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Guest
Hi all. I‘m newly registered, but have been lurking for quite some time. I follow this board and many others related to the military. I‘m a university student here in Canada, and I‘ve been looking into joining the army, either part or full time. Like many others I have some questions. This is a great board, and I hope you will be able to use your experience to help out many people like myself who have questions regarding various aspects of the Canadian military.
But before I get to far in:
Is Canadian basic training anything like American boot camp??? If someone can say yes or no, and then why or why not, it would be very helpful. There is loads of info on the American military, and very little on the Canadian, especially when it comes to basic/boot (check out about.com‘s American military section, or military.com to see what I mean). If the answer is yes, then I suggest putting links to these sites up, and then no one really has to ask about basic again. If no, well, please be kind enough to explain in detail, and then answer some of the questions below.
Now, what you came for:
Seems like a lot of people have questions about Basic Training, and no one has any concrete answers. The following questions are the ones that seem to pop time after time (on this board and others), and thus answering them would be a good start on an Basic Training FAQ. Seeing as there doesn‘t seem be such a thing in existence, let‘s do it first. So please help out and answer as much as you can. Many will thank you.
General Questions:
1)
Is Basic tough or not? Some people say it‘s pathetic, others claim it to be hell on earth. What‘s the truth?
2)
Where is Basic done in Canada?
3)
How do you get there and back, and who pays?
4)
Do you have to get your hair buzzed?
5)
How much of Basic is co-ed? (ie. Co-ed barracks, washrooms, mess, etc)
6)
How long does Basic take from start to finish?
7)
What happens if you quit or fail? And do they recycle in Basic?
8)
Can Basic be done at any time of the year? If not, then when?
9)
Is basic different for the Reserves than the Regular force? What are the differences?
Training:
10)
On average, how much physical training is involved? (ie. Do you run 20 km a day, and do 100 pushups, situps, and chinups at each meal? Or is it less?)
11)
What kind of obsticle courses are encountered? Do they test one‘s sanity?
12)
Is hand to hand combat taught? What kind? (Wrestling, fistcuffs, bayonette, Pugil sticks, etc.)
13)
What weapons are used/learned, and how much live firing is done?
14)
How and what are you graded on Basic? Is it pass/fail?
15)
Is there a culminating exercise at the end of basic? (ie. the American‘s Victory Forge) How difficult is it?
Misc:
16)
How bad are the drill instructors? (Do they scream abuse constantly, or do they hold your hand and give you candy?)
17)
Is sunscreen provided or should you bring it?
18)
Any tips or adivce on what to bring, what not to bring?
19)
Any tips or advice in general?
I don‘t expect any one to answer all these questions (but you‘re welcome to try!). However, please try and answer at least one or two, and post or email me with your answers.
If everyone helps out, I‘ll compile the answers to these questions into an FAQ document that can be posted here. Such an FAQ would be a tremendous help to many people, so please contribute what you can.
Thanks for your help,
Greg.
But before I get to far in:
Is Canadian basic training anything like American boot camp??? If someone can say yes or no, and then why or why not, it would be very helpful. There is loads of info on the American military, and very little on the Canadian, especially when it comes to basic/boot (check out about.com‘s American military section, or military.com to see what I mean). If the answer is yes, then I suggest putting links to these sites up, and then no one really has to ask about basic again. If no, well, please be kind enough to explain in detail, and then answer some of the questions below.
Now, what you came for:
Seems like a lot of people have questions about Basic Training, and no one has any concrete answers. The following questions are the ones that seem to pop time after time (on this board and others), and thus answering them would be a good start on an Basic Training FAQ. Seeing as there doesn‘t seem be such a thing in existence, let‘s do it first. So please help out and answer as much as you can. Many will thank you.
General Questions:
1)
Is Basic tough or not? Some people say it‘s pathetic, others claim it to be hell on earth. What‘s the truth?
2)
Where is Basic done in Canada?
3)
How do you get there and back, and who pays?
4)
Do you have to get your hair buzzed?
5)
How much of Basic is co-ed? (ie. Co-ed barracks, washrooms, mess, etc)
6)
How long does Basic take from start to finish?
7)
What happens if you quit or fail? And do they recycle in Basic?
8)
Can Basic be done at any time of the year? If not, then when?
9)
Is basic different for the Reserves than the Regular force? What are the differences?
Training:
10)
On average, how much physical training is involved? (ie. Do you run 20 km a day, and do 100 pushups, situps, and chinups at each meal? Or is it less?)
11)
What kind of obsticle courses are encountered? Do they test one‘s sanity?
12)
Is hand to hand combat taught? What kind? (Wrestling, fistcuffs, bayonette, Pugil sticks, etc.)
13)
What weapons are used/learned, and how much live firing is done?
14)
How and what are you graded on Basic? Is it pass/fail?
15)
Is there a culminating exercise at the end of basic? (ie. the American‘s Victory Forge) How difficult is it?
Misc:
16)
How bad are the drill instructors? (Do they scream abuse constantly, or do they hold your hand and give you candy?)
17)
Is sunscreen provided or should you bring it?
18)
Any tips or adivce on what to bring, what not to bring?
19)
Any tips or advice in general?
I don‘t expect any one to answer all these questions (but you‘re welcome to try!). However, please try and answer at least one or two, and post or email me with your answers.
If everyone helps out, I‘ll compile the answers to these questions into an FAQ document that can be posted here. Such an FAQ would be a tremendous help to many people, so please contribute what you can.
Thanks for your help,
Greg.