training at 4am and be on ranges all day until midnight.

2. what is the difference between deployments and exercises ( i have seen conflicting answers on this)

Essentially a deployments is leaving home for an extended period of time. You could deploy to Alberta for 3 months. While there you might be doing an operation (fighting forest fires) or could do a training exercise (practice).

Other people use "deployments" meaning going overseas in a mission.

3. are deployments mandatory.

Yes.

4. how many exercises do you do per year

It varies and depends on your units training plan.

5. how long are these exercises

Varies. An exercise could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months.

6. in general how many weeks/nights per year do you spend in the field

Varies and depends on the unit, and what the units training plan is.

7. do you enjoy these weeks/nights in the field or do they always suck and you wish never you joined

They're great. People will talk about wishing they never joined while doing them then bitch and complain about missing them while they're not.

8. how many of these weeks/nights are mandatory

All of it.

9. during dp1 (which is 17 weeks according to forces.ca) what percentage of nights do you spend in the field vs in the barracks

Not sure what the current set up is. Generally you're not in the field long
2 or 3 days here and there. Maybe 4 or 5 days for a final exercise.

10. also during dp1 how much free time do you get ( i assume little do none but may as well ask)

Varies. If you have free time during evenings it should be spent cleaning and working on your kit. And praying for bad weather.

11.what does the average day look like ( not at bmq or dp1)

Really impossible to say with accuracy. You could spend the day doing drill practice, cleaning weapons, practicing navigation, shooting, looking for a radio someone lost, moving furniture, practicing hand to hand combat, packing an arctic sled in July.

Some people love every day, some cry and hate it for 20 years.

 

[JoeyTheHoser]

Always depends. A normal day could see you doing PT from 8am to 9am.
Shower from 9 to 10.
Some kind of work or training from 10 to 12.
Lunch.
Sone kind of training from 1pm to 4pm

Other days you could start training at 4am and be on ranges all day until midnight.


Essentially a deployments is leaving home for an extended period of time. You could deploy to Alberta for 3 months. While there you might be doing an operation (fighting forest fires) or could do a training exercise (practice).

Other people use "deployments" meaning going overseas in a mission.


Yes.

It varies and depends on your units training plan.

Varies. An exercise could be 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months.

Varies and depends on the unit, and what the units training plan is.

They're great. People will talk about wishing they never joined while doing them then bitch and complain about missing them while they're not.


All of it.


Not sure what the current set up is. Generally you're not in the field long
2 or 3 days here and there. Maybe 4 or 5 days for a final exercise.

Varies. If you have free time during evenings it should be spent cleaning and working on your kit. And praying for bad weather.

Really impossible to say with accuracy. You could spend the day doing drill practice, cleaning weapons, practicing navigation, shooting, looking for a radio someone lost, moving furniture, practicing hand to hand combat, packing an arctic sled in July.

Some people love every day, some cry and hate it for 20 years.

Thanks man this helps alot. Very surprised about the field days during dp1

 

[Jarnhamar]

Try it out for 3 years. If you like it, stay. If you don't, switch to a different trade or find a civilian job.

Worse case scenario is you don't like it after 3 years, quit, and have a whole bunch of great stuff to pad your resume with.
Well maybe second worse case scenario.

 

[JoeyTheHoser]

Try it out for 3 years. If you like it, stay. If you don't, switch to a different trade or find a civilian job.

Worse case scenario is you don't like it after 3 years, quit, and have a whole bunch of great stuff to pad your resume with.
Well maybe second worse case scenario.

Another question I just thought of was, during exercises I assume all nights are spent in the field even the 2 month ones, no?

 

[Jarnhamar]

Another question I just thought of was, during exercises I assume all nights are spent in the field even the 2 month ones, no?

It depends on the exercise.

If you're on an exercise for 2 months "in the field" you're probably going to be sleeping in a large tent on a cot. It will probably be heated in colder weather, and you should have access to shower facilities and washrooms (probably toilets you see at a construction site).

Long exercises like that will involve multiple units and there will be stuff to make quality of life better. It's like camping.

 

[JoeyTheHoser]

It depends on the exercise.

