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Here's my recruiting story. It's not a rant, but it is long, and has twists, turns, adventures, and werewolves. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you read on, i guarantee you will be entertained.
I've known for a while that i wanted to be in the army. I think i figured it out when i was in boy scouts. I stuck with scouts until i was about 16, then i joined the army cadets for a year, figuring i'd learn how to march and get a heads-up on rank structure and whatnot. That worked out well, and i applied for the CF shortly after my 17th birthday. I did my interviews, aptitude test, and everything when i was in grade 12. No problems, everything went smoothly, and I was offered a position with a (somewhat) local reserve unit as a Radio/Teletype Operator.
I did my basic at CFSCE in Kingston, during the summer of '98, and then went back to finish high school for the first semester of my OAC year. I finished halfway through and told my unit that i'd like to transfer to the regs after my trades training, and asked if they had any work for me in the meantime. They did, and i went back to CFSCE to act as enemy force for some RMC/CELE types who were doing their field portion in Petawawa. I met some great people there, mostly reg force patricias who taught us no-hook reservists more in a month than we'd learned in almost a year.
Then came my trades training, back at CFSCE. Easy enough course, but i did get in a bit of trouble and almost got RTU'd... twice. I got back to my unit in the fall and found that we had a new WO that knew my course warrant from that infamous QL3 i'd just taken. He dragged me into his office and let me know that he had his eye on me, and that I wasn't going anywhere (especially not the regs) until he was personally satisfied with my conduct. This was the beginning of the end.
I developed a bit of an attitude problem. Did OP ABACUS for the y2k 'crisis'. Had waited tables at a mess dinner and managed to get a tasking with 2SIGS up in pet immediately afterwards. Class C, so it looked like (after class C with ABACUS, and then again at 2SIGS) i was well on my way to full-time, regular force army work. Boy was i wrong. I requested a transfer from my unit to the regs, and was shocked to find that it was denied. I tried to go on my QL5 course, but was told that i hadn't been at my home unit enough to have qualified QL4 (on the job training).
I'm going to stop here and put in a bit of explanation. The QL4 for reservist in the Signals Operator trade at the time was merely to attend training throughout the training year, learn how to apply the skills they'd learned on their QL4 the summer before, and prepare for their QL5 by going on a few exercises. That's it. Just do a few weekends worth of exercises, have someone above you in the chain of command fill out the checklist saying you knew how to do everything, and you're done. Sounds easy enough, right? Not for me. I wasn't at my home reserve unit, i was with a regular force unit, doing their exercises. Same work, but more of it. In addition, i did a winter warfare course and advanced TCCCS training. I thought i'd be a shoe-in for a simple QL5. Nope. Denied.My request to stay in pet with what i now considered my unit was denied. I was told to return to my unit for the summer. They didn't have any work for me, they just wanted me back. In the reserves, this doesn't pay. At all.
I went out and got a part-time job. When the training year resumed in the fall, it got worse. My CO advised me that i wouldn't be transferred out, because they 'needed the numbers'.
I had, by now, developed quite the attitude problem, and a drinking problem to match. The next few months saw me getting in shit for all kinds of things, some my fault, some not. I focused on the things that weren't my fault, and decided the best way to go regs was to quit the reserves. The last straw was being told that i'd be supervising and helping to train the very same people whose 'superior' training had allowed them onto their QL5, and who now outranked me.
So i got out, and decided to get a civvie job for a while. In the auto industry. In 2001.So 9/11 happens and work gets slow, should i re-enlist now, and go regs? I think about it and decide to live a little before i go back in. I do a few strange jobs, and just generally try to enjoy life for a few years.
I reapply in 2005 and discover in the process that i have a warrant out for my arrest. That slows the process a bit, as you can imagine. I get that cleared up, and the charges are dropped, but i'm told that i now have to wait three years to join, even though i haven't been convicted of anything. That sucks, but i'm determined. I actually only waited about two and a half, and then re-apply.
