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Chance of Deployment [Merged]

pter said:
Ok, Here's the story

I was infantry for two years then I saw the light and OT'd to 0168. I got posted to a very high profile unit and have been "deployed" according to the units standards. I want something more. I want a real deployment not a #$(ing vacation that I collected TD on. I really don't care where I go(I'll do GD on a Boxtop run). But for some reason I can't seem to be deployed. I'm dagged green, PDR/PER good at my job, ask my Sgt. almost everyday, and even put in a memo requesting a deployment! I didn't join the forces to sign autographs and sit on my *** all day in the off season.  Any suggestions?

Do the job you have and do it well. Keep asking. Your time will come too but maintain a positive attitude in everything you do.
 
Robert0288 said:
supply tech I think

That's what it looks like.
00168 - 911 - SUP TECH - VIE 3
http://www.army.ca/wiki/index.php?title=MOSID_and_MOC&redirect=no

 
Stay positive and be patient. I understand your frustration it took me 9 years to get deploy somewhere.
 
pter said:
Ok, Here's the story

I was infantry for two years then I saw the light and OT'd to 0168. I got posted to a very high profile unit and have been "deployed" according to the units standards. I want something more. I want a real deployment not a #$(ing vacation that I collected TD on. I really don't care where I go(I'll do GD on a Boxtop run). But for some reason I can't seem to be deployed. I'm dagged green, PDR/PER good at my job, ask my Sgt. almost everyday, and even put in a memo requesting a deployment! I didn't join the forces to sign autographs and sit on my *** all day in the off season.  Any suggestions?

So seeing this possibility was not included as part of "seeing the light"?

Ask for a posting to one of the service battalions this summer, then you will have a better chance of a deployment.  Did you think that your unit's establishment could handle losing one of its 911/168's for 6  months plus workups?


Regards
G2G
 
I was in 6 years before I got my first deployment bloody anywhere outside of Borden, Wainwright, Suffield and I was in the "right places" inside 1 CMBG.

Then I wasn't home for the next 7 years.

It will come. Learn your trade, become proficient in all things Bin Rat (listen to Vern, and others like her...wait, there's no one like Vern). Make it known that you want to go...anywhere, but be realistic. Asking to go to A'stan as a Sup Tech Pte/Cpl when we are ramping up a training mission is possible, but not probable.

Even the taskings to SAVs/TAVs, even if they are in "vacation spots," are important.

Wook
 
Hey guys, this a great forum. I went to a Navy recruiter at age 18 but was convinced not to join by my mom, who said better get an education and understand the world better before a commitment. At that time, they were eager to take me.

Well now I’m 26 and ready to commit! Unfortunately it's much tougher to get in. And I now have another obstacle: The fiancé. I searched the forum for this question and visited a recruiter. The experience was a disappointment. The recruiter was knowledgeable and a nice enough guy, but I got the vibe he saw I was a white male without an engineering degree, and wanted to move on as quickly as possible. The native high school kid in the booth next to me got a much warmer reception. Again, nothing against the recruiter, I’m sure he’s under pressure and understands the politics of recruitment much better than me, but it was discouraging.

So I didn’t get this question answered: Which trades are most likely, and least likely, to be deployed? I have nothing against deployment, and my preference is MARS and other naval positions which involve heavy deployment, but for my fiance’s sake, I agreed to explore other options. She has a weak relationship with her family and is bad at making friends, and I’m not confident in her mental strength to be alone for long periods of time. Hopefully this will change over time. 

From my research, this is what I gather are the least likely to be deployed for significant amounts of time, in seriously hostile areas, like Afghanistan:

Plumbing and heating technician
Meteorological technician
Communicator Research Operator
Pilot

Others that are certain to spend significant time away from home:

Aerospace control office/Operator
Infantry/Artillery/Armour
Intelligence
Anything naval, incl MARS, hull technician, engineers, Sonar
Health care administration/Medical
Weapons/ammo technicians

Does that sound about accurate?

Thanks
Dan
 
Hey there, good luck on your application! In terms of lesser deployment positions, I personally think that can be deceiving. Although you may not be deployed in some positions, there will be a great deal of time that you can be away for training, exercises, courses. I will speak to the other side of it, as my spouse is currently a member.

For your fiance, I will say that the military does have a great deal of resources in place to help family members while their significant other is away. While she might not have an easy time making friends, I will say that, at least in my cases, the people my husband works with and their spouses have been very warm and welcoming to me. There are also counselling services, some bases have support groups in place, and the MFRC. There is support for her if you are away.

That being said, it is difficult to have a spouse away on a regular basis. I think you would need to sit down and have a really serious conversation with her about your choices. I'm not sure how many spouses are prepared for "army life," and being a spouse, means that you are apart of it. For my husband, he went on tour before we actually got married to ensure that I could and wanted to handle this lifestyle. The thing is, nothing is guaranteed. I don't know if this helps, but it is just my two cents. Again, good luck!
 
