Attitude Again:
Some of you youngsters out there need to realize that this ain't no movie. I don't mean to preach again, I just see a lot of young guys going into this with visions of grandeur and thinking it's gonna be like some damn TV show. Sorry, kids. They're not gonna start handing out the black nomex and MP5's when you get here. They're gonna hand you some wore out 70's era kit with a heavy ruck and a worn-out rifle. When that kidney pad on that ruck digs a hole in your back and your feet have been wet so long that they are cracking and bleeding, think back about the big adventure. Think I'm being dramatic? If you stay the course, it WILL happen. Reality is a cold slap in the face. If you want some good photos, take some shots of your feet after a few days of trenchfoot on the move. That'll be something to show the grandkids. This ain't TV, guys. It's not high adventure. Most of the time it just sucks.
The point of this post is so you can get your head right for what is to come. It's not about nomex, velcro and MP5's, guys. It's about jumpin', humpin', freezing', walkin' and hurtin'. The new guys on here always say, "I know that" but I really don't think you do. But you will. I promise you that. The thing is, you can't quit. That's it. It's that simple. Never quit. A man who quits must be shunned. He sets a precedent of weakness that may drag others down with him. Other cherries may quit too. The quitter never thinks about others and the extra weight they will have to carry in his absence. He doesn't think about the extra shifts that his section will have to cover off. He only thinks of himself.
Bein' an Infantryman is persistence. Never quitting. Ignoring pain, hunger, exhaustion, fear, and doubt. No warm and fuzzies, no hero's accolades, no cookies, just pain and sweat and suffering. You just have to fight the pain. Fight through to the other side of it. Become one with it. Endure. Outlast. Overcome. Ruck up, lean forward, and hump! Time to heal later.
Everyone thinks about pullin' the trigger, and bein' the he-ro. "Lookee here, everybody! I'm bustin' caps!" Well, sorry tough guy, but pulling a trigger is easy. Humping a ruck is when you find out who will be on the ambush to pull that trigger. That's the Infantry. Slogging along under a heavy load with your buddies. Being part of a team. Let's look at that again: Being part of a team. The men you are with at the end of a long hump are good men. The men to your front and rear in a chalk preparing to jump from the sky are good men. The men to your left and right in a trench system in -1, 000, 000 degree weather at EndEx are good men. Tested men. Training is good for more than just teaching you the skills you need. It also weeds out quitters, before they can get you killed.
The other side of the coin are those granola-munchin', tree-huggin' types who think that they're enlisting to hand out soap and blankies to the Third World. Sorry, again. That's not what Canada does. Despite the propaganda you've had shoved down your throat the past decade, that is not 'Peace-keeping', and it most certainly is not what we do overseas. We don't pose for cameras cuddling babies, and we're not constantly surrounded by smiling happy people. When you go on a tour, you will be in a different country where the majority of the populace are indifferent to your presence, a small percentage welcome you because of your money, and a small percentage will actively try to kill you. Thing is, that small percentage will be on BOTH sides of the conflict. You are in the middle of both warring factions. Just to make it more interesting, you are an Occupation Army, so a number of the indifferent population will support those who are trying to kill you. Then, you have the bandits, thugs, slavers, drug runners, local law enforcement, politicians, and other criminals whose businesses you are hampering. Add to that the branches of several different terrorist cells, and you can begin to understand that (oh my!) Canadian soldiers regularly face death from violent forces. And Canadian soldiers regularly deal death. So, if you're not willing to kill for Peace; if you don't honestly believe that Truth, Justice, and the NHL are worth committing cold-blooded murder for, maybe you shouldn't join our little club.
I didn't type all that crap out to demean any of you. I have better things to do with my time. I'm trying to help you. If you don't wanna listen, don't let the door hit you in the *** on your way out. You can accept that and learn something or you can move along. I don't care either way.
Oh, yeah: The grey man. The grey man is a very important concept or attribute. You must blend in, not stand out in the crowd. DO NOT DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. That means keeping your mouth shut and doing what your told. Look like the rest. Doing what your told to the best of your ability. Being PART OF THE TEAM. That is the grey man. That is why so many of you wannabe's, civvies, and cherries get slapped down on these sites. That is why you get chewed out in person. If you want to be a hero, don't enlist. If you want to be part of something greater than yourself, to become PART OF THE TEAM, sign the line. If you need recognition, or attention, the Infantry ain't for you. If you have an ego that needs gratification, and you can't place the interests of others before your own, this ain't the place for you.
If it were easy, anyone could do it. It ain't, and they can't.
