Franko - Sorry, I‘m tired and sensitive to this issue. That is an understatement. I am ready to rip things apart here. I was expecting a response last week (actually told end of December this time) and it‘s driving me to a bad place. Here‘s the thing. I‘m not wanting to return to the Reg Force as an Infantryman(031).
This all began because I was in a PAT PL @ Meaford and I was told I was going to remain there for a year or more, but I was earning a paycheque right? That wasn‘t good enough for me. After 4 months of PAT, I was climbing the walls. I‘m from BC, it was not a good time. Add to that the unknown aspects to my future and that I was in Skills Coy working for the OC (I found myself being traded to other units on a loan basis to "assist" with their backlog of paperwork) At first, the idea of taking weekend work projects back to the shacks was good as it kept me out of the ranks. I couldn‘t afford the hangover‘s, literally. Bear in mind, all this time I‘m still considered an untrained private even though I was only weeks away from the end of my QL3 and I had done so for the last 5 weeks with a back injury, and my pay is reflecting that. My work in Skills was going well, except my name wasn‘t the one being signed at the bottom of the page. When I heard that I might be there for up to 18 months by my OC, I was aghast. Thanksgiving weekend came along. Base was desserted. I walked from the shacks to the ranks half a dozen times, didn‘t run into more than 1 or 2 people. I stood outside the shacks and looked around. This was my future and it wasn‘t what I had signed up for. Add to this a pregnant girlfriend back home who wanted to know why I was there - she understood training and the job, but sitting around PAT, why couldn‘t I do that at Naden? Good question. I asked, my superiors. They didn‘t want to "lose" me to another unit, nor did they want me to go "soft" while I was there. Bear also in mind I still have the staples in my back from surgery at this point. Soft? How about I heal first. 0730 inspections for an hour and sitting on a Swedish ball once a week was not my idea of rehabilitation.
So, I fought for my release. Literally. I had performed wonderfully for the army until the injury, and then pushing myself to the point that my surgeon asked if I wanted to walk again as the damage to my back was in dire need of surgery. Results from the CAT & MRI came in, I was on the table the next day. His question to me was, why was I walking? They loved that also. Showed I had "good qualities." I was top shot in my platoon; top candidate for the QL2 (we were on a QL 2/3 combined). Overall, I was an asset not to be lost.
After the surgery, recovery I was told, was up to me. That was the final factor (along with the above) for my choice to leave. I did not want to, but I wanted to be able to perform my duties and in PAT, I was not going to be able to do so. Took me 4 months to figure that out. Upon my release, I enrolled in a program @ UBC with the sports physios there and did my bit. Now, I‘m 32 and in excellent health. I‘ve been good to go since 1999. This all began when I considered the Reserves as I contemplated school - my WO advised me to get out, get healthy then get into a reserve unit. Figured I‘d do very well there and I could get the education that I formally lacked. When I left the CF, I asked to be on the Supplementary Reserve list. (That was never done, one of many errors since I departed that I have documented) I decided to join the Malahat reserve element as a PID diver. As I am already a qualified and experienced commercial diver, I thought it would be a good fit while I was in school.
In addition, to pay the bills these past few years, I returned to Commercial Diving. That is by no means "light" work. Now I am in school working towards a degree. School is finally getting me a bit soft as I‘m sitting far too much for my taste, but I‘m rectifying that also.
Here‘s the thing, although I had a Category "A" medical upon my release from the CF, which was later redesignated "B" until I could prove otherwise upon my return. I‘ve since been found to have a Cat "C"? In their words, I can‘t even work as a postal clerk. WTF!!! The woman who told me this was 40 pounds overweight, sitting on her *** all day, talking to me about CF fitness standards?? You want to see something funny, walk into CFRC Victoria and see how many can do 35 pushups.
That is a judgement call on my part, but I am pissed. If I have offended anyone, tough. I‘m not kidding. How dare a reserve MARS female officer compare her BOTC as equivalent to REG Infantry Battle School training. I‘m sure she did have it tough. More importantly, why is a young MARS officer working in a CFRC anyway? Just didn‘t want to use her training on the boat? Oh, that‘s right, I asked her that, she told me that she gets motion sicknessness and can‘t work on the ship. She still did the training though. Sorry for the candidate who was bumped to the next course eh.
And I‘m medically unfit? That was the joke when I was working this past summer on the sites, 11hr days, 100 pounds of kit, tons of heaving lifting and carrying of kit and gear on 1200‘ systems. The guys thought it was funny. My sense of humour is running thin.
I‘ve had 4 doctors sign me off as good to go - 3 were specialist in their fields that the CFRC continued to ask for. As of now, they want me to see an Orthopaedic Surgeon, who won‘t see me as they don‘t deal with testing in the area that was asked by the CFRC (and they charge $12-1500 to look me over regardless). CFRC then responds with, go to a physiatrist. See above 3 doctors then. The first doctor was actually my GP who included a comment to "cover himself." He said I was fit, but it was that comment that the CFRC highlighted. I‘ve had to fight that since. Hence the remaining 3 doctors who did not concur with the first doctor‘s comments at all. And since they are specialists, I tend to agree with them.
It‘s almost at the point where I‘ve even considered going to the US, even with the hoops to jump through for admission. I‘m too old for the Brits. I‘m giving it until school is concluded, and then I‘m going to see what my options are.
The CF is my life, I grew up on Naden w/ the PPCLI (how I wish they were still here right now) and it‘s all I‘ve wanted to do is be an officer and serve. I felt strongly that I should have begun my career as a 031 and that was a mistake. Good intention, but I was 26 when I went in. My NCO‘s all agreed that I should have gone 023 from the outset. I respect those men immensely, good men who had good time in, I learned a lot. (Most have since left the CF, none were over 40) If I didn‘t want this life, I wouldn‘t be fighting so strongly for it. I would return to flying planes in a foreign country (good luck here in Canada) as I‘m also qualified to do that. Or I‘d return to the Caymans and work 6 days a week under the sun playing with the ladies - been there, done that, shaking my head as to why I returned to Victoria some days, especially at this time of the year.
So here I am, doing well in school. Keeping my fitness up, but my morale is suffering. Does that answer your question Frank?
I have nothing about this.