This is Feb/Mar of 2009, now, by the way.
It took about five months for the recruiting process to yield anything promising; here are the highlights:
Passed interview without incident - highlites include me almost swearing when the Officer doing the interview points out my high school average in my last semester, and a lot of confusion over whether or not i'm married.
Medical was not an issue, apparently my eyesight and hearing are both better than i thought they were. Also better than my optometrist had me believing. Guess that's how optometrists get paid, eh?
BackCheck was interesting, i had some wacky old debts that i had to pay off, and a lot of addresses and employers to remember or loot up. Nothing like finding out that you owe Rogers for an old cable bill from five years ago, when you're currently with them for cable. Don't they check before they let you set up a new account? Anyways, besides paying off a crapload of old debts, there was also the 'references' thing. I had a hell of a time coming up with people that had known me for that long. Must just be me, though.
Then... waiting. Would i get a recruit school bypass? Would i pass my background checks? Was my debt paid off, and showing as so in the most recent credit reports? After a few months of waiting, i finally passed from the career counselor to a corporal whose job it was to get me into a BMQ.
He'd do that just as soon as he'd established whether i had to do one. More waiting. File sent to borden for review. More waiting. Sent for further review by someone higher up. More waiting and i finally played my whole hand.
My girlfriend is pregnant. This wasn't such a big thing back in March or April, but here in July it is. She's due at the end of October, and i doubt i'll get away with missing that. I tell the corporal type that i can't afford to wait for an answer on the recruit school bypass, just chuck me on the merit list, i'd like to get this done, and out of the way, ASAP.
Two or three days later i'm slated to get sworn back in (24JULY) and start BMQ (10AUGUST).
I've been running and training since i got that call. My muscles are aching, and I've got three weeks to get ready for it.
It feels great. I'm back on track. After an almost comically long wait to get into the regular force, i'm on my way to St. Jean.
Sorry if this post is a bit long, it was a long story.
Edited by Roy Harding (at the users request) to copy and paste his text - including formatting.
I've known for a while that i wanted to be in the army. I think i figured it out when i was in boy scouts. I stuck with scouts until i was about 16, then i joined the army cadets for a year, figuring i'd learn how to march and get a heads-up on rank structure and whatnot. That worked out well, and i applied for the CF shortly after my 17th birthday. I did my interviews, aptitude test, and everything when i was in grade 12. No problems, everything went smoothly, and I was offered a position with a (somewhat) local reserve unit as a Radio/Teletype Operator.
I did my basic at CFSCE in Kingston, during the summer of '98, and then went back to finish high school for the first semester of my OAC year. I finished halfway through and told my unit that i'd like to transfer to the regs after my trades training, and asked if they had any work for me in the meantime. They did, and i went back to CFSCE to act as enemy force for some RMC/CELE types who were doing their field portion in Petawawa. I met some great people there, mostly reg force patricias who taught us no-hook reservists more in a month than we'd learned in almost a year.
Then came my trades training, back at CFSCE. Easy enough course, but i did get in a bit of trouble and almost got RTU'd... twice. I got back to my unit in the fall and found that we had a new WO that knew my course warrant from that infamous QL3 i'd just taken. He dragged me into his office and let me know that he had his eye on me, and that I wasn't going anywhere (especially not the regs) until he was personally satisfied with my conduct. This was the beginning of the end.
I developed a bit of an attitude problem. Did OP ABACUS for the y2k 'crisis'. Had waited tables at a mess dinner and managed to get a tasking with 2SIGS up in pet immediately afterwards. Class C, so it looked like (after class C with ABACUS, and then again at 2SIGS) i was well on my way to full-time, regular force army work. Boy was i wrong. I requested a transfer from my unit to the regs, and was shocked to find that it was denied. I tried to go on my QL5 course, but was told that i hadn't been at my home unit enough to have qualified QL4 (on the job training).
