What not to do - No excuse BMQ tips [Merged]

[George Wallace]

Seems like it's better just to do what you're told in the long run though it may be less convenient than resorting to short cuts and tricks. The staff aren't stupid, and you're probably insulting their intelligence by thinking you'll get away with it.

It's not like the Staff have never done any of this before.


It is something that many "oxygen thieves" have never though about; all the rest of us breath oxygen too.

 

[2 Cdo]

It's not like the Staff have never done any of this before.


It is something that many "oxygen thieves" have never though about; all the rest of us breath oxygen too.

George, recruits are just like my two boys when they were growing up. They fail to grasp that we were all in there spot at one time or another and thus know all the "tricks". Like Celticgirl said, get a good nights sleep, and wake up 5 minutes earlier!

Tricks don't help you going through life, they just expose you as a troop who will cut corners and try to fool the system. Troops like that can never be trusted!

 

[Buddy336]

...and are dealt with along with their comrades.

 

[Zepish]

They fail to grasp that we were all in there spot at one time or another and thus know all the "tricks". Like Celticgirl said, get a good nights sleep, and wake up 5 minutes earlier!

Tricks don't help you going through life, they just expose you as a troop who will cut corners and try to fool the system. Troops like that can never be trusted!

I agree, im very new at the whole army lifestyle, i finished my BMQ and i graduate this thursday then off to Edmonton for Battle school.

A Tip: Dont cut corners or take the easy way out. Keep your kit always up to standards. If you move something put it back. You dont want to be rushing trying to get it all done for the next day, ghost kits i found a pain, you have to hide it then set it up again, and find a place for your day to day kit, Dont bother. At the end of the day WASH it!  We had people on the platoon that would wear the same combats for days and would stink unacceptable so they made the platoon lable (number our combats and inspect them everyday) Dont cut corners because you will only screw yourself and your buddies!! If you think of something smart , TRUST ME the instructors already thought of it. you wont win, listen and do what your told its simple. my bed would pass inspection with a thing or 2 wrong and at the end of the day i would come up and it would be flipped. deal with it and move on. ( and do not sleep on your sheets enjoy what little sleep you get under nice warm sheets) it takes 2 minutes to make it again if you sleep in in properly ( you will learn) Dutty staff with chew you out. trust me i know this first hand. i was so tired i blacked out and woke up with a ROAR and 30 seconds to get undressed and under my sheets. I dont think i ever moved so fast in my life.

you get told what needs to be done at O group the night before so write it down and do it. If you dont know, dont bother the instructor ask your CS or SC they will help you. work as a team. And ive seen this to many times (your not a civi anymore) dont lip off or give attitude by pouting or say i cant do this, many have done it before you if they can you can.

Basically Show some pride in what you do. do it to the best of your ability no one is perfect but try to be.

MIR: If you are not passing out, dying or dont have broken bones, Dont bother going if you miss to many classes you will get re coursed.  (Dont think its smart to ask to go to the MIR because you dont want to do morning PT because if you lie , you fail at life. (Ive seen it alot during my 13 weeks at BMQ)

If you work hard you will have a good time, its hard but fun and at the end of the day you will only make yourself better.

hope this is somewhat useful .

Cheers,

 

[PMedMoe]

MIR: If you are not passing out, dying or dont have broken bones, Dont bother going if you miss to many classes you will get re coursed.

Wow, great medical advice!  :  So, if you have a pulled muscle, dislocated joint or half the skin gone off your feet, you should just carry on?

 

[2 Cdo]

Wow, great medical advice!  :  So, if you have a pulled muscle, dislocated joint or half the skin gone off your feet, you should just carry on?

After 20+ years serving I would tell my troops to go to the MIR for ANY medical issues, and to fill out a CF98 if applicable.

Zepish, ignoring a medical issue will only make it worse. Instead of losing you for a couple of days light duties we lose you for 2-3 months because you now need surgery for the injury.

 

[benny88]

Basically Show some pride in what you do.

  There it is. Take heed of that sentence if you are going to BMQ or BMOQ. You will fail, you will be punished, deal with it. Many people are here looking for shortcuts on how to make it through Basic as quickly and painlessly as possible rather than looking to absorb what Basic attempts to instill in you. If you take pride in everything from your field craft to your parade boots your staff and platoon mates will notice and your life will be much easier if they respect you.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Zepish, ignoring a medical issue will only make it worse. Instead of losing you for a couple of days light duties we lose you for 2-3 months because you now need surgery for the injury.

+1
If you're not at 100%, there are always tasks you can do to contribute to your unit. If you break yourself completely because you were too proud to fix yourself, your usefulness just dropped severely.

