Gathering Reservists in Borden

[daftandbarmy]

Could also be that the army might want to treat them like they are lucky to even have them. But as the saying goes, the army doesn't join people, people join the army.

There's a US aircraft carrier that might argue with you there.

I'd be interested to see how 'social distancing' works when you're doing platoon level sandbag filling etc ...

 

[brihard]

I stayed at the Blackdown cadet camp back in 2010 for Op CADENCE, the G8/G20 summit. sounds liek the same infrastructure- the 'peach' coloured weatherhavens. Same as you see in Connaught for that matter. Certainly not the lap of luxury, but fine enough to get paid to sit around. Better than what a lot of us have slept in on operation. They should have electricity available to their tents, and usual 'camp' ablutions facilities and mess hall.

But yes, bored troops are dumb troops. I'm sure some shenanigans will ensue.

 

[stellarpanther]

I asked my son a few minutes ago if he knows anyone who went and he does know one guy.  According to this guy "it sucks and my son should be happy he's not there.".  This kid is 18 or 19 so I attribute a lot of that way of thinking to age and maturity.  When I was that age in the Reserves, the summer class B was great although I was an MP then and we basically did as we wanted.  We also didn't have cell phones with data plans.

 

[Weinie]

Most of the facilities used as cadet camps seem to be like that, Rocky mountain cadet camp just outside ghost lake AB 50s vintage with heat pipes that sound like a freight train, and the buildings aren't winterized so you need to bring in portable toilets in winter cause there is no running water due to frozen pipes. Another camp near Caroline AB is just a bunch of log cabins with cast iron stoves, which I personally find rather cozy but not designed for long term comfort or long stays of troops and equipment.

Luxury..sorry only saw Blackadders response after I posted.  Last time I was in Blackdown there were no hard shelters aval, just 10 man Arctic tents, or in our case, a Big Al Lemberg and six man Arctic tent.

 

[Remius]

I asked my son a few minutes ago if he knows anyone who went and he does know one guy.  According to this guy "it sucks and my son should be happy he's not there.".  This kid is 18 or 19 so I attribute a lot of that way of thinking to age and maturity.  When I was that age in the Reserves, the summer class B was great although I was an MP then and we basically did as we wanted.  We also didn't have cell phones with data plans.

It probably sucks because it’s  hurry up and wait. 

 

[brihard]

It probably sucks because it’s  hurry up and wait.

For G8/G20 we literally played 'on the bus, off the bus' with an actual bus. Someone thought our time would be well spent rehearsing that. We got a couple hours' notice to go and get on a bus, which then drove about an hour loop around Borden, then parked again and we all got off. Nothing more to it than that, we practiced a bus ride. It was tooneriffic.

 

[dapaterson]

For G8/G20 we literally played 'on the bus, off the bus' with an actual bus. Someone thought our time would be well spent rehearsing that. We got a couple hours' notice to go and get on a bus, which then drove about an hour loop around Borden, then parked again and we all got off. Nothing more to it than that, we practiced a bus ride. It was tooneriffic.

Did you get a certificate of military achievement?

 

[stellarpanther]

It probably sucks because it’s  hurry up and wait.

I was thinking because there's no Xbox but what you said makes sense also. lol  Does anyone know if they are really doing nothing as this kid says because this might be a good opportunity to brush up on some skills like nav etc?

 

[Blackadder1916]

For G8/G20 we literally played 'on the bus, off the bus' with an actual bus.  . . . we practiced a bus ride.

Was it a "short bus"?

 

[blacktriangle]

For G8/G20 we literally played 'on the bus, off the bus' with an actual bus. Someone thought our time would be well spent rehearsing that. We got a couple hours' notice to go and get on a bus, which then drove about an hour loop around Borden, then parked again and we all got off. Nothing more to it than that, we practiced a bus ride. It was tooneriffic.

