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live from st. jean

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Holy dogcrap! A WHOLE 5 KMs?  With stuff in your ruck?  And then the obstacle course? Hope you got the next day off, man, sounds brutal.  I would have quit right there...
 
In the '70s, it was 10 miles (13 Km I guess), climb the 6' wall, jump the 6' trench, Firemans Carry for 100 m and then for some silly reason run around the 880 track.  As time passed, things got dropped.  First was the 880, then the trench, then the wall and now all that is left is the 13 Km BFT and Firemans's Carry.  Life was good.  Then there is that "Njmegan Hobble" after is is all over with.  ;D
 
bled - no one was flaming you - just trying to subdue the masses that you may have alarmed  ::)
 
Wow, this sounds a whole lot more hard core than I was there in 01....um then again not. That's the way BMQ has always been. Also don't believe the shite people keep telling you there. You know that rumour about SQ and BMQ being integrated? Yeah it was the same rumour 5 years ago, oh this is the last 10 week bmq, the next one is going to be 17 weeks. Let me guess some of the other "hard core" stuff that was done: Things thrown out the windows(unless they banned that one, I believe some recruits wanted to jump out the windows) they shred your cube before it's even looked at and say it was a shitty inspection, you had to hold the pushup position endlessly, you marked time everywhere, you do rifle pt, you weren't allowed to chain move stuff up the stairs, you had to carry it the whole way...yourself, you were made to stand at attention through an entire lecture period. IT NEVER CHANGES, it's the same mind games over and over and over, you know why? It works, it weeds out the mentally weak, physicality has nothing to do with it, no matter how many runs they take you on, you only ever have to meet the standard. This sounds like a new wind up of the same old toy.
 
Bled you are blowing that way to far. If I listend to every horror story about the courses I went on along with everybody else there would be no one there. Basic is not that hard its a course to introduce people to the military way of life. of course it will be a hard transition for many but dude thousands of people have done it millions have done it and believe me it was alot harder back in the 60s and 70s then now.You poor thing running 5km a day dude that must be harsh. when I went through basic I Probably had the hardest staff in the whole school Mcpl toutant Sgt Roy Sgt guyson to name a few. Another thing, You want to bash the reserves and what they do, keep that attitude up and you will have a few bad nights at the bar. I hope your going infantry RCR I will see you in meaford ;). You think basic is hard  ;D . it must be hard sitting Thur those MK classes, it must be hard when you instructor is telling you that you have a dirty window Sile. the moderator might ban me from the web site for saying this stuff but its little punks like you that give us army guys a hard name in the local towns. Rolling into the local clubs with you dog tags whipped out thinking your so hardcore you make me sick. Iv been around the site for a while you want to get on and bash people about what they have accomplished wait till you get that cornflake off you beret before you do it. Feel free to write back and challenge what iv done please.
 
lol naw man, i'm not one of those punks with the dogtags out. and I know SQ and BIQ is way tougher, and sorry if I got over excited explaining the stories, but I was just trying to stress the point to come in here knowing that it will be hard, cause the majority of people in the first 5 weeks all say the same thing "I had no idea it would be like this"  

I wasn't trying to be an ***, I was just trying to give advice to the new recruits, to come in as best prepared as possible.   and yes... the SQ/bmq thing isn't a rumour, its actually happening, its not a 10 week course anymore, we're on an 11 week, and 2 platoons behind us are on a 13 week.

Thats funny that you had sgt. TXXXXX (sp?)   when did you have him? that guy is still kicking around st. jean, badass as ever lol. Some of the guys from my platoon got roasted coming back from the bars for having a cell phone seeable through the top of his shirt pocket lol, they got *** reamed pretty nicely for that one =)

I know bmq isn't the most hardcore thing out there, it just makes it easier if you know what you are getting into, and despite all the reading you can do on this site, or in books, no civy is truely prepared for it until they are there, going through it themselves. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm just making sure people don't kid themselves into thinking bmq isn't that bad.


anyways i'm gonna go, later all, and good luck in whatever trade you persue =) Maybe i'll see some of you here in a few weeks lol. Gluck

MOD EDIT: Do not mention names. PERSEC
 
I haven't read this whole thread so forgive me if this is a repeat. I have to disagree with bled's comments that's it's 'more hardcore'. I was in bmq June 2005 and am being recoursed to the 11 week winter bmq in January 2006. I will be 46 years old when I go back in January and I'm not afraid, I'm actually looking forward to it.

