reservist taking good positions

[coldfalker]

heres just a topic for discussion, no slagging intended. Im here at the armd school a lowley cpl with a non bias view.I do appericate militia types and work with alot in my current position.My problem that i will brew over for the next few weeks at home is this:

seeing alot of militia cpl /tprs  up here for coyote dvr training to go overseas when we have 2 sqns worth of people right here in gagetown dying to get on a tour.these milita guys will have 2 weeks of acual dvr training and then proceed with work up etc.I see a huge problem with this when we have guys here with 8 months of the year driving in difficult conditions /(anyone who says driving a coyote up and down gagetown trainign area isnt has spent too much time in carpetland i.e J7). Now ive never acually seen res troops augmenting coyote troops on any tour so why would they waste the training time on these guys if they arnt gonna use it? i guess its just a hope that maybe one or two of these guys will come back to the school someday after their war experience and drive at hq sqn (old cvs tss).our higher are well aware of the low low morale at the school and this is an example of why.We have acual fit members here (between the discusting fat lazy bastards always on chit...another discussion) who are walking around with zero tours. you post a guy here for 5-6 years he gets nothing for himself unless he has that magical plq.so basically the cpl/ tpr sit in petersville for months on end come back in to swap vehicles and course warrants and go again.not to mention(on the res coyote course) the loss of time put in by the plq cpls and mcpls on this course.

just to add to this because im a long time reader never posted before:

im amased by some of the people here who oviously havnt been in pet for a while at the shambles the regiment is in.everytime i talk to anyone its the usual story of them losing vehicles and doing the dismounted recce.....which few acually know how to do (me included) so basically ex turns into a 2 week map and compass excercise which is great for young guys just getting in.another problem (and believe me this will sound bad) is the francophones.i have alot of french buddies taking fench course on the side right now.i believe we all should make the effort to speak it but thats where the problem lies.Goin on ex or tour (and yes tour i have stories) with guy lapointe (example only)(dont know a guy lapointe) and all he knows is yes no and toaster because he lived in gaspe bay all his life.that is difficult .tell him to go get some 15w40 he comes back with a camel.....just my toughts drop me a line

 

[George Wallace]

Got that off your chest?

Now what is your main point?  The Reservists are now getting Coyote Crses?  The plugs at the Armd School?  French language training for Francophones??  Lack of equipment in the Regiments?  Dismounted Training?  ???

 

[Dog]

I think he just hates being in Gagetown.

 

[coldfalker]

well i guess you can say all of em george! what made me mad is a training ex we did with res soldats attached to us.they came out to us (rcd)to learn recce to take back to their regiments some knowledge.....we didn't even know what the hell we were doing!lol! we really need to forget we ever had track move forwards with the flat tires and leather personnel carriers and maybe adopt some recce ideas from the grunts...there i said it the grunts! we seem to have dumped assault troop but have a whole pile of guys with no vehicles...I'm not no command element but this makes absolutely no sense to me. if were gonna go recce and forget all tanker stuff lets do it lets start helicopter insertions ,layback patrols ,escape and evasion exercises etc.maybe even run a recce ql4 at the regiment so everyone is on-line with what the hell recce is.and its not just at the young guys level its across the board ncm nco's.believe me i miss back deck ....hydraulics pumped up....bacon...but hell its over lets move forward. as for the militia the main point of that whole rant was why send militia when u have reg guys right here better trained (sweeping generalisation i know) but more or less on a dvr point of view. inexperience kills when it comes to armd veh and i would hate to have buddies killed up top due to inexperience down below. the other main point was lack of physical fitness at the armoured school its shameful. although the bmi was a bit flawed i.e body size muscle bound guys failing etc we need to implement something at gagetown to keep these guys from getting any fatter i haven't done pt since Ive been here but i still manage on my own time. there ya go george

cheers

 

[TCBF]

"French language training for Francophones??"

Hey George, if there's money for that, we should send some anglos on English course while we are at it.  I'm sure you and I could come up with a few names.

;D

Hey coldfalker, 

Yup.  We hear ya. 

Tom

 

[coldfalker]

sorry yah english for the franco's although the gaspe bay guys could use a franco course as well! ;D

 

[the 48th regulator]

interesting thread to say the least

dileas

tess

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

"believe me i miss back deck ....hydraulics pumped up....bacon...but hell its over lets move forward."

You make an excellent point there.  I am with you on the "go back to basics" on the Recce side.  Where you at the Regt for the Cav Cup in '04 and if so what did you think of it?  The aim was to get this process going.

On the deployment issue, guys at the School should be given opportunities to deploy.  This would improve their morale, give them some additional experience and also reap the benefit of their experience they've gained on courses.  I know that we just sent a whole bunch of experienced Cpls to the School this past APS.

