Esprit de Corps lumps reservists with fat cat generals

[combat_medic]

Like I said, it isn't everyone, and those who do make those who don't look particularly bad, and if I seemed to paint all class B pers with the same brush I apologize. The only point I was trying to make is that those fat cats would be the best ones to look to, rather that trying to cut out MORE elements from an already underfunded reserve force.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Scott is a Winker,he twists the truth too his own benefit.
He know's he has no respct amongst us Sappers.

 

[Gunnerlove]

Our army has been backward for so long no one remembers how it should be structured. In almost every other nation the reserves is at least 2-3 times the size of the standing army. The reason for this is cost. A reserve soldier does not have to be housed, fed and payed every day of the year. Most nations use their reserves as a national deterrent to hostilities. We use our reserve as a bank to draw troops from when the regs are short and as a very effective recruiting tool for the regs. Now what we should really be asking why the reg force has 1 in 5 members working in Ottawa.

Waste in the reserves? It is there but Bloggins using an extra glowstick or claiming an extra meal is small potatoes when 12 billion dollars is being shoveled into a bottomless hole every year.

Systemic waste in the forces is the biggest problem no one really gets upset about. There is no accountability in our system. We spent how much developing boots?We have no idea and I doubt DND does either. The TCCS project has cost how much? Good luck trying to figure it out.

The worst part is how this article has affected us all, reservists took it as in insult from the regs, and the regs seem to fall back into the f**king Mo mentality. 

Your thoughts on the above?

 

[pbi]

RCA: kudos to you for calling EdC magazine on this one. They really blew it with this poorly researched piece that thoughtlessly slandered Res soldiers. While the thoughtless individual who made the quoted comment about "we've got money to burn" should indeed have his/her ass kicked, the majority of the article is the same baseless rubbish that EdC has sadly become known for publishing. You ably pointed out some of the more nonsensical comments in it. I took a look through Mr Taylor's book about our 1994 tour in Croatia: again in my opinion alot of misquoted and exaggerated nonsense. I had to put the book down, having served on that tour and being quite familiar with the facts. While I agree that EdC was once upon a time an excellent publication that gave the military the odd (deserved) kick in the ass, it degenerated into a foaming at the mouth rag that seems to subordinate accuracy to sensationalism and mud-throwing. Kind of like a military "National Enquirer". It may be worth noticing that Mr Taylor no longer gets even a fraction of the media face-time he once enjoyed a few years ago. In my opinion, they seem to rely on contributors who have either been out so long that they no longer have any current knowledge, or who are still in but are too p**sed off to bother checking facts (assuming, I guess, that nobody will challenge them...). A partcularly good example of this was the contributor who observed how terrible it was that 3PP was doing night training on operations when the soldiers were killed at Tarnak Farm. This abysmally ignorant comment revealed a total lack of knowledge of the entire subject of training on operations. Cheers.

 

[pbi]

Hi Bill! How  was your tour?

DJB

 

[Torlyn]

Every Federal Gov't employee is entitled to 50 bucks a day, why shouldn't the Military be entitled to the same?

Had to break in here.  This amount for the feds is incorrect.  Currently, the per diem allotment for federal service outside your home area is $72.90 a day...  Meals and a discretionary "incidentals" that again, doesn't need to be accounted for.  The last training stint I did, the feds put me up in the Carmana Plaza hotel, (4 star, fully furnished in downtown vancouver) paid my regular salary, plus the $72.90 a day, plus the flight, plus any costs associated with the travel (taxi from home to airport, airport to hotel, bus tickets/taxi chits for getting to/from work, etc.)  Wasteful?  Yes.  Did I need it all?  Hell no.  I went to the grocery store and made all my meals.  Cost me about $15 a day for all my meals & snacks.  Anything I can do about it?  No.  Did I take it?  You betcha.  With a smile. 

 

[PuckChaser]

I'm not going to defend all reservists, because, there are quite a few that like to abuse the system, and milk as much money as possible out of the system. 85% of Reg Force salary is hardly a trough. We get compensation for being away from home the same as the reg guys do. There's been a few former reg pers join my unit, and leave after a few parade nights. Why? We work too hard. Reservists throw a week of ex prep, training, whatever, into 1 3 hour evening, and make week long exercises into 2.5 days.

As for the recruiting, I know the recruiting centre where I am rarely sends us applicants. They're more concerned with the Reg Force, which is fine, we do our own recruiting, because we know where most of our people come from.

Misinformed loud-mouths make me angry.

 

[pbi]

I'm not going to defend all reservists, because, there are quite a few that like to abuse the system, and milk as much money as possible out of the system.

I doubt it's "quite a few" although no doubt there are crooks in both Reg and Res. Many Reservists I see put in far more time than they get paid for, especially officers and NCOs. Our USARNG comrades are sometimes shocked to hear how many days in a year our Reserve leaders put in just to get things done: far more than they do.

85% of Reg Force salary is hardly a trough. We get compensation for being away from home the same as the reg guys do.

Personally, I don't see why we shouldn't follow equal pay for equal work. The only difference is that there must be some way of recognizing the fact that a Regular soldier is at a higher level of training, readiness and therefore risk. But, I'm sure this can be worked out. Two soldiers side by side in Afghanistan or Bosnia should not have a pay differential so broad that it causes morale issues.

There's been a few former reg pers join my unit, and leave after a few parade nights. Why? We work too hard. Reservists throw a week of ex prep, training, whatever, into 1 3 hour evening, and make week long exercises into 2.5 days.

True. And, I believe the personal time demand is a big eye-opener for ex-RegF people as well as RegF FTS on their first tour with a Res unit. I have been very, very impressed by the level of dedication of some of our people; for example soldiers driving three hours to get to the Armoury, or going from one Province to another to parade.

As for the recruiting, I know the recruiting centre where I am rarely sends us applicants. They're more concerned with the Reg Force, which is fine, we do our own recruiting, because we know where most of our people come from.

How closely does your Comm Gp or your unit work with your local CFRC? CFRG is not perfect (especially where medical delays are concerned) but if you work closely with them they can produce results. Our problem in 38 CBG is not attracting Res recruits but the insufferable period of time it takes for some enrolments.

Misinformed loud-mouths make me angry.

I agree. Cheers.

 

[PuckChaser]

How closely does your Comm Gp or your unit work with your local CFRC? CFRG is not perfect (especially where medical delays are concerned) but if you work closely with them they can produce results. Our problem in 38 CBG is not attracting Res recruits but the insufferable period of time it takes for some enrolments.

We tend to work fairly closely with our CFRC, but thier mandate is to provide troops for the Reg F, not so much the Res F. I agree whole heartedly that the problem lies in the time between the first interview and the swearing in.  A couple of our recruits this summer were lost due to papershuffling at the CFRC, and the medical not being sent in on time. C'est la vie. Hopefully they'll still be interested when the fall recruiting starts again.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Two soldiers side by side in Afghanistan or Bosnia should not have a pay differential so broad that it causes morale issues.

I did not know this, I know this is hijacking the thread but I think most have the same stance on EdeC, how much, and politely, why is this?

 

[Jarnhamar]

In Bosnia on roto 13 the reservests were paid the exact same as their regular force counterparts of the same rank and IPC.
Reservists however had their IPC level changed (lowered) in accordince with how many days they actually worked (in rank)vice simply time in.
For example a reserve corporal with an IPC of 4 (he's been a corporal for 4 years) might find his IPC level dropped to 0 or 1 (he only 400 days working as a cpl) , though its Corporal(1) reg force.