 

[benny88]

MIR: If you are not passing out, dying or dont have broken bones, Dont bother going if you miss to many classes you will get re coursed. 

2 Cdo and PMedMoe, I respect your experience and defer to you on the issue of service related injuries. But if I may politely remind you about the frustrating system at CFLRS right now, which causes Zepish's comment, although an exaggeration, to be not as ridiculous as it seems.

After 20+ years serving I would tell my troops to go to the MIR for ANY medical issues, and to fill out a CF98 if applicable.

Zepish, ignoring a medical issue will only make it worse. Instead of losing you for a couple of days light duties we lose you for 2-3 months because you now need surgery for the injury.

Agreed, IF it's a legitimate injury, which a member in a unit probably would have before seeking medical attention. This is not always the case at BMQ/BMOQ. This is a bit of a derail, but I must defend Zepish a little bit because CFLRS is rife with MIR commandos. Of course of course of course you should go to the MIR for a legitimate injury, but it is undesirable to become labelled as one who doesn't know the difference between hurtin' and hurt. That being said, I'd take a 13 week recourse over a bum knee for the rest of my life anytime.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

"You are the only person who knows when you cross the line from *hurting* to hurt.  There are always time when we are 'hurting', and you should expect that...PT..ruckmarches, diggin in for the first time, puttin an attack in, etc.  If you are hurt, then you are injured.  That's when you go to the MIR."

Thats my dumbed-down advice IAW the KISS principle. 

 

[PMedMoe]

There's MIR commandos everywhere.  If you are legitimately injured, go to the MIR.  Let other people think what they want about it.

The system at CFLRS is frustrating?  Try going to a civilian emergency room.  I'm getting a good chuckle when I hear about people who think 20 minutes is too long to wait for a blood draw and six months is too long to wait for (non-emergency) surgery.  :  Wait until they retire from the CF, they'll see what waiting really is!  >

 

[2 Cdo]

2 Cdo and PMedMoe, I respect your experience and defer to you on the issue of service related injuries. But if I may politely remind you about the frustrating system at CFLRS right now, which causes Zepish's comment, although an exaggeration, to be not as ridiculous as it seems.

Agreed, IF it's a legitimate injury, which a member in a unit probably would have before seeking medical attention. This is not always the case at BMQ/BMOQ. This is a bit of a derail, but I must defend Zepish a little bit because CFLRS is rife with MIR commandos. Of course of course of course you should go to the MIR for a legitimate injury, but it is undesirable to become labelled as one who doesn't know the difference between hurtin' and hurt. That being said, I'd take a 13 week recourse over a bum knee for the rest of my life anytime.

Your last line sums it up perfectly. A recourse for an injury is a better alternative to a medical release, because you were afraid of being labelled an "MIR Commando".

 

[Eye In The Sky]

MIR Commando reminds me of what our Marching NCOs used to say when our platoon would be forming-up on Basic in Corn-hollis in '89....

"Sick, lame, and lazy, fall into the rear!"

 

[PMedMoe]

MIR Commando reminds me of what our Marching NCOs used to say when our platoon would be forming-up on Basic in Corn-hollis in '89....

"Sick, lame, and lazy, fall into the rear!"

Yep, sometimes we almost had a whole extra squad.  Although, it was pretty funny when we were practicing for the Drill Test and the instructor started pointing people out:

"You will be on Sick Parade tomorrow and you and you......" 

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Ok that is funny because it is true!  Week 7 Drill Test  ;D

 

[Run away gun]

I agree, im very new at the whole army lifestyle, i finished my BMQ and i graduate this thursday then off to Edmonton for Battle school.

You should probably take down the PPCLI regimenta lcrest then until you have earned it.

MIR: If you are not passing out, dying or dont have broken bones, Dont bother going if you miss to many classes you will get re coursed.  (Dont think its smart to ask to go to the MIR because you dont want to do morning PT because if you lie , you fail at life. (Ive seen it alot during my 13 weeks at BMQ

While I understand where you are coming from not wanting to be in CFLRS any longer than necessary, there is no point in pushing yourself into an injury that you will never fully recovery from for something as silly in the grand scheme of things as basic training. There are plenty of times in your military career where you will be pushed to your limits, but almost never will anybody in your chain of command advocate that you keep aggravating an existing injury. What could be a 5 or 10 day chit then becomes a 6 month category, or worse causes permenant damage.

 

[danchapps]

There are plenty of times in your military career where you will be pushed to your limits, but almost never will anybody in your chain of command advocate that you keep aggravating an existing injury. What could be a 5 or 10 day chit then becomes a 6 month category, or worse causes permenant damage.