If you're on an exercise for 2 months "in the field" you're probably going to be sleeping in a large tent on a cot. It will probably be heated in colder weather, and you should have access to shower facilities and washrooms (probably toilets you see at a construction site).

Long exercises like that will involve multiple units and there will be stuff to make quality of life better. It's like camping.

On those longer ones in tents I think it's fair to assume there's no wifi or anything

 

[daftandbarmy]

On those longer ones in tents I think it's fair to assume there's no wifi or anything

Dude... if your top priorities include internet connectivity the Infantry is not for you... seriously.

 

[JoeyTheHoser]

Dude... if your top priorities include internet connectivity the Infantry is not for you... seriously.

im fine without it i was just wondering

 

[brihard]

im fine without it i was just wondering

A lot of the time you’ll have some access to your phone at certain times, and data’s cheap. Being truly and fully cut off for extended periods is rare.

 

[JoeyTheHoser]

A lot of the time you’ll have some access to your phone at certain times, and data’s cheap. Being truly and fully cut off for extended periods is rare.

Thanks good to know

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Thanks good to know

Sometimes, you will be cut off from all internet access for very valid security reasons.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Its funny thinking about being deployed in the early 2000's and getting a 20 minute phone call home once a week then later half an hour of internet access here and there in a trailer.

Or you older fellas who wrote letters like some WW1 trooper in trenches.

Now soldiers deploy and video call home from their bunks (and have panic attacks if the internet goes down a few hours).

 

[Blackadder1916]

Its funny thinking about being deployed in the early 2000's and getting a 20 minute phone call home once a week then later half an hour of internet access here and there in a trailer.

Or you older fellas who wrote letters like some WW1 trooper in trenches.

Now soldiers deploy and video call home from their bunks (and have panic attacks if the internet goes down a few hours).

Us "older fellas" also made use of the technological marvel of ham radio. They would link from where we were deployed (Cyprus, Egypt, Golan or elsewhere in the world) to a ham operator in Canada who would patch in a phone call to family at home.

Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System – CFARS

I have been involved in volunteer communications since I was first licensed because it allows me serve and help others by doing something I’m good at and passionate about. For many years, the…

va3qr.ca

 

[daftandbarmy]

Its funny thinking about being deployed in the early 2000's and getting a 20 minute phone call home once a week then later half an hour of internet access here and there in a trailer.

Or you older fellas who wrote letters like some WW1 trooper in trenches.

Now soldiers deploy and video call home from their bunks (and have panic attacks if the internet goes down a few hours).

POV:

You're deployed on ops and inspecting your soldiers to make sure they sent letters to family at least once weekly and you see a letter addressed to another soldier in the same battalion.

You: Why are you sending a bluey to Pte. Atkins in A Coy? (located at a different patrol base)

Them: I don't have any family, Sir, so we like to slag each other off by mail.

You: Manchester supporter is he?

Them: Yes Sir...

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Shower from 9 to 10.

WTF??? If I shower for longer than 5 minutes on a ship, I am going to get shot!

 

[Jarnhamar]

Us "older fellas" also made use of the technological marvel of ham radio. They would link from where we were deployed (Cyprus, Egypt, Golan or elsewhere in the world) to a ham operator in Canada who would patch in a phone call to family at home.

Canadian Forces Affiliate Radio System – CFARS

I have been involved in volunteer communications since I was first licensed because it allows me serve and help others by doing something I’m good at and passionate about. For many years, the…

va3qr.ca

I toured the Diefenbunker in Ottawa and there was a little area set up for Ham radio operators. Really interesting. I think the local ham club might still use it.

VE3CWM Radio | Voice of Canada’s Cold War Museum

 

[JoeyTheHoser]

Sometimes, you will be cut off from all internet access for very valid security reasons.

Makes sense

 

[markppcli]

WTF??? If I shower for longer than 5 minutes on a ship, I am going to get shot!

You don’t shower for an hour, that’s your time to head back to your place, shower, get changed, maybe grab a coffee, and make it back to work

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

I guess you lose track of that stuff when you carry your own shower with you everywhere you go.