We also started with 60+ members in June and graduated around 38 people in August. People fall out for various reasons.

BMQ is 'hardcore'  if that's the way you want to describe it. It's not band camp.  Yes, our instructors swore at us too. No, we didn't run with the slowest runners, we strove to keep up with the fast ones. Yes, they make you do pushups for punishment. Yes, you have to get up at 05:30 and can't get back in your rack until 23:00.  Yes, you do pt 3-5 mornings per week. No, we didn't get weekend leave every weekend. Sounds about the same to me. No more or less 'hardcore' than it was before. And bled's comments are not new to this forum. Lots of people who've been recently to bmq have said the same things.

The only new thing I can see is that bled has access to the internet....that NEVER happened in my bmq. Maybe he's at some internet cafe while on weekend leave. That was the farthest thing from my mind when I finally got a few days off, but to each their own.

If it was easy, it wouldn't even be worth the effort IMHO.

Be in the best physical and mental condition you can be in. Try your best. Learn from your instructors. Don't whine. Ask questions if you have them and they aren't totally stupid ones and you will be fine. Determination, physical readiness, good attitude = success.

Sounds to me like bled was living in la-la land prior to bmq and then woke up in the real world in a bunk in St. Jean, P.Q. :D
 
Bled sorry dude but I cant see them Knocking a 7 week sq course down to add a few extra weeks on to bmq you guys are not doing c9, c6 Carl G. If this is true and I'm not saying it is what will they do with the guys going in the navy there not going to waste time and money teaching sailors how to be soldiers. what about instructors they will have to get more army guys to the base to teach it because only soldiers can teach soldier qualification. cheers
 
nowhere have I ever said that Basic would be easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. I continually stressed that it will challenge everybody, and that for some, it will be the most difficult thing they have ever attempted.

What I have also said, repeatedly, is that it is not intended to be easy, but neither is it intended to be impossible.

You will be challenged, you will want to quit at times, you will question your choices. Some will find the difficulties insurmountable, no matter what we say. That is the reason for the difficulties. To find those who cannot hack it and get rid of them.

But, they cannot fail you if you meet the Standard. They will not deliberately single you out to fail. They want you to succeed.

Panic is not an asset. It is a liability. Realize it will be difficult. Have faith that you can do it.

If it were easy, anyone could do it, and it wouldn't be worth doing.
It ain't, they can't, and it is.

Do your PT, keep a positive attitude, and NEVER QUIT.
I have faith in you. You should too.
Chill out.
 
I am starting week 9 in St. Jean, this will be our 2nd of 3 weeks in Farnham.  We will be staying in hooches
and living on hard rations for 2 weeks while conducting a field exercise in a mock up of Kandahar.  This was not
part of the 10 week course, from what I understand, they did 1 week in Farnham and stayed in the barracks.  So
from my perspective, things have definitely changed from the last couple years.

In our platoon, which is the first of the 11 week courses, we had 1 reservist of a couple years and 1 member who was re-enlisting who
had taken boot camp 20 years ago.  The reservist was re-coursed and could not physically keep up.  The ex-Master Corporal told me
that he figures this course was tougher than the one 20 years ago, not physically, but because they were heaping so much stuff on us
at one time.

Now I do not know how the reservist BMQ is like, or what BMQ was like 10 years ago, but right now, compared to the pre-summer courses
things have gotten much tougher.  Some quick little things that have changed:

10 week course:  obstacle course 1-2 times, 1 week farnham, weapons week 7, no early morning runs, only couple ruck marches.
11 week course:  obstacle course 5-6 times, 3 week farnham, weapons week 5, 2-3 early morning runs per week, 1-2 ruck marches per week after week 5.

