Field Operation Allowance

[dutchie]

I agree with you regarding fitness and body type - looks can be decieving. But my point regarding Mess food was not to excuse the Fatty because we make the crappy food available, and it wasn't to say that we should ban fries and the like from the menu. My point was that healthy food should be the norm.

There is no need for pop, you can buy it at the canteen/canex/Harvey's if you want it. I just think that if we expect fit, healthy soldiers, then we have to feed them that way. That also entails higher caloric intake, of course, but those calories should be from healthy sources, not starch deep fried in cow blubber and covered in gravy, or coloured sugar wiht fizz.

 

[Torlyn]

not starch deep fried in cow blubber and covered in gravy, or coloured sugar wiht fizz.

Wow, am I hungry... 

T

 

[childs56]

Caeasar well if you new anything about a sounding range you would know that they also have a system to check other things such as radios and above surface warfare gear. Needless to say Nanoose Test Range has such a place . They also have a TX site. located about 15min North of Nanaimo on the right hand side of the Island highway as you are heading north. They also have a decommissioned bunker their from the Cold war era. The TX site is also covered with Scottish broom and some swamp area. Keep the BS  going. I guess the bunker is in the water also. And the torpedo storage facitlitys and the dock, and the helo pad their. Forgive my ignorance but If you call BS then please visit the site yourself and see. enough time wasted.


Allen Luomala  No it doesn't rain that much on the Island, We do get those spouts that it does as you know. Needless to say that was one of the times when we we their for the good old trench training.

Biv Delta well as it was never factored into the overall plan, Vk decided to give us the left over tentage they had. as it was we had some that was in pretty poor shape. I use to have a garbage bag above my cot to keep the rain off. The mice dangling from the concertina wire was good. Well not really. So as for the  condition of the tents well when 60km an hr wind rips through and sends them into the uncleared area via the concertina wire fence you trend to make do with what you have. I remember setting tents up only to tear them down to move them over 6 inch's. White liners well we just didn't have any. hanging purlons and missing eyelets well you get what you are giving and you make do with it.  the furniture factory was actually set up by the Engineers, yes not the Artillery so any blame for the crappy camp is to be blamed on them. Well actually the chain of command who new the conditions and did nothing about them. The 2nd Lt and Wo that ran the camp when i was their were actually pretty good, and fought for us tooth and nail. That is how we finally got our showers and such. I actually had fun their it was comfy as could be, and not many other could say they had their own helo pad in the back yard, LOL.  I was their Biv Delta  Sept2000 till Nov 2000 then the factory in Nov 2000 then to TSG Jan01 till March 01. Any ways I apologize for the conditions but remember we lived their you just visited.

Cheers

 

[NCRCrow]

Leave the Navy out of this.....we love our 5 meals a day at sea.

THE COOKS ARE FANTASTIC and accommodating to every body type.

They will feed u from the line or leave out a couple tins of tuna for you. Just have to ask!

The Canadian Navy feeds us superbly and the Kippers and US just love to crosspol over.

The UK and US close the galley up at sea after supper, and u can buy your snacks from the canteen.

I was on the USS Nimitz for 2 weeks and they had McNimitz for sliders (burgers) and fries ($$$).

Before, everybody starts to call the Navy fat, the Army is also going for seconds at the mess hall.

I can only speak from OP Athena Roto 0, being an augmentee, I was suprised to see some real healthy lads in CADPAT.

Crow

 

[ZipperHead]

There's a big difference between making do, and living in squalor. Given the same conditions, any decent Armour Corps (or Infantry, or Engr) soldier would have made the effort to fix what could be fixed. What I saw was people who just didn't know what to do with what they were given. Things like para-cord or wire could have gone a long way to fix the simple things that I saw that were wrong. In the vehicle bays in the furniture factory, there was piles of mud 2 to 3 inches deep, and a broom and/or shovel would have gone a long way to sort that out. Of course, if you like laying in mud while working on your vehicle, that's another issue.....Again, I think that's a case of people not giving a rat's ass where and how they lived. As for moving mod 6 inches, I think almost everybody has been there, and unless it's for a reason (fire regs), it's because somebody (up high) has more time on their hands than they know what to do with.....

Anyway, we've drifted quite a bit out of our lanes (FOA), so I think we can give this issue a rest......

Al

 

[Inch]

I did spend a few days in a trench that had water up to my neck

A few days submerged in water? Did you have immersion suits on? If not how did you avoid hypothermia? For the record, you can get hypothermia on a summer day in 78 degree water if you're in there long enough. Water sucks heat from the body far faster than air does.

I'm with Caesar, I'm calling BS on this one.

 

[childs56]

well a few guys were sent out for hypothermia, others stayed beside their trenches while some had chest waders. In between patrols and some cat napping at the rv  they had time to move around. Well Call BS all you want but we had pumps going all day and night to keep the water down once one trench was pumped another filled and so on and so on. believe what you want and go from their. Well apparently Nanoose doesn't have any land either so i guess i made it all up. Cause you know they only test underwater things their. Good one keep up the good work. And thanks for the expert opinion on cold exhaustion and its effects. real good. any ways it was feb 98 i think the Nanaimo news paper might have a copy of the article saying how the ex went. I guess i should have said spent hours on end in the trench. not thinknig that peopel would understand patrols and such would have gone out. cause it really isn't worth the hassle. well guys cheers

 

[NCRCrow]

CTD, u are taking from all angles.

