Formal Recognition for Sea Time?

[armyvern]

PS: Don't sailors already get the SSM (NATO), or SWASM for their tours to the Gulf etc?? You asking for recognition for a sail to southern waters where you get to enjoy stop-overs at ports while making your way to the warmest ship-painting location available and find the bars ashore (thus coming back aboard hammered and busying the duty watch guy who has to put up with you while standing duty 1 in 3 like stated in the post below  )??

Yes, I know you only get the medal once, but then ... so do the soldiers who earn them without access to racks, beers in the Mess, warm soup at 10 etc etc. You bounch around on the water while they are humping their asses and their rucks and their weapons and ammo in austere & miserable condition at 50 degress -- sometimes even while being shot at!! 

This expectation that we need buttons and bows and whistles to further recognize that which is already recognized, and for doing our damn jobs is becoming way too much. I think it's pretty sad, and I think it reveals much about a slide in the formerly known as silent professionalism of the CF.

Sailing -- is a sailors job. You do a tour -- you get a damn medal, just like everyone else.

And, I also put forth a motion that the pins worn by truckers be removed from the uniform. Trucking is their job. It's akin to an Infanteer being given a button that says "bullet free body for 25 years!!" I avoided that which I am SUPPOSED to avoid. Cripes, I know regular folks (not truckers) who have had 404s for decades and have never had a driving accident either -- but they don't get the damn tacky things. (Bulletmagnet, Tess -- others ... need not apply). Fuck.

 

[axeman]

;D WHOOT  Army Vern [female type]. that's calling a spade a spade not only does the navy get soup . lunch ,Sea pay etc but now they want a pin for saying XX years in an Operational Unit . well what about 75% of the army types being in Operational Units too . Do they get pins and all the aforementioned stuff ?  Man can you imagine all the soldiers  getting all this dropped on em ?jeez where does it  quit?

:crybaby:

edited for spelling

 

[armyvern]

;D WHOOT  Army vern [female type]. thats calling a spade a spade not only does the navy get soup . lunch ,Sea pay  etc but now they want a pin for saying XX years in aOperational Unit . well what about 75% of the army  types being in Operational Units too  . Do they get pins and all the aformentioned stuff ?  Man can you imagiane all the soldiers  getting all this droped on em ?jeez where does it  quit?

:crybaby:

Well, to be fair about the sea pay -- field pay for soldiers has now FINALLY come on par with them. About friggin' time too.

No, those soldiers don't get pins to recognize their miserable time spent soaking wet, knee-deep in mud or swamps in Gagetown (or anywhere else for that matter). Or to recognize months on end spent in the field living nastily working up in order to deploy. Nor do they receive pins for freezing their asses off doing sovereignty foot patrols in the Arctic while living outside in tents at -40 for weeks on end. Sailors do indeed do sovereignty patrols too, once again with that access to soup and 3 nice warm-square meals a day, booze in the mess and nice warm racks to crawl into when the time comes that the soldiers don't enjoy as benefits while doing their job.

Same with fisheries patrols. All covered under Canada's National Security Policy, the National Defence Act, and the Fisheries Act as being one of the raisons d'etre for the CFs very existence. Security of the Nation, Her resources and Her citizens being one of the big three. We are asking for pins for doing our damn jobs that we swore to do!! I have issues with that (can you tell??).

We are extremely hurting for soldiers these days though, perhaps some of those leaving the Navy in droves should consider the more cushy go here in the Army if it's so bad in their current environment.

Cripes people -- army guys do their jobs; sailors do their jobs, and airmen/women do their jobs. Stop the madness -- we are all supposed to be on the same fucking team.

 

[Michael OLeary]

No, those soldiers don't get pins to recognize their miserable time spent soaking wet, knee-deep in mud or swamps in Gagetown (or anywhere else for that matter). Or to recognize months on end spent in the field living nastily working up in order to deploy. Nor do they receive pins for freezing their asses off doing sovereignty foot patrols in the Arctic while living outside in tents at -40 for weeks on end. Sailors do indeed do sovereignty patrols too, once again with that access to soup and 3 nice warm-square meals a day, booze in the mess and nice warm racks to crawl into when the time comes that the soldiers don't enjoy as benefits while doing their job.

If you want pins to advertise the dedication and effects others don't see, how about these:

The "I've been geographically posted X times" pin.

The "I've made my kids move X times" pin.

The "Thanks to the job, I've been divorced X times" pins.

 

[armyvern]

If you want pins to advertise the dedication and effects others don't see, how about these:

The "I've been geographically posted X times" pin.

