Some Weird Swerve About Deployments [from the Coronavirus thread]

[stellarpanther]

That is not my experience for CA trades outside of the Combat Arms, must be an Ottawa thing. Some people sure but vast majority want to deploy

A lot of single people want to deploy but a lot of people with kids a non-military spouse don't.  There are some married people who certainly want to deploy, I won't disagree with that but I don't think it's the majority.  Why someone who is married would go out a seek a deployment is something I will never understand.  If the marriage is bad then maybe it's not meant to be.  Don't run away and hide from the problems.

 

[MJP]

A lot of single people want to deploy but a lot of people with kids a non-military spouse don't.  There are some married people who certainly want to deploy, I won't disagree with that but I don't think it's the majority.  Why someone who is married would go out a seek a deployment is something I will never understand.  If the marriage is bad then maybe it's not meant to be.  Don't run away and hide from the problems.

Yea I am gonna say that that is not true at all and not the way most people look at it.  Maybe in your insular, never really been anywhere but one in your career view but that isn't how most people operate. Most people don't view going away on tour as escaping but rather part and parcel of the job they signed up for. I realize that might be hard for someone who is surrounded by a hivemind in Ottawa to break out of that view but you really are not espousing the vies of the CAF writ large here.  I will admit some of your views mimic the greater CAF audience, this isn't one of them. 

 

[BDTyre]

A lot of single people want to deploy but a lot of people with kids a non-military spouse don't.  There are some married people who certainly want to deploy, I won't disagree with that but I don't think it's the majority.  Why someone who is married would go out a seek a deployment is something I will never understand.  If the marriage is bad then maybe it's not meant to be.  Don't run away and hide from the problems.

I was married before I was sworn (submitted my paperwork a week before the wedding actually) and I deployed with the full support of my wife. I definitely wasn't deploying due to any issues in our marriage. It was something we had discussed for at least a year beforehand.

 

[PMedMoe]

Why someone who is married would go out a seek a deployment is something I will never understand.  If the marriage is bad then maybe it's not meant to be.  Don't run away and hide from the problems.

Maybe there's not a problem in the marriage.  Maybe it's just someone doing their job or wanting to progress in their career.  :

 

[Remius]

Well I have a friend who's a medic in Edmonton and he said when word of deployment comes, medical starts seeing a surge of people who've suddenly decided to get that long waited minor surgery they were putting off or injuries that require a specialist consult start increasing, people start accidentally shutting doors on their hands or feet etc. It's the same in the Navy.

Anyone who says it isn't a problem is either fooling themselves or lying.

I’d be interested in seeing the breakdown by trade, family situations and number of times deployed.

Years ago on my ILQ, my div was about to start work up.  The WO I was sitting next to from 1 RCR was looking forward to being able to dump the dead weight he had and bring in motivated reservists.  In fact getting punted from a tour was a seen as a punishment and financial hit.

 

[MJP]

Well I have a friend who's a medic in Edmonton and he said when word of deployment comes, medical starts seeing a surge of people who've suddenly decided to get that long waited minor surgery they were putting off or injuries that require a specialist consult start increasing, people start accidentally shutting doors on their hands or feet etc. It's the same in the Navy.

Anyone who says it isn't a problem is either fooling themselves or lying.

Yea well hate to break your special bubble but I am in Edmonton and was directly involved in the last two HR periods and that simply isn't true. People for the most part want to deploy. Sure there are individuals that don't want to go but they are the vast minority. Other than running short of some low density trades we simply had no issues filling spots with primary choices.

Anyone who speaks about things they don't have a clue about is just simply a parrot or a fool to believe something based on some anecdotal observations.

 

[dimsum]

A lot of single people want to deploy but a lot of people with kids a non-military spouse don't.  There are some married people who certainly want to deploy, I won't disagree with that but I don't think it's the majority.  Why someone who is married would go out a seek a deployment is something I will never understand.  If the marriage is bad then maybe it's not meant to be.  Don't run away and hide from the problems.