Maybe we can find some extra allowances with our 13 Billion budget!

Any suggestions?

 

[childs56]

the best thing is after it all a few beers in the mess and some well deserved sleep and it was all good. The nice thing about the FOA is it bought a few beers.  Cheers

 

[Inch]

And thanks for the expert opinion on cold exhaustion and its effects. real good.

Listen, I don't appreciate your sarcasm when you're obviously talking out your arse and stretching the facts. As I said before, I fly Sea Kings over 2 degree water. I know all about cold water shock and hypothermia associated with submersion. So don't sit there and try to bullshit me about standing up to your neck in water for 4 days, or as you retracted, a few hours between patrols. If you did, then your chain of command needs some serious lessons on how to take care of the welfare of their troops.

 

[ZipperHead]

Coming (somewhat) back onto the topic of FOA (I read something in another post, ranting against Bin Rats, and made me remember something...).

I recall, before the days of the unit clerk being able to access your pay, going into the pay office here in Gagetown to sort out some pay problem or another. The Fin Clerk, in their climate controlled office (and they would get stood down, regardless of this fact, when the humidex went too high, but soldiers continued to train in the trg area..... but that's another rant, for another time) said: "I don't know why you guys get field pay: it's a lot of work for us to keep track of it.....".

Al

 

[NCRCrow]

Famous Words- Bin Rat's- You're not entitled! (and there is CTS Body Armour hanging behind them)

Fin Clerk's- We're closed! or the system is down!!!!!

I like the mystery of the changing pay, from 05-20 dollars every month..weird

Admin/Sup makes me batty!! (I will await the retorts)

 

[JimmyPeeOn]

We end up getting taxed on it twice anyway.  Once on the stub and once on the T4.  I got almost 800 in field pay this year and i think I saw about 200.  Hardly covers the extra cigarettes.

 

[Inch]

We end up getting taxed on it twice anyway.   Once on the stub and once on the T4.   I got almost 800 in field pay this year and i think I saw about 200.   Hardly covers the extra cigarettes.

I says pardon? How do you figure? If you compare your T4 to your end Dec pay statement, the numbers should be the same (ie taxes paid, CPP, EI, Superannuation is your RPP contribution, etc), I know they are on mine and they have been since I've been in the CF

 

[Horse_Soldier]

We end up getting taxed on it twice anyway.   Once on the stub and once on the T4.   I got almost 800 in field pay this year and i think I saw about 200.   Hardly covers the extra cigarettes.

FOA is dealt the same way as your pay.   You only get taxed once on income.   The tax total on your T4 is the total of all the tax deducted from your pay during the year as noted on your pay stubs for each of the 24 pays in the year.     $200 out of $800? I don't think Canada has reached at 75% marginal tax rate yet.   Go back and check your pay stubs closely.   FOA is taxed at your marginal rate.   If that rate is 29%, FOA will be taxed at 29%.

 

[JimmyPeeOn]

Okay, maybe I did'nt convey myself quite clearly enough.  FOA is taxed on your pay, and even though it has already been taxed, the remaining ends up on your T4 under total income, therefore possibly bumping you up in your bracket.

 

[Inch]

Okay, maybe I did'nt convey myself quite clearly enough.   FOA is taxed on your pay, and even though it has already been taxed, the remaining ends up on your T4 under total income, therefore possibly bumping you up in your bracket.

That doesn't make a difference, that's why you're taxed at your marginal tax rate. Marginal tax rate is the percentage of income tax you pay on the last dollar you make, so by them taxing you like that on allowances, you'll never have to pay come tax time and you'll probably get a return. As for tax brackets, under $35,595 is the low one at 16%, $35,595 to $71,190 is the next one at 22%, $71,190 to $115,739 is the 3rd one at 26% and more than $115,739 is the last one at 29%. So the only one you could possibly be bumped up to as a Pte is the 2nd one, but in any case, you only pay tax in that bracket on the amount that falls in that bracket. So say you made $36,000, you'd only pay 22% on $405 and in fact, probably not even that since your pension payments and other deductions will bring your taxable income under $35,595.

Those are the federal tax brackets, provincial ones are added on top of those numbers. Here's the link for all of them.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/faq/taxrates-e.html

It amazes me how little people know about the tax system, even after years of paying it. I'd suggest to all you nuggets out there to learn a little more about the system, knowing where your money is going is the first step to becoming financially stable.

 

[JimmyPeeOn]

Closer to 37000 after all the deductions.  I do understand what your saying though.

 

[ERIK2RCR]

I heard in an O-Group point this week that some field untis were going to be given an allowance, along the same line as sea pay/jump pay. I'm just wondering if anyone is "in the know" on this.

 

[The_Falcon]

http://www.forces.gc.ca/dgcb/dppd/allowance/engraph/allow_e.asp?sidesection=3&sidecat=30#FieldOperations

Its no big secret, when you are in the field you get FOA (Field Operation Allowance).