No, it is not impossible or incredibly hard, be prepared and know that the video they show is of the 10 week course, which was easier than what is going on now.  A new video is in the process of being made, my platoon is one of the stars.

Just be prepared, mentally and physically and you will be fine.

Spctr.
 
Some things have definitely changed, but with the exception of the 3rd Farnham week and the changing of when weapons was, we did pretty much what you describe in the 10 week course.

We also slept in hooches and not the barrakcs and lived off of ration packs for the most part.

This was all last summer.
 
Yeah dude I dont know where your getting that the 10 week course slept in the shacks in farnham. we slept in the dirt there also we  were in the field for 2 weeks week 8 and 9
 
bled12345 said:
k, i'm typing this semi-toasted at the recruit bistro, 8 weeks in...

WRONG!!!! With the new and improved bmq, everything has gotten way more hardcore, if you don't come in here at tip top shape, you will injure yourself, or they will cut you from the platoon. The instructors aren't here to babysit you. If you aren't fit, they will send you to the MIR, you will miss an important class, and they will recourse you back to week 1 or 2 just to make a point. There is full on swearing, sadistic pt, no sleep etc etc. Its pretty much full metal jacket, minus the physical beating, but trust me they do things far worse than hit you lol...

i only have 3 more minutes on the internetmachine so i will try to make it quick.   uhhh what else to say, oh yeah... just dont go in thinking it won't be that bad, the first 3 weeks you are here, you are waking up at   4-5 in the morning, and working the whole day until you go to sleep at 11. There are morning pt's about 3-4 times a week, so you wake up at about 4:30, shave, make your bed, then go for a 5 k march. Here's another rumour to clarifhy... "you run at the pace of the slowest platoon member" wrong. If you fall out, they will give you major crap and frig you up the ***, you run at the sargeants pace. 
OK This entire post angers me...
Friday Sept. 30th, 8:05 PM and you have three minutes left on the computer in the recruit bistro.  OK... Recruit bistro... Internet Machines in the Basement... Both out of order... Wow.. After supper the mess opens at what... 6 for computer gaming, pool, X-Box, Movies... The bar wouldn't even be open yet anywhere but the snake pit... Therefore I have come to the conclusion that you AREN'T drunk at the time and you AREN'T in the recruit bistro...
Now to tackle the whole PT jargon you threw up in the air. Like you said a lot in your quote... BS... I've spent the last two summers at the wonderful place called me MEGA and have seen many a person with the likes of you... Trying to sound all overly hardcore and 'big'.  Those of you reading this out there don't worry about what this guy says... You can pass the PT test and do some ruck marches you're good to go... I've seen some of the least fit people I've ever met make it through that course and also fit people not make it and unfit people not make it...

Don't let this over-exaggeration hold you back from trying something you wish to do with your life. :cdn:
 
OK sorry but... I've got another one for Bled... As far as *THE NUMBERS* go, who cares?  All that means is:
1)  The system is weeding out the sacks.
2)  The system is weeding out the ones who wanted to experience it, did, and couldn't handle it.
3)  The system is weeding out the really unfit.

BUT you can't tell me that there are no people on your course right now who are not good at PT and regularly drop out yet are still going to graduate from the course...
:threat:
 
This BMQ sounds nothing different of the one that my DH was on and graduated from in June. 

His was 10 weeks long and spent two weeks living out in the field in Farnham on rations.  He got up at 4:30 and wasn't allowed to sleep until 11 at night and he spent lots of time shining his boots and preparing for inspections everyday.

Armyjewelz. like your DH, my Dh is 31 and has a larger build, I call him my football player.  Consuequently he is not the best runner, struggles with it really.  Most of the time his SGT.  made him run in the front with him to make sure that he kept up and strided to try harder.  Now on the rucksack marches he kicked ass and was leaving all the little guys that were able to run circles around him behind in the dust.  Not everyone is gong to be great at everything.   

