on my way to Shilo for RES BRT...any Res sig op's out there?

[greenhorn]

I am on my way to Shilo for the summer for my Reserve BRT, and I am wondering if any one out there has any input into the TP and what I can expect.  I have researched BRT at CFLRS but I must assume it will be very different, but how much so?  My other concern is that I just turned 30, am I gonna be the old lady there?  How are moms looked upon at basic?  Anyone have any preplanning tips for me before I get there?  Thanks for any help.

 

[M Perseus]

Hey Greenhorn,
I wish I had answer for you but I'm going to Shilo this summer too, also for Sig Op. I'm hopefully leaving in July.
I just finished up everything on Thursday, just need to be sworn in and get my gear. I'm joining the 709 (Toronto) Comm., you?
I'm not sure how moms are looked upon, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. As far as age goes, I'll be 26 when I go and every recruit I've met so far is young. The oldest has been about 21, so I have a feeling you and I will be apart of the few older recruits. Everyone I've met so far have all been either university students or high school students, and I don't seem to have anything in common with any of them. But, I'm sure after the first few days age won't make a bit of difference.
I hope I get the opportunity to train with you.

Mike

 

[1feral1]

Take it from the Old Dog here....

To sum up, anticipate the worst, and hope for the best (culture shock and adjustment to your new life), but remember a little bit of hard work and team building never hurt anyone. Thats all it is. Learning new things in a new way, and paying attention to detail.

Enjoy your summer. You'll make friends for life, and do things you never thought possible, plus you'll remember this experience for the rest of your days.

Don't look into things too deep and have fun. Over the years 100s of thousands of Canadians made it through in the past, and I am sure you will too.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Wes

 

[2929]

Ahh Shilo, the best and worst times of my life. The following was what I experienced, your experience may differ:

• wake up
• run for a bit
• shower
• march to the mess
• eat
• march a few km's to class
• fall asleep during powerpoint presentation (not recommended)
• march a few km's to the mess
• eat
• march a few km's to class
• fall asleep during powerpoint presentation (not recommended)
• march a few km's to the mess
• eat
• march to the barracks
• inspection
• yelling
• pushups
• another inspection
• if lucky less yelling
• if unlucky ruckmarch
• section jobs
• prep stuff for the next day
• sleep
• fire alarm
• get eating alive by mosquitoes
• sleep again

Reapeat the steps listed above for the next 8 weeks. For the last 4 weeks carry around some heavier weapons and replace a couple of the weeks in garrison w/ a field ex. That in a nutshell was my basic trg in Shilo.

Now for your next question (less sarcasm this time I promise). At 30 years old you will definitely be one of the oldest females there and one of the older recruits. The oldest female on my course was 24 w/ no kids. She was way more mature then the rest of the females who ranged between 16 and 20 years old. She never really fit in with the other females. The oldest male I believe was 43 w/ 3 kids. He was a firefighter and in excellent shape but quit within the first week and a half because he missed his kids and hated being bossed around by instructors half his age. The army was not his thing. We also had two other older recruits aged 33 and 38. Wanna know what they (and I) felt basic was like? Think highschool... I'm serious, basic (at least the living with other recruits part) was like highschool all smushed and compressed and sped up to fit into a two month time period.

Here comes the advice part. Keep an open mind, always work together with the other recruits, do what your told as fast as possible and to the best of your abilities, and don't be a jackass know it all loudmouth. I know that sometimes you will miss your family, especially as a mother, don't let that hold you back. Try looking on the bright side, if you fail you'll be home even sooner (jk don't do that, it's bad :tsktsk You will only be there for 8 weeks, take it day by day, make friends, challenge yourself and hopefully before you know it it'll all be over, you'll feel good about what you have accomplished and you will be back home with your family.

Good luck!

 

[GDawg]

You won't be the oldest one there, my unit is sending an old guy, super gung ho though.
I'm going for PLQ for the same start date as you and I've also been tapped for instructing the next BMQ intake, should be a wild summer, too bad it totally screwed up my regularly scheduled leave plan    I suppose I  can always take December off and fly to the States for some more Desert hiking...

 

[Sigs Pig]

I think Boehm summed it up nicely and everyone always has their own thoughts on basic.  My one thought about it is that you treat your feet as though they are your best friends!  They are going to carry you through the two months (except when you are on your belly with a mouthful of sand!) and deserve as much TLC as you can spare.

I also did my BMQ/SQ there last year at the young age of 46 and had no second thoughts on why I was there.  Had a couple of mid-30's ladies in my Platoon that were going through rough times, one RTU'ed before SQ and it was basically over missing the family.
Another thing to remember is that the instructors are there for your own good.  Some say they are there for THEIR own enjoyment, but they still want you to do your best. 