That makes no sense.  For many trades, deployment is when you actually do what you've learned to do.  That, plus the tax-free money, plus the travel, plus the professional development makes deployment very lucrative for single and married folks. 

Hell, CAF Reddit's biggest complaint is "lack of deployments".  Sure, there are probably a ton of single people on there but I'd bet there are quite a few married ones too.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Well I have a friend who's a medic in Edmonton and he said when word of deployment comes, medical starts seeing a surge of people who've suddenly decided to get that long waited minor surgery they were putting off or injuries that require a specialist consult start increasing, people start accidentally shutting doors on their hands or feet etc. It's the same in the Navy.

Anyone who says it isn't a problem is either fooling themselves or lying.

Lots of people don't want to deploy, or sail or fly.  They should do the honourable thing and stop wasting the Queens money and time.  If you include yourself in that boat, you should also get out.  Nothing worse than lazy, cowardly slovenly people in uniform.

Riders in an organization that is 100% dependent on team work for mission success should do everyone a favour and get out.  They should also be forced or coerced out if necessary but that's for another discussion.

 

[rnkelly]

Lots of people don't want to deploy, or sail or fly.  They should do the honourable thing and stop wasting the Queens money and time.  If you include yourself in that boat, you should also get out.  Nothing worse than lazy, cowardly slovenly people in uniform.

Riders in an organization that is 100% dependent on team work for mission success should do everyone a favour and get out.  They should also be forced or coerced out if necessary but that's for another discussion.

The solution is the “Journey”. Boom, Easy peasy.

 

[OldSolduer]

A lot of single people want to deploy but a lot of people with kids a non-military spouse don't.  There are some married people who certainly want to deploy, I won't disagree with that but I don't think it's the majority.  Why someone who is married would go out a seek a deployment is something I will never understand.  If the marriage is bad then maybe it's not meant to be.  Don't run away and hide from the problems.

Excuse me but I've been married for a lot longer than most.

When I was in I wanted to deploy - and my wife - Niner Domestic - didn't like it but she accepted that it was part of the life we choose to lead.

I was married on 4 September 1983 and deployed 21 September 1983 to Cyprus.

At some points after I'd been home for a while she'd ask "Don't you have an exercise to go on or something?" when I became a bit annoying.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Well I have a friend who's a medic in Edmonton and he said when word of deployment comes, medical starts seeing a surge of people who've suddenly decided to get that long waited minor surgery they were putting off or injuries that require a specialist consult start increasing, people start accidentally shutting doors on their hands or feet etc. It's the same in the Navy.

Anyone who says it isn't a problem is either fooling themselves or lying.

Maybe it's the circles you work in.

A complaint in Petawawa is the people who are on T-Cat flood the CDU to get off their categories when deployments come up. Or flood the CDU to try and get surgeries early and get lingering issues cleared up so they can go. There's always people who don't want to deploy, and a line up behind them waiting to take their place.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

The solution is the “Journey”. Boom, Easy peasy.

Briefs real well on a PowerPoint.  Green welfare is the last thing we need.  Imagine all the useless work that would get done if we implemented the "Journey" ... Ottawa would transform in to the world's largest self licking ice cream cone.

 

[stellarpanther]

Yea well hate to break your special bubble

Can we keep the insults to ourselves.  There is nothing special about my bubble as you put it.  I find issue with many posts here yet I don't insult people or get sarcastic.  Not recently anyway.

 

[stellarpanther]

That makes no sense.  For many trades, deployment is when you actually do what you've learned to do.  That, plus the tax-free money, plus the travel, plus the professional development makes deployment very lucrative for single and married folks. 

Hell, CAF Reddit's biggest complaint is "lack of deployments".  Sure, there are probably a ton of single people on there but I'd bet there are quite a few married ones too.