I'm going to stop here and put in a bit of explanation. The QL4 for reservist in the Signals Operator trade at the time was merely to attend training throughout the training year, learn how to apply the skills they'd learned on their QL4 the summer before, and prepare for their QL5 by going on a few exercises. That's it. Just do a few weekends worth of exercises, have someone above you in the chain of command fill out the checklist saying you knew how to do everything, and you're done. Sounds easy enough, right? Not for me. I wasn't at my home reserve unit, i was with a regular force unit, doing their exercises. Same work, but more of it. In addition, i did a winter warfare course and advanced TCCCS training. I thought i'd be a shoe-in for a simple QL5. Nope. Denied.My request to stay in pet with what i now considered my unit was denied. I was told to return to my unit for the summer. They didn't have any work for me, they just wanted me back. In the reserves, this doesn't pay. At all.
I went out and got a part-time job. When the training year resumed in the fall, it got worse. My CO advised me that i wouldn't be transferred out, because they 'needed the numbers'.
I had, by now, developed quite the attitude problem, and a drinking problem to match. The next few months saw me getting in shit for all kinds of things, some my fault, some not. I focused on the things that weren't my fault, and decided the best way to go regs was to quit the reserves. The last straw was being told that i'd be supervising and helping to train the very same people whose 'superior' training had allowed them onto their QL5, and who now outranked me.
So i got out, and decided to get a civvie job for a while. In the auto industry. In 2001.So 9/11 happens and work gets slow, should i re-enlist now, and go regs? I think about it and decide to live a little before i go back in. I do a few strange jobs, and just generally try to enjoy life for a few years.
I reapply in 2005 and discover in the process that i have a warrant out for my arrest. That slows the process a bit, as you can imagine. I get that cleared up, and the charges are dropped, but i'm told that i now have to wait three years to join, even though i haven't been convicted of anything. That sucks, but i'm determined. I actually only waited about two and a half, and then re-apply.
This is Feb/Mar of 2009, now, by the way.
It took about five months for the recruiting process to yield anything promising; here are the highlights:
Passed interview without incident - highlites include me almost swearing when the Officer doing the interview points out my high school average in my last semester, and a lot of confusion over whether or not i'm married.
Medical was not an issue, apparently my eyesight and hearing are both better than i thought they were. Also better than my optometrist had me believing. Guess that's how optometrists get paid, eh?
BackCheck was interesting, i had some wacky old debts that i had to pay off, and a lot of addresses and employers to remember or loot up. Nothing like finding out that you owe Rogers for an old cable bill from five years ago, when you're currently with them for cable. Don't they check before they let you set up a new account? Anyways, besides paying off a crapload of old debts, there was also the 'references' thing. I had a hell of a time coming up with people that had known me for that long. Must just be me, though.
Then... waiting. Would i get a recruit school bypass? Would i pass my background checks? Was my debt paid off, and showing as so in the most recent credit reports? After a few months of waiting, i finally passed from the career counselor to a corporal whose job it was to get me into a BMQ.
He'd do that just as soon as he'd established whether i had to do one. More waiting. File sent to borden for review. More waiting. Sent for further review by someone higher up. More waiting and i finally played my whole hand.
My girlfriend is pregnant. This wasn't such a big thing back in March or April, but here in July it is. She's due at the end of October, and i doubt i'll get away with missing that. I tell the corporal type that i can't afford to wait for an answer on the recruit school bypass, just chuck me on the merit list, i'd like to get this done, and out of the way, ASAP.
Two or three days later i'm slated to get sworn back in (24JULY) and start BMQ (10AUGUST).
I've been running and training since i got that call. My muscles are aching, and I've got three weeks to get ready for it.
It feels great. I'm back on track. After an almost comically long wait to get into the regular force, i'm on my way to St. Jean.
Sorry if this post is a bit long, it was a long story.
Edited by Roy Harding (at the users request) to copy and paste his text - including formatting.
