Started Reserve BMQ (Weekends)

[Munner]

I had my first weekend of BMQ this weekend. Since I'm in the reserves and in school I will be taking the course on weekend. The first weekend consisted of many classes on various topics including ethics, rank structure, substance abuse as well as many many many hours of drill. So far three people have quit which seems a bit crazy to me. They quit before they gave it a chance.

Anyways I just thought I'd post to let new recruits or potential recruits know that if they have any questions they can drop me a line or post here.

 

[Kris]

Hey, I am currently looking into joining the reserves.  I know about the training for the army reserves.  Would you know anything about the airforce reserves or where I could find some information on it.  I am looking into both army and airforce but am undecided at the moment.  Thanks

 

[JBP]

I had my first weekend of BMQ this weekend. Since I'm in the reserves and in school I will be taking the course on weekend. The first weekend consisted of many classes on various topics including ethics, rank structure, substance abuse as well as many many many hours of drill. So far three people have quit which seems a bit crazy to me. They quit before they gave it a chance.

Anyways I just thought I'd post to let new recruits or potential recruits know that if they have any questions they can drop me a line or post here.

Wow, 3 people quite already!!! That's rediculous. Just goes to show you what kind of people they THOUGHT they were...  :

How was the PT? I heard in the first 3-4 weekend BMQ's they do quite abit of PT, not necessarily HARD PT but enough to get you to open your eyes. Apparently to see who will drop out and get rid of the dead weight quick. My first weekend of training is THIS weekend comming but it's SHARP training. I'll post and let you folks know how it went also.

Joe
PS> What time you have to wake-up at? 4-5AM?

 

[Boogilywoo]

Im doing a Reserve BMQ right now too, I got back from my 5th weekend yesertday. Expect to lose a fair amount of people. My Platoon started with 54, and were down to 27. If you ever get to feeling like you want to quit, try and put it at the back of your mind. THe first 3 weekends are sort of hard, theres a lot of drill and standing at attention for hours for no reason, but by the 4th weekend youre mostly past the multiple hours of drill and onto stuff thats more fun.

 

[jmackenzie_15]

My BMQ reserve course started with about 40 troops, I think we lost.... 3.
The guys running our courses were also the hardest the reserves around the Atlantic had to offer too.Don't beleive me? Find somebody that knows Warrant Officer Hunter from 1NSH and ask them what kind of guy he is and how he likes to train his troops 

He was my platoon warrant for BIQ in the summer, we generally got off work and were on 'free time' (ie, kit maintenance, cleaning rooms and faciilites etc) around 9 oclock every night, AND we were PUT to sleep at 11, the end.There was no way we could get up to do anything extra, security was tight =p.The other 3 Infantry platoons generally got off around supper time..... I remember one day after supper we were doing M203 Drills outside, and one of the other platoons was in the pool right beside us =p

 

[Munner]

The PT is actually fairly minimal - I get the feeling it will more be used as a form of punishment than incorporated into the course. The majority of your PT will come on SQ and BIQ. The majority of the time was spent with ours of drill as someone posted earlier.
We worked until about 12:00am - 1:00am and up at 5:30am. We don't have our SHARP training until the end however I'm sure it's pretty easy. All common sense stuff about harassment.

As for Kris wondering about the airforce....a good place to start is here:
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/index_e.asp

the army website is located here:
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/index_e.asp

Hope that helps!

 

[Kris]

Munner I have looked at both these websites and talked to the amry recruiter.   I have talked to the airforce recruiter but they said to call back in a few weeks because they are very busy dagging for tours.   With the Army I know you can do your BMQ on the weekends for 14 weeks then do your SQ in the summer.   At least that is here in Alberta were i looked.   I was just wondering if anyone knows about the airforce if it is the same or do you go to St. Jeans along with the reg.?

 

[chrisf]

We started with 33, graduated with 19, and that was a weekend basic... puking was consider an intrinsic part of PT.

 

[chrisf]

Oh, and best of luck with your BMQ, it can be hard somtimes, but just put your head down and keep going, it's well worth finishing, and once you're done, you'll look back on it with happy memories, I promise.

 

[SlipStream]

How long is the BMQ training for reserves??? and do you have to do yur SQ right after BMQ or can you take a rest?

 

[chrisf]

I don't remember... there is a fixed time, but we had an extra week tacked on to ours.

 

[Gilligan]

  What happened to the good old days of 8 weeks away from home? lol.  I did my reserve BRT (that's what it was called 4 years ago) in Dundurn, SK and was gone for 2 months.  Every single day, no days off until the 4th weekend, when we got the saturday off to go downtown to hang out in civies (a dream come true at that point).  PT was every single day, and alternated between ciruit training and running, and friday was our forced march practice for our 13km ruck march at the end.  Now Signals BMQ/SQ are run in Shilo from the beginning of July, to the end of August.  Just a Sig Op, why are you on a weekend BMQ? instead of going in the summer?

 

[yot]

Im doing a Reserve BMQ right now too, I got back from my 5th weekend yesertday. Expect to lose a fair amount of people. My Platoon started with 54, and were down to 27. If you ever get to feeling like you want to quit, try and put it at the back of your mind. THe first 3 weekends are sort of hard, theres a lot of drill and standing at attention for hours for no reason, but by the 4th weekend youre mostly past the multiple hours of drill and onto stuff thats more fun.

wow 54 down to 27?! that's alot. My weekend bmq started on last sat. It was not that hard because it was the first weekend, and most of the basic things I learned from my unit training. But I believe it will be harder and harder.

 

[Recce_Boy]

Im starting my BMQ this weekend, I'm pretty excited about it.  I've heard good and bad stories about it from here, friends who have done it etc.  I'm going to push myself to my absolute limit, quiting for me is not an option.  Especially since I want to join the regs after high school.  I'm expecting it to be hard, but nothing is easy, you just gotta do it.  Ah I'm ramblin    Good Luck with the rest of your BMQ guys.

 

[chrisf]

Just a Sig Op, why are you on a weekend BMQ? instead of going in the summer?

Timing. You'll find maybe 1/5th of the sigs reserve end up on weekend BMQs, particularly if you're enrolled between June and October, as you miss the dates for Shilo, but you're early enough if another unit is running a BMQ...

You'll find weekend courses are hit or miss... if the course staff, and very particularly, the course O and the course WO are good, you'll have a good course, if not, you'll have a bad course. Our course O/WO were largely left to their own devices as to running the course, as a result, we had an excellent course.