[figfarmer]

If you think you can hack RMC, go for it. if not join the reserves before next summer and go on course, then decide where you want to go after you've had a taste. I did that, but didn't go on with a military career. However, once one has a trade it is almost certain that if anything major does happen you'll have rank and be commuting to work as an instructor, not eating dust and dodging mortar rounds.

[Chicken-Little]

Go Airforce ,foods better and you won't have to sleep outside.

[Indelible]

another little tidbit to add...
i staffed a summer camp with cadets in 2001, during the summer. each company has a few NCOs from the reg force and from the reserves. after camp was over in august i went home. then a month later 9/11 happended. our cadet corps paraded in the same building our affiliated unit used so i was reading "the maple leaf" which is the official newspaper i guess of the CF. on the fron cover was a picture of the NCO attached to my company that summer, with whom i had become friends with, standing there in full gear in afghanistan.
it kinda puts it into perspective i guess.
i know that that is the profession he chose to do but it still seems shocking to me in a way to go from something like being on a cadet camp for a summer to going and fighting in an actual war where people are actually shooting at you.

[2Cdo]

Enlisted or officer, the choice is yours. Paul Martin and the liberals say they are going to add another 5,000 personel into the forces so getting in should be relatively easy. But wait they have no idea how they are going to pay for this, or who is going to do the training because most of our army is currently deployed somewhere!
Oh well it at least made for a good sound bite!

PS
I really can't see this happening while I'm serving and I have 3 years to go until I retire.

[Pathos]

You're abslolutely correct. Eight thousand new recruits likely all officers who will be looking for a few good men to command.

$1:

Military can't handle new troops, vice-admiral says
POSTED AT 2:38 PM EST Monday, Dec 6, 2004

Ottawa — The military does not have the resources to deal with thousands of extra recruits due to join its ranks, the second-in-command of Canada's armed forces says.

“At the moment, no,” Vice-Admiral Ron Buck, the vice-chief of defence staff, told the Senate defence committee Monday when asked if the Canadian Forces has the facilities to house, train and equip another 5,000 troops.

Prime Minister Paul Martin promised during the spring election campaign to boost the military's ranks by 8,000 members, including 5,000 full-time soldiers and 3,000 reservists.

He also promised up to $3-billion over five years to enhance Canada's international stature, with most of the money going to defence.

Adm. Buck said any move aimed at increasing troop strength would have to include more spending.

“Any proposals to move forward for the 5,000 from our perspective include a resourcing element,” he said. “In other words, there is a bill that clearly needs to be paid in terms of personnel, equipment, training and housing.”

The Liberals have maintained that they want the military to concentrate on peacekeeping and nation-building initiatives to help failed states.

That is expected to be a focus of a new defence policy paper that has been in the works for months.

But Lewis Mackenzie, a retired general who commanded troops in some of the world's most dangerous places, warned that peacekeepers still need proper training and equipment to perform their duties.

Post-Cold War governments in Canada have pushed peacekeeping “because it was cheap,” he told the committee.

Gen. Mackenzie said there is a public perception that peacekeeping is somehow less expensive, and even less dangerous, than combat.

“In actual fact, in most of the missions we've been in, the potential was there to have to fight your way out,” he said.

He cited provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) being proposed for Afghanistan as a perfect example of the need to properly equip soldiers.

“If we send a modest force to protect (the PRT) ... then we had better have a guarantee from ISAF headquarters in Afghanistan that they have the capability to rescue those people when a warlord really gets angry with them and decides to take them out.”

Adm. Buck also told the committee that Canada needs to maintain its sovereignty in the North.

He suggested the federal government consider increasing funding in a number of areas to enhance surveillance by air and sea.

“Ultimately, there probably would be a need for greater deployability in the Arctic,” he added.

That would mean buying or leasing larger aircraft to move equipment long distances, something the Liberals have frowned on when it comes to defence spending.

[Chicken-Little]

Don't take any postings to Petawawa, what a god awful hole , spent
5 years there.

[xerxes]

Good point. Try to get yourself postedto the RCR in Halifax. I've heard it's such a nice place.

[Pathos]

I wouldn't march into a recruiting office any time soon ...