Whooo Hooo: 10 !!! (Caveat -- do three seperate postings to Gagetown count as only "1" or "3"?? -- We will need to sort stuff like this out first!!)

The "I've made my kids move X times" pin.

Whoo Hooo: 7!! (maybe this pin should rightfully be presented to my beautiful and wonderful children??  :-\ )

The "Thanks to the job, I've been divorced X times" pins.

Whoo Hooo: No comment!!

Does this mean that the Army will now also issue me the chest to pin them all on!!?? It's only fair. I am deserving. It's an undue hardship for girls like me being without one given that other Allied & Commonwealth Forces pay for their women to obtain chests.

 

[axeman]

Now Now !!!  lets play nice after all all the green types should be able to get the  Ive been to WATC  X times pin  after all after the move from Esquimalt to Chilliwack to Edmonton pins are distributed  along with the X # yrs in a Operational type billet  . I want mine they would look so cool on my now naval uniform . ;D

 

[George Wallace]

Now Now !!!   lets play nice after all all the green types should be able to get the  Ive been to WATC  X times pin  after all after the move from Esquimalt to Chilliwack to Edmonton pins are distributed  along with the X # yrs in a Operational type billet  . I want mine they would look so cool on my now naval uniform . ;D

I have a stetson that I collect all my pins on.    ;D

 

[NCRCrow]

Vern, you sound so jealous!

But what's really funny is the army wants a CAB badge! Is not everybody at KAF on the same team.

But the reality is that 10 per cent of the Navy has been to Afghanistan or Sudan.

The idea was brought forward by myself as a way of instilling some pride and retention.

Edited": by me

 

[armyvern]

Vern, you sound so jealous!

Only if your boobs are bigger than mine.  :

But really funny is the army wants a CAB badge! Is not everybody at KAF on the same team.

Hmmm, my thoughts on whether I think the CAB/CIB is necessary are found in it's thread. That being said ... I'll break it to you gently: there is a huge difference between engaging on a two-way firing range while directly engaging an enemy ... and doing a .50 cal night shoot over the edge of the Winnipeg off the coast of Hawaii, getting dolled up for crossing-the-line, wearing plastic bowls as a cocnut bra in honour of Neptune ... etc etc. NOT comparable at all.

As for the CAB -- if your ship found itself directly involved in an engagement action (not a naval boarding party) with an enemy off the coast of Dubaii etc ... you'd most likely also be eligible to wear a CAB. Who said it was going to be limited to the Army?

But the reality is that 10 per cent of the Navy has been to Afghanistan or Sudan.

And here's the reality of that: they got medals for it didn't they!!?? Just like the army and the air types.

You're asking for buttons/bows/pins for doing SOVPATs etc for crying out loud. Those are not limited to the Navy -- what makes you think the Navy deserves recognition for doing their jobs in this case? And, just what the heck makes you think that a 10 cent pin will assist your retention rate??

Same with Fisheries patrols?? DFO guys do that too!! Why would the Navy get pins and them not??

I have ZERO bias against the Navy -- I am the daughter of a very proud sailor.

Storesman should get a pin that says "You're not entitled"!

There's always one that says "I got this pin because I am special" too.  :

Guess what?? No one in the CF is special, not any more so than the next guy/gal; depsite how much you wish it were true.

 

[Sig_Des]

The idea was brought forward by myself as a way of instilling some pride and retention.

I think it's been brought up, but for me, the pride is putting on that uniform everyday.

 

[PMedMoe]

I certainly don't need a pin to instill some personal pride.  I get that every time I put on my uniform.  Combats or DEU.

Yep, I said that back on page one of this thread.

 

[Sig_Des]

Yep, I said that back on page one of this thread.

Cheers...BTW, You in Kingston End Mar early Apr? I'll be there drinkin'....er...playing hockey then 

 

[Melbatoast]

I have seen a section (in EMAA somewhere, I think?) where it states your time away.

Yeah, it's called Perstempo and it's the least accurate thing I've ever seen.  It has me with a total of 180 days away over the course of my career, while the reality is that I was away 210 days last calendar year alone.  And about the same the 4 years prior to that...(I think the most was 227 in 2003 - maybe 272.  Whatever).

As to the subject at hand, I'm not particularly keen on a "sea time" badge.  People tend to know who has how much time at sea, and a lot of guys probably try to forget it  

What I would like to see is the re-incorporation of your trade badge on NCDs.  I really don't know why there isn't one in the first place - even slapping a DEU collar dog somewhere on your NCD jacket could do it if budget was a concern.  I would honestly feel a little more proud if there was some indication of what I do, on my day-to-day wear.