Well, I just want to point out that, even in recruiting, personnel have different personalities.  Apparently, you are seeking position as an Officer and the lad next to you as an other rank ... two whole different ball-games; trying to compare the two is silly. And, the native Canadian in the booth next to you was being seen by a different person with a different personality than your particular staff. Some people have great personalities, others no so much. Please don't over analyze the situation while forgetting the basics of human interaction. The mountain of which you post is more than likely just a molehill.  ;)

As for the answer to your question to the recruiter about "who deploys the most", it is entirely unpredictable. It is totally dependent upon what missions our government chooses to send us to as participants. I still haven't met an individual who can accurately predict what those folks are thinking. A UN mission could see an "all-Loggie" task force with very minimal zero trade involvement by Canada such as we experienced during our decades in the Golan Heights. We could see a Naval Task Force, such as recently occured in Libya. We could see another mission that closely involves our front-line personnel and their support staff such as Afghanistan.

Your list below is entirely inaccurate as who is tasked to deploy is entirely dependent upon numerous things: mission requirements, tasks, goals, HQs requiring staff, type of mission.

If you are hoping to avoid deployment, or to minimize that, I'd suggest that you seriously consider whether or not the CF is actually for you. Unfortunately, it is what we do and we can't predict where, when, or who our Nation is going to call upon ... or how often that will occur. It's part of the business and that uncertainty is exactly why the CF is considered a lifestyle vice a job. If that uncertainty and unpredictability is really not OK with you, then really consider the consequences of siging on that line.
 
Thanks for the replies, it's nice to hear a spouse's perspective too ttlbmg ;)

This has been a delicate issue for her and I, since it's something I've always wanted to do, and has becoming increasingly important to me, given then direction our economic, military and culture is headed (not good on all counts!). I simply can't see myself in any other career or lifestyle long term.

ArmyVern, thanks for clearing that up. You're right, you cant extrapolate much from a simple brief exchange.  I'm actually glad to hear that deployments can't be predicted, I can pass that as justification for applying for the trades I wanted all along ;D I've always wanted to be in the Navy and live near a port town, which would be useful for post-career life skills too.

 
Just remember too that you won't necessarily be posted to the coast for your whole career.  Depending on the trade and rank achieve, you can certainly expect at least one posting to somewhere like Ottawa for example.  If your trade were RMS Clerk for another example you could be posted to pretty much any unit (including a reserve unit) as well.
 
Danno1 said:
So I didn't get this question answered: Which trades are most likely, and least likely, to be deployed? I have nothing against deployment, and my preference is MARS and other naval positions which involve heavy deployment, but for my fiance's sake, I agreed to explore other options. She has a weak relationship with her family and is bad at making friends, and I'm not confident in her mental strength to be alone for long periods of time. Hopefully this will change over time. 

Dan,

There is more to military life than just postings and deployments. There are NUMEROUS career and non career courses that your Chain of Command could and probably will send you on. I haven't been in the military long, only going on my 4Th year and going on my first deployment. That being said, the 3 years I've been posted to my current base, I have actually been "On Ground" for a maybe a total timeframe of a year. Something to think about with military life, your spouse WILL need close friends if not family support for times you are gone. Something to think about, I would hate to see you sign up and have your engagement fall apart, as some do. However, if the military is something you want to do, follow it. Just know that it is a commitment that you AND your spouse will have to make.
 
There are resources like the MFRCs that can assist spouse's and, if things haven't changed too much, your spouse will become part of that "families left behind" family that tend to look after each other when mbr's are deployed.

Its not all doom and gloom and she will have the choice to become, or not become, part of a bigger family.

:2c:
 
Since you're looking to be in the Navy but want the flexibility of not having to deploy all the time, I'd suggest checking out the Naval Reserve.  I don't know where you live, but if it's near a relatively-large city, there's a unit there.  But, as everyone has said, the mobile lifestyle of the military isn't just due to deployments; courses, postings and other things will make you move around quite a bit - sometimes at short notice.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I do worry about my marriage crumbling, but my incessant chatter about the military will probably cause her to leave me anyway  ;D

I do think the similar circumstances of military spouses and the support centre would be helpful, especially since she's pretty isolated in her daily life here. We live in Toronto, where urban isolation is the norm.

-

I do have another question without an easy answer, rather than start a new thread, hopefully I can just post here. I asked the recruiter, and he was understandably hesitant to give me an answer, since there is no clear answer.

What are the most consistently easier Forces jobs to enter, and what are the more consistently difficult?

Consistency being the key here. I see pilots are currently accepting applications, but I've also read that they are among the most applied for position, and one person listed the odds as 800 to 1. So it's not as simple as checking the website. Im not going to take just any job to get in and try to switch, but it's impractical to not consider the odds when applying.

I asked the recruiter if I could write the CFAT to narrow my options and assess my skills before being procesed into a position, he told me I can't do anything before a position is open.

So, is there a rough list of positions that are generally more in demand, compared to trades that are generally less in demand?

Thanks! And excuse my long post. I figure better to have all my questions in one thread.



 
Dimsum said:
Since you're looking to be in the Navy but want the flexibility of not having to deploy all the time, I'd suggest checking out the Naval Reserve.  I don't know where you live, but if it's near a relatively-large city, there's a unit there.  But, as everyone has said, the mobile lifestyle of the military isn't just due to deployments; courses, postings and other things will make you move around quite a bit - sometimes at short notice.

Thanks for the suggestion, I thought about the reserves. Here's why I decided against it:

1) Training takes so long since it's weekend based. I would prefer to leave my job and do training all at once
2) It can be difficult to switch from Reserve to Regular. The recruiter told me it's significantly easier to switch from Regular to Reserve.

 
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