I would recommend NOT to take items like your fuzzy slippers, hair dryer/curling irons, bulky housecoat, etc. as your personnal space is VERY limited.  One dresser drawer.  The rest is in civvy lockup, untouchable until the end of the course. 
Take Q-tips as the they are great to clean the weapons and get the sand out of the ears...

Have fun!
ME

 

[Roy Harding]

Greenhorn:

My wife attended Cornwallis (I know that's dating her) when she was 33, after our kids were all in school and didn't need a full time Mom at home anymore.  She experienced few problems on the physical side, despite her diminutive stature (5' 2", about 100 lbs soaking wet), although she did say she got through the ruck marches on pure grit - which she has plenty of.

She said the hardest part was the lack of people her own age, she was surrounded by kids.  Her experience was a while ago (1991), and I understand that "more mature" recruits are more common now, so perhaps you won't run into this problem with the same intensity as she.

Good luck to you.

Roy Harding

 

[greenhorn]

You guys are great, awesome insights, think of anymore you can drop me a line. Boehm, your list was so helpful, I'm sure M Perseus appreciated it also.  M Perseus, I will be there from July 4th to Aug 26th.  I am attached to 722 SQN in St John, NB, but I live at Base Gagetown, Oromocto, NB.  I get my kit on Tuesday, I just "Swore In" last Tuesday.  I am beyond excited but scared of the PT as my physical fitness leaves much to be desired.  Hopefully basic will smooth off the edges.  Are you leaveing any family behind?  Again Thank you for such speedy responses, have a great day everyone.

 

[theseeker]

just remember a couple of things. :you are there to learn
                                                  : you are there as part of a team
                                                  : take all you can and ask for more

but above all else you are the same as all recruits there: new. be there friend and helper, not there mother...

when i was 18 and on my reserve BMQ all people there ranged for 18 -21 except one guy that was 31. he treated us with respect and fairness, not like we were his younger kids.

 

[ggranatstein]

I had the pleasure of serving as platoon commander of a recruit course at Comm Res School (Shilo) last summer.

Any specific questions? I probably won't answer them all....   

 

[greenhorn]

Sure Habitant, I definately have some specific questions, first, what are the quarters like, a lrg co-ed room or individual rooms like CFLRS?  So many different opinions of what it will be like, friends say one thing, hubby another.  Do I have to be able to bo chin ups?  As of right now, not a chance, I try daily at the gym. :-\  I hear the meals are good.  Is the weather dry and hot or humid and hot.  I know the hot part already.  Some say parts of the base are like a desert.  Are you in comms?  Do you like it?  Have you been on a tour yet?  Are you in St John by chance?  I'm sure more questions will come to me but that shoud be good for now.  Thanks, GH

 

[ggranatstein]

Ok.. here we go:

1. Quarters last year was a converted school house (T-100) it was barracks style with 2-3 rooms per platoon. Supposedly, that will change this year to something similar but different building. To be honest, I don't think it will be done yet.

2. Chin-ups were not important last year - we had very few chin-up bars available. Pusgups are king and given out freely.

3. I was there for four months and could NOT handle the kitchen after the first month. Too repetitive. However, you will learn to love meal times.. it's quiet... Food is nutritious are there are always options. It's the least of your worries. You will eat well.

4. Weather is hot and dry, cold and dry, wet and humid. LOTS OF BUGS. bring industrial strength deet if you care for it. Regardless, you will get eaten alive.

5. I am a Log O in a Comms unit. I love my job and my unit (Montreal). Oh.. I love the army too.

6. PT - I can't stress this enough. You MUST prepare yourself physically for the course. Go jogging for 1 hour, 3 times a week from now until you leave. if you don't, you will suffer. Forget chin-ups. Running will prepare you the best. You will be less tired and less prone to injury. My course had a significant number of RTUs due people who either mentally or physically could not keep up with the pace of the course. Good cardio will make your life easier. As a result of my experiences with recruits, I implemented a "pre-recruit" training program at the unit to train soldiers to be ready for Shilo. It's expensive to recruit people only to have them come home early from Shilo....

7. I have not been on tour but am planning on it in the next 1.5 years. I have started to train with Psy Ops for that goal.

I think that should answer some questions.. Anything else?

 

[Sig_Des]

Some say parts of the base are like a desert.

I sometimes still find sand from Shilo in my Kit.

The training area looks really green. Reminds me of the Shire...lot's of rolling green hills. And then you start digging....and it's sand....lots of sand...and it gets EVERYWHERE. I had sand in places I didn't think sand could get!

 

[greenhorn]

Also wondering about kit marking...is it the same as the individual units and should I have it done before I get there?  Should I bring a cell phone to contact my kids or is there a CSN line available?  Because everything is crammed in so tight, is there any down time, wk ends maybe, later on in the course?  If so, is there a way to get to Winnipeg to visit my long lost Grandma?  Are there