Cheers,

2B

 

[coldfalker]

yep was there for the cav cup LOVED IT! except i believe we could do that like once a month with out the 21km run stuff!somehow work it into mloc dloc training. they seriously need something downhere where the school shuts down for a 3 month stint and  people get trained like that. been some guys hid here since jesus was a tpr. maybe impliment a sqadron of assault troop and one sqn of heli ops etc......instead of dismounted without a purpose only to be range clean up for the mounted sqn!

cheers

 

[George Wallace]

Cav Cup isn't too bad for training.  What we did for Boeselager was even more demanding, and what Cav Cup was sort of based on, but with less intense training and less time to do the competition.  Boeselager took at least three months of team training prior to the US Cav Cup in Graf and then the German Boeselager Competition.  All good training for a Recce Soldier, and what would be good for us to institute on a more permanent scale.

 

[the 48th regulator]

You must have had a few Militia chaps on the Boeselager, any thoughts?

dileas

tess

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Sorry. To pooped out to try and explain the Reserve thing anymore. It's on the Board about a gazillion times. No use explaining when the complainers won't listen anyway.

coldfalker,

How about using some capital letters and the spell checker. It would make your post easier to read.

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

George/Cold

I thought that the Cav Cup was a good cure for the post-tour blahs.  It gave a focus to our training in in my Sqn we turned the timetable over the Patrol Commanders.  We got back to basics with some accountability and pride.  People at all levels got to step up and perform.  In my own Sqn we had a good mix of experienced soldiers and some brand new arrivals.  Our Cpls and MCpls carried us through all the way.

While other competitions might be more "high speed", at least for this one everyone was invovled (in the Troops and SHQ at least) with no "picked teams."

Personnally, I'd like to see us embrace the Recce bit with some enthusiasm (including the dismounted piece).

2B

 

[TCBF]

"You must have had a few Militia chaps on the Boeselager, any thoughts? - dileas - tess"

Tess, not for Boeselager, we could not even get militia for Recce Sqn on Fallex, except one year we got a bunch of militia Arty given to us by 1RCHA.  But Militia Crewmen?  Rare as hen's teeth.

Tom

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Personnally, I'd like to see us embrace the Recce bit with some enthusiasm (including the dismounted piece).

2B

Kinda like what we do in the Reserves, with our "Mud Recce"? OP's, LP's, Foot and layback patrols?

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

Sure.  I'm thinking from a Corps perspective in terms of jumping into Recce with both feet and going all out (including high standards of marksmanship and physical fitness).  I'd like to see the old "Recce Sqn" spirit and esprit de corps across the board.  I see the world through rose-coloured glasses from time to time, but each Sqn ramping up last year seemed to do so.  As an aside, the Sqns were conducting non-surveillance gear recce stuff in addition to the mast/remote OPs.

2B

 

[Fishbone Jones]

  As an aside, the Sqns were conducting non-surveillance gear recce stuff in addition to the mast/remote OPs.

2B

We don't have the option, low tech is the only thing we've got. Welcome to the club, need any help? ;D

 

[George Wallace]

Another point to be brought up, is the fact that the Reserves are being left with nothing to train on and will soon not be able to supplement Reg Armd Units.  It is good that we have now started to give them some Coyote Crses, even if it is only Dvr.  They need some commonality with the Regs...or they become a waste of money.

 

[coldfalker]

I'd like to see the old "Recce Sqn" spirit and esprit de corps across the board.  well said. seems b was the young a was the undecided brother who didnt know what he was and d was the place to be.As for recceguy as stated on the opening remark this is not a slug at reservist,think thats sort of a long lost argument myself.my typing will improve with time i only really look at the internet on occasion due to work and maintaining physical fitness. And thanks for pointing out the spell check....dont think ill use it though ...think my message is clear as is. i think 2b is online with what im thinking give the guys a purpose start with the basics and get regimental pride back online.Just think about saying yah im in the rcd tac hel ops sqn etc.....get where im goin? and as for surv gear etc not needed recce can be done in a yugo and a leather jacket with bosnia sniper pants on....basics.

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

I think that it is a good idea to give Reserve soldiers Coyote/Bison/LAV courses.  One problem with just having courses, however, is that the soldier does not get the chance to practice and develop his skills.

One thing we could look into would be hiring additional reservists to support courses in Gagetown.  Extend the callout to include Coyote courses (driver) and then they get to practice this on the course.  The students, of course, would rather have veteran drivers but hey, who said life would be easy?  In all seriousness, I see this as a bit of a win/win/win.  The School gets its required augmentees.  The reserve soldier gets employment and qualifications and would be better prepared to augment a subsequent tour.  The Reg F regiments get fewer tasks.  The down-side is that we need to run more courses to support courses.

Another thought would be to have a "10%" pool of Reservists brought to the Regiment during pre-deployment training.  They conduct TMST and then take Coyote courses.  They get worked in a Tp staying back until they are called up to fill spots overseas.  In my (albeit limited) experience we have burned through the 10% pool very fast and had to dip into the next tour's TO&E.  There would be no guarantee for the soldier that he would deploy, and that may well be a dissatisfier.  For young troops without full-time employment, however, it could be a good go.  I guess this could also be seen as poaching.  Do we want reservists or short-term Regular Force soldiers?