There was approx. 25% of the platoon that VR'd as they couldn't hack it but it was for a variety of different reasons, some couldn't handle being told what to do and some couldn't ahndle being away from their families.  Their was only one person that didn't pass due to physical abilities.  There were approximately 5 out of the platoon that were recoursed due to medical reasons, all fo them their knees.

I don't know if anyone has said it in this thread or not but the whoel thing about basic for the first half is they are trying to break you.  THey will call you down to the lowest and make you feel like you are not worthy to live and they will work you hard.  I think that most people know that this is going to happen but until you are in the position you don't realize how hard it is on you.  As long as you have a strong support team at home letting you know how great you are donig and how proud they are of you you will be fine.  After week five than they back off a little unless you take advantage of it.  As long as you make it to the half way mark you are pretty much sailing. 
 
heh wow, ok well whatever, I'm finding it challenging, mentally and physically.  Are people saying that i'm lying, and that they aren't trying to combine SQ with BMQ? then why are there 2 platoons doing a 13 week course... The sgt's specifically said that was what was happening, its not just rumours from the smoke pit.

secondly, I was talking to a master seaman in the bistro (before I started this thread) and he said the new C.O. of the school is really PT heavy, he doesn't care if you are supply, airforce supply, naval cook etc. He wants to see this school pump out soldiers, so he told the staff to up the intensity of the PT alot, and voila... thats exactly whats happening.



I don't see why everyone is arguing so much with me. I'm saying that BMQ is tough, and that it really drains the **** out of you mentally and physically, and then everyone comes on to flame me and say measure their penis because obviously the course they passed 5, 10, 15 years ago or whatever, was infinitely more intense than the new and altered course.  If that makes you feel better about yourself, great. Point being, BMQ is tough, come prepared, this is nothing like the BMQ video. Nothing like it at all....




and to the flamer who is getting all technical on the bistro and me using the internet?  your saying theres something fishy about me drinking beers at 8 pm on a saturday night in the bistro downstairs on the 1 working internet machine? hmmmm.... get a life and stop playing sherlock
 
Like I said in my post I have met many of people like him that believe basic training is the military.They think they are hardcore until they go on other courses where the "weeding out" still continues. Basic training is a introduction for all different types of people into all the elements of the Canadian forces. If you have a little bit of drive in you, you should pass this course no problem. As for the instructors "weeding" most of the slack @$$es out that part is true, however if you fail to perform and make it look like you are not giving it your all, your course mates will also make you feel very uncomfortable. Remember you have to live with them. I will not go as far to say that this course is a joke however its not impossible. Bled said that if you come into that course not knowing what your getting yourself into you will fail out, that is the biggest pile of BS ever. Nobody that goes there knows exactly what they are getting themselves into thats how you learn. Anyways enough from me for today. :) ;) You guys that are going in new will do excellent if you want it. Especially if you are  a Newfoundlander ;D
 
thanks for all the advice i am pretty confindante in myself but i wasjust curious to the running pace i can run a 2.4km in about 10 25 at best and i was reading the failing to prepare is prepring to fail article and it says that the recruit should be able to run the 2.4km  in the superior time for your age and i was just curious if that is the pace you usually go at when running? also i can do 4.5km in 20 00 minutes or so??
 
To Piper:Well said Bud. Very well said 
 
M payne I think there is a thread about running.. .Check it out.. .:)

The PT is not impossible (nor is it overly hard), most of the instructors are sane (I say most for a reason) and spending two weeks (with a break in between to go back for the weekend I believe) in the field sleeping in hoochies and eating rats is almost like a vacation from CFLRS (no marching, less to do on inspections) and certainly is no big deal at all.

Tell me they don't eat rats? Man.. do I hope that happens AFTER he comes home from Christmas break... there's something about Kissing a man who had rats for lunch... Ahem.. BLECH!
 
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