infantry question...

[adonis]

hey, im only 14 and after watching the show, truth duty valour, i decided that i might join the army when im old enough...

how long do we have to be in the army before we can quit? how long would it take to do the recruit training and stuff until your conidered a "real" soldier?
and i live in toronto and the closest training facilty is in collingwood (wich is far away form me), am i gonna have to drive down there everytime? or can we sleep there?

sorry if this post is "useless" or "waste of space" but im new to these forums 






ps: i think all of you soldiers are amazing at the stuff that you do!   

 

[Lost_Warrior]

First off.  Welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately, I can only properly answer you from a Reservist standpoint.  Things are different in the regs.  Are you considering joining the reserves?  if so, here's some answers to the best of my ability.

how long do we have to be in the army before we can quit?

In the reserves, there is no contract.  You can leave when ever you want.

  how long would it take to do the recruit training and stuff until your considered a "real" soldier?

Right now in the reserves, BMQ (Basic Training) is 3 and a half weeks.  SQ (Soldier Qualification) is about the same and BIQ (Infantry Qualification) is about 4 weeks long.

and i live in toronto and the closest training facilty is in collingwood (wich is far away form me), am i gonna have to drive down there everytime? or can we sleep there?

If you're doing a weekend course, you will most likely sleep at the armory on the weekends.  If it's a full time course, you will be posted at a base somewhere for the duration of your course.

Hope this info helps.

 

[paracowboy]

hello, adonis
first, do you really think this is the sort of thing you want to go through life with? How long do I have to do something before I can quit? Or do you mean something like "How long is the average contract I would sign?" You sign for 3 years. After that time has expired you can choose to sign for another 3, or return to civilian life. There are other options, but I do believe this is the minimum contract you will encounter. (if I'm wrong, someone will be along to correct me and rub my nose in it, shortly.)

how long would it take to do the recruit training and stuff until your conidered a "real" soldier?

In whose opinion? In my opinion, and the CF, you are a "real soldier" the moment you complete Basic Training. Then you will go on to further training in your chosen trade: Infantry, Clerk, Infantry, Airframe Technician, Infantry, etc

and i live in toronto and the closest training facilty is in collingwood (wich is far away form me), am i gonna have to drive down there everytime? or can we sleep there?

Once you go off to Basic training, you will be given rooms to stay in. And when you complete that training, you will move to another Base,w here you will be given a room. Once you coomplete your training, and are assigned to a unit (*cough3 PPCLI!cough*), you will be assigned a room, until you decide to move out on your own.

Now, you have at least 2 years before you can sign with a Reserve unit, so you still have time to mull it over. Until then, have you considered the Cadets? It would give you a taste of Army life, and you will get to do some pretty cool stuff. There is a forum specifically for the Cadets on this site that would be able to provide you with information.
Hope this helped.

 

[Pte_Martin]

first of all you can be in the reserves when you turn 16 and you can do that though school and get paid as well as co-op credits for it. With the reserves you can quit anytime like a normal job, you would go one night a week and one weekend a month to train. To become a infantry soldier you need three course BMQ, SQ, and DP1 ( i think that's it) you could do that in the summer at Meaford or i think you  can do some courses on weekends. I think the nearest infantry unit in toronto is the argyles. If you decide to go reg force then it's a three year contract and a lot longer training. If i were you though i would do a little more research about the army to see if you are really into it, don't judge it by a TV show,  Good Luck though if you have anymore questions you can PM  me

 

[adonis]

i have been at air cadets.. but it was sortof boring because all we did was drills and we got offered to go gliding but the field was too wet and stuff.. but i like army stuff better (i like playing paintball [it envolves strategy and sutff] and i like playing shooting games and sutff)

so if i join the army, im going to have to be in the army for 3 years before i can leave?

 

[Island Ryhno]

Basic engagements are changed now, it's not standard 3 years across the board. Sig op and Armoured I know are 5 year BE's. I don't know about the rest but a recruiter could tell you that, in 3 or 4 years. Good luck.

 

[adonis]

and one of the other reasons i want to become a soldier is because my great-grandfather was a high-rank in the Hungarian army...

 

[Lost_Warrior]

so if i join the army, im going to have to be in the army for 3 years before i can leave?

As we mentioned, if you join the Reserves, you can leave at any time.

 

[Michael OLeary]

so if i join the army, im going to have to be in the army for 3 years before i can leave?

adonis,

even the 3 year Basic Engagement isn't completely firm (though at times of very high attrition soldiers have been held to it). If you decide during basic training that the military isn't for you, you can request a voluntary release.

As you explore the forums, you'll find plenty of good information to start your reading with linked from the FAQ threads in the Recruiting and Infantry forums:

Recruiting FAQ - http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/21101.0.html
Infantry FAQ - http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/21131.0.html

Welcome to Army.ca

 

[adonis]

what do you do in reserves? do you still go training with weapons, help people out, etc?

 

[Michael OLeary]

adonis, slow down and start reading, you'll get a good impression of many things that Reserve and Regular Force soldiers do in their training.

 

[adonis]

adonis, slow down and start reading, you'll get a good impression of many things that Reserve and Regular Force soldiers do in their training.

alright, thanks   sorry if im asking allot of questions at once..

 

[Pte_Martin]

here's another good site that tells you info on the reserves http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/army_reserve.asp

 

[Lost_Warrior]

what do you do in reserves? do you still go training with weapons, help people out, etc?

Of course.  The reserves is still the army.  We just don't train as often as our Reg force counterparts.  Reserves usually train one night a week and 1 or 2 weekends a month, with 2 one week long exercises a year, where as the reg force do it every day.

 

[canadianblue]

If I could do it all again I would go back and apply to the reserves while I was in High School. Maybe you should go talk to a recruiter, or see if their are any Army cadet activities in your area. I was in Police Cadets and it gave me a good taste of what law enforcement is like as well as a chance to do drill, dress, and deportment, volunteer work, reports, presentation, self defense, shooting a Glock while doing a basic firearms course, presentations, etc. I would take a guess that army cadets would give you an idea of what the army is like.

 

[adonis]

police cadets  ???

 

[canadianblue]

Yeah I was in Edmonton Police Service Cadets for two years. It was a great experience, plus the more senior cadets were given job oppurtunities to work in the fraud and economic crimes unit, summer student, etc. If I had stayed on a third year and went with the reserves instead of regular force then I'm sure that I would have had more oppurtunities to explore within law enforcement through that program.

 

[patrick666]

If you are hesitant to register in cadets because of a distaste for drill... boy are you not going to like the army. The cadets would be a great experience for somebody your age in that you will learn many relevant skills. All I can say is, why not? Go for it. You are young and have opportunity to really build yourself up into a strong, smart soldier. Don't be so quick to pick a trade, while Infantry may be your goal, have a look at the recruiting site (www.jointheforces.com) and read about the rest of the possibilities you could be a part of.

Best of luck and stay in school, you will go nowhere without your diploma.

Cheers

 

[canadianblue]

I sucked at drill my first year in Cadets, but have improved by quite a bit. I say go for cadets, it'll definitely be a good experience. Plus learning some drill now can help you when you decide to join the army.

 

[paracowboy]

have a look at the recruiting site (www.jointheforces.com) and read about the rest of the possibilities you could be a part of.

or go Infantry, and then look at other trades.