I second that. As I've mentioned before, I injured my ankles in week 11, and they have never fully recovered due to the fact I was too much of a pain to get them looked at. I soldiered on, and still have occasional pain. Had I sought medical attention when I first noticed the pain I wouldn't have the issues now. Although it's not a Cat, it still sucks having to deal with every month to two months when it flares. If every you are hurt, get looked at or you'll regret it!

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Also if you are hurt and do NOT report it, your CoC will not be able to read your mind and fill out that EXTREMELY important CF98.

My back injury from a jump in 1992 was documented well (including a CF98).  When I filed with VAC in 2005, that CF98 was EXTREMELY important.  I can't stress that enough how important that may be in later life.  I now have a documented case with VAC, a recognized injury from a military related duty.  If some day, I can't walk or work in the CF anymore, you can't imagine how important that is, and the key document in the whole thing is the CF98 that my Coy Commander filled out properly.

CF98s are very important documents.  You can't have a CF98 for an injury that you never reported.  You can't reasonably get one 10, 20, 30 years later, when you need it.  Now I am not saying that you need or will get a CF98 for every little scratch and cut, but you WILL get one for an injury that warrants it, IF and only IF you report to the MIR for assessment/treatment and IF you engage your CoC in that process.

Lastly, just because you have a documented injury, even one with VAC, it does NOT mean you will be released.  IAW my VAC file, I have a 10% disability, lumbar spine.  I receive a pension for that monthly.  I have never had any MELs (except 2 months immediately following the jump/injury), I have never been on a T-CAT, I hold a Med Cat of 1 1 1 2 2 5 and meet all the Universality of Service requirements.  Being injured is NOT a career stopper.  My Med File contains all the documentation, including the VAC doctors assessment.  I just completed my aircrew medical parts I and II for my (hopefully) next MOC last week, with a clean bill of health.

IMO, the best thing you can do, in the long run, is let the system work for you.  It did for me.  And I still have my CF career today.

 

[R. Jorgensen]

Also if you are hurt and do NOT report it, your CoC will not be able to read your mind and fill out that EXTREMELY important CF98.

My back injury from a jump in 1992 was documented well (including a CF98).  When I filed with VAC in 2005, that CF98 was EXTREMELY important.  I can't stress that enough how important that may be in later life.  I now have a documented case with VAC, a recognized injury from a military related duty.  If some day, I can't walk or work in the CF anymore, you can't imagine how important that is, and the key document in the whole thing is the CF98 that my Coy Commander filled out properly.

CF98s are very important documents.  You can't have a CF98 for an injury that you never reported.  You can't reasonably get one 10, 20, 30 years later, when you need it.  Now I am not saying that you need or will get a CF98 for every little scratch and cut, but you WILL get one for an injury that warrants it, IF and only IF you report to the MIR for assessment/treatment and IF you engage your CoC in that process.

Lastly, just because you have a documented injury, even one with VAC, it does NOT mean you will be released.  IAW my VAC file, I have a 10% disability, lumbar spine.  I receive a pension for that monthly.  I have never had any MELs (except 2 months immediately following the jump/injury), I have never been on a T-CAT, I hold a Med Cat of 1 1 1 2 2 5 and meet all the Universality of Service requirements.  Being injured is NOT a career stopper.  My Med File contains all the documentation, including the VAC doctors assessment.  I just completed my aircrew medical parts I and II for my (hopefully) next MOC last week, with a clean bill of health.

IMO, the best thing you can do, in the long run, is let the system work for you.  It did for me.  And I still have my CF career today.

I wish my father had done so back in his uniform days; it's depressing seeing the photos of him in the CF and having him recollect today - he loved too much it seems.

 

[Hawky225]

CF98s are important to fill out, but it's rare for anything in BMQ to be serious enough to rate a disability. One of my platoonmates and myself both seriously sprained our ankles before the 14k ruck, and it wasn't until afterwards during the FOBs that a sergeant came out to complete the forms. By that time, I had already resprained it twice, and she had resprained it five times on the 14k before dropping out. Although they were serious enough injuries to fill out CF98s, the sergeant basically told us, this is basic, shit happens. On that note however, another guy from my section went down in the first week. I don't know how he got medically cleared in the first place, but he already had damaged knees before getting to NRTD. On our first room inspection, he came to attention and both legs gave out; he dislocated one kneecap, and the hairline fracture in his other kneecap became complete. It was over two weeks of hobbling on crutches before they finally pulled him out of our platoon into PAT, and that was after he tripped going up stairs, passing out from pain and shock. Chances are, that's a career stopper, along with affecting the rest of his life. In his case, the CF98's a must.