Was it a school bus? You could have had them modified to use the escape hatch up top as a cupola...and take the rear door off, use for a tail gunner etc.

(If anyone at NDHQ wants further ideas, I'm available for $100 bucks an hour on contract)

;D

 

[BDTyre]

Based on a Facebook post from 39 CBG, they are rotating troops into Vernon 30 at a time. The first group quarantines for 14 days - no in-person interactions at all; even meals are delivered. After 14 days, they stay at Vernon as "on-call" and another group of 30 will come in and be quarantined. Presumably after a month, the original 30 return home.

I imagine Borden might be operating similarly.

 

[MilEME09]

I was thinking because there's no Xbox but what you said makes sense also. lol  Does anyone know if they are really doing nothing as this kid says because this might be a good opportunity to brush up on some skills like nav etc?

If they are sitting around and doing nothing, that is a leadership failure to me, plenty of time to do a lot of IBTS related training, heck take them to the range and run a pwt 2. With such a large group there is a lot of potential for individual and collective training.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Should I feel bad for this?

Yup.

 

[BDTyre]

If they are sitting around and doing nothing, that is a leadership failure to me, plenty of time to do a lot of IBTS related training, heck take them to the range and run a pwt 2. With such a large group there is a lot of potential for individual and collective training.

39 CBG command said the soldiers would have no interaction with family, friends or even with their colleagues. That said, I have seen photos and video of a PT session with everyone maintaining I would say at least 10 feet of distance between themselves.

I'm not sure where the rules around what and what is not permissible would stem from - not likely to come from Brigade, possibly from Division but maybe even higher?

 

[MilEME09]

39 CBG command said the soldiers would have no interaction with family, friends or even with their colleagues. That said, I have seen photos and video of a PT session with everyone maintaining I would say at least 10 feet of distance between themselves.

I'm not sure where the rules around what and what is not permissible would stem from - not likely to come from Brigade, possibly from Division but maybe even higher?

I haven't seen anything that extreme in 41 CBG, so I am think it is not from Div level, it might be part of 39s mitigation plan.

 

[dimsum]

For G8/G20 we literally played 'on the bus, off the bus' with an actual bus. Someone thought our time would be well spent rehearsing that. We got a couple hours' notice to go and get on a bus, which then drove about an hour loop around Borden, then parked again and we all got off. Nothing more to it than that, we practiced a bus ride. It was tooneriffic.

I was going to say "that's ridiculous" but then I remembered it's the military.

 

[garb811]

If they are sitting around and doing nothing, that is a leadership failure to me, plenty of time to do a lot of IBTS related training, heck take them to the range and run a pwt 2. With such a large group there is a lot of potential for individual and collective training.

You must have read a bunch of different documents which originated from the CDS on down than I did then, because one of the things that everyone was ordered to do was to cease doing any kind of training which isn't operationally essential.  Last time I looked, "a lot of IBTS related training" and PWT2 aren't pre-reqs for Op LASER.

 

[MilEME09]

You must have read a bunch of different documents which originated from the CDS on down than I did then, because one of the things that everyone was ordered to do was to cease doing any kind of training which isn't operationally essential.  Last time I looked, "a lot of IBTS related training" and PWT2 aren't pre-reqs for Op LASER.

And yet I have seen 1 CER, and CFB Shilo post about driver courses going on right now. What is determined essential training? Plenty of DOMOP oriented training could be done and considered essential. Do firefighting training now, etc...

 

[BDTyre]

If they lack drivers I suppose they could get authorization to run people through as long as they observer proper precautions?

 

[Jarnhamar]

Unless the reserves plan on walking everywhere, doing any sort of task will mean members break the 6 or 10 foot rule.

I think it would be better to segregate them by section or platoon. That way they could also run low level training.

It's easy to be creative and write off ibts while doing relevant stuff. A month or longer of pt and white space? You could really get a lot done.

Or people could sit on their bunks, eat junk food and play on their phones.