$1:

We're beginning to wonder if Prime Minister Paul Martin can get anything right.

His decision making -- or should we say lack of it -- has already been called into question on numerous occasions since he took over the government. The man can't even decide if we should stand beside our American allies to keep the continent safe from terrorist attack, for heaven's sake.

The latest thing to go wrong has to do with Martin's promise to start rebuilding our military. Our once-proud Armed Forces have become a source of embarrassment even to themselves, thanks largely to years of neglect by successive Liberal governments that always seemed to see the military as a convenient place to save a few bucks come budget time.

However, Martin appeared determined to undo at least some of the damage he helped inflict during his days as finance minister when he promised, during last spring's election campaign, to boost the ranks of the military by 5,000 regular troops and 3,000 reservists.

Trouble is we now learn that, even if they're hired, the Armed Forces has no place to house and train these extra recruits, and no money to buy them equipment.

That's the word from the second-in-command of Canada's armed forces, Vice-Adm. Ron Buck, who told the Senate defence committee any move aimed at increasing troop strength would have to include more spending.

"Any proposals to move forward for the 5,000 from our perspective (must) include a resourcing element," he said. "In other words, there is a bill that clearly needs to be paid in terms of personnel, equipment, training and housing."

Somehow that lack of foresight by our federal government doesn't surprise us. The Liberals, after all, buy our navy subs that don't work, send our air force into the skies in decrepit planes and dispatch ground troops into battle with unarmoured vehicles.

Oh yes, and when they're at home the government charges them top dollar for substandard housing.

Shameful.

Shameful? Is it ever.

[Rik25158854]

Join the millitary you cant go wrong.it will set you up for life.[but it isnt easy]. I have a friend that was in the canadian parachute reg he is a good lad. its a good idea to get some qualifications first though.

[Booger]

xerxes xerxes:

Good point. Try to get yourself postedto the RCR in Halifax. I've heard it's such a nice place.

The RCR is not in Halifax. Try Gagetown, New Brunswick. A real %&*$hole.

[Atreyu]

I'm with booger gagetown sux the bone!!!!

[RoyalHighlander]

Chicken-Little Chicken-Little:

Don't take any postings to Petawawa, what a god awful hole , spent
5 years there.

Its not that bad.. you could get posted to BAGOTVILLE in northern Quebec LMAO.. Ahh the good old days drinking in the Copeland Hotel in Pembrooke...

[Scape]

C'mon CFS Alert, now that's the hole! And the women!

[Dan74]

Chicken-Little Chicken-Little:

Don't take any postings to Petawawa, what a god awful hole , spent
5 years there.

Something is the water there.I was near the base for a weekend for a wedding.Got My Girlfriend Pregnent and We found out 2 of Her Cousins also caught the silver bullet.Same hotel and everything.BEWARE!!!!!
Unless your trying.

[PENATRATOR]

My two cents:

-Petawawa is not a hole, chicken-little just probably could not hack the tough going, if you wat to go into the JTF don't go Airforce, rough it in the Combat arms, the Airforce will make you weak and Idle;

-to second someone else there is only ONE RCR posted at CFB Halifax (a Cpl Barracks Warden position) Gagetown and Petawawa are where the three Battallions are located;

-be prepared to get treated like shit from the regular force as a reservist, the Govt chooses to send reserves on NATO Operations, many times bumping a career reg force soldier out of a position because the govt want a certain percentage of "tunes" on the operation, now why would a regular force soldier put up with the bullshit that goes with life in the cbt arms? Certainly not to sit around the training area on ex for a career only to be taken of a ROTO for a "part timer". It creates hard feelings, generally due to the lack of training/experience of the reserve soldier, and the attitude I saw typed above "use the reserves for your own advantage" many reserves show up to reg force taskings with the attitude that their one night a week and the odd weekend makes them equal to a regular force soldier in terms of know how, I am not saying they are all like this, but the few who are have given the bunch a bad name, I have seen many good reserve soldiers but unfortunately it is the arsehole you remember;

-if you want to go to university, as stated above, go to RMC, your education is paid for and you get PAID while you attend.

-good luck