I really think it depends on the trade.  In my trade, we actually do more when in Canada.  I've been told by several HRA's and FSA's that the only reason it can get really busy and they work long hours is because they don't send enough people.  Most people in my trade are not seeking out tours, it's the opposite.  I have a buddy who went to Latvia last year but the reason he went was because the person slated to go got caught looking at things on the internet that he shouldn't have and lost the tour.  My friends comment was that it seemed like he was the one getting in trouble and not the other guy.  The other guy was happy to be taken off the tour.

 

[MJP]

Can we keep the insults to ourselves.  There is nothing special about my bubble as you put it.  I find issue with many posts here yet I don't insult people or get sarcastic.  Not recently anyway.

I am calling out your bubble of you and "friends" that clearly don't know the reality but are just an echo chamber.  It isn't an insult against you, but rather the premise behind your posts that is largely a self perpetuating bubble driven by like minded folks even though it doesn't match reality.

It isn't a bad thing everyone has bias, large groups like this website have bubbles, hivemind like any other group. It is hard not to fall into the same patterns of thought if everyone is reinforcing that pattern but every once and awhile you have to do some critical thinking for yourself and realize that what I think doesn't match reality.  If you consider me calling out that thought process an insult then so be it. I am merely pointing out that reality doesn't match your bubble.

 

[Halifax Tar]

I am not sure why everyone is taking issue with stellarpanther. 

We struggle to get sailors to sail in the RCN, and I can tell that during my time in the Army getting soldiers to go to the field wasn’t any easier.  Same for deployments. 

If you think this isn’t a growing and more and more disturbing problem you have your head in the sand.  And "Journey" is not the answer.

 

[stellarpanther]

A complaint in Petawawa is the people who are on T-Cat flood the CDU to get off their categories when deployments come up. Or flood the CDU to try and get surgeries early and get lingering issues cleared up so they can go. There's always people who don't want to deploy, and a line up behind them waiting to take their place.

At least for my trade, Petawawa is one of the bases currently suffering from a severe shortage of HRA's at several rank levels.  I've been told by someone in CMP that they are short 18 MCpl's and it's worse at the Sgt rank.  Don't know numbers for other ranks.  It's like this in Edmonton and Valcartier as well.  The major reason is a lot of them don't want to deploy or go to the field so they release or somehow get posted out or release when they they get a message forcing them to go.

 

[Jarnhamar]

[quote author=stellarpanther ]The major reason is a lot of them don't want to deploy or go to the field so they release or somehow get posted out or release when they they get a message forcing them to go.
[/quote]

Do you see anything wrong with that?

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Sigh.  This is not the military I joined.  It is not the one that eventually became the military I thought I had joined.  It is not the military I still want to be in....

Conversations like this one make me count the weeks until I am done - 6 if any one is asking.

 

[MJP]

I am not sure why everyone is taking issue with stellarpanther. 

We struggle to get sailors to sail in the RCN, and I can tell that during my time in the Army getting soldiers to go to the field wasn’t any easier.  Same for deployments. 

If you think this isn’t a growing and more and more disturbing problem you have your head in the sand.  And "Journey" is not the answer.

Field I can buy, but CA-wise at least in the bubble I work in we have no issues filling spots on tours.  Our problem is not having enough of certain trades at times but if we have the people the spots are generally filled. 

At least for my trade, Petawawa is one of the bases currently suffering from a severe shortage of HRA's at several rank levels.  I've been told by someone in CMP that they are short 18 MCpl's and it's worse at the Sgt rank.  Don't know numbers for other ranks.  It's like this in Edmonton and Valcartier as well.  The major reason is a lot of them don't want to deploy or go to the field so they release or somehow get posted out or release when they they get a message forcing them to go.

The shortages are there, mostly because the ill thought out HRA/FSA split combined with entrenched HRA/FSAs that have sat in one location too long not willing to help spread out the deficits so they do exactly what you describe and jump ship the moment the ship asks them to do their part. There is some value in looking at the reasons why people don't want to leave areas, I have long said that it will become more and more important to folks to not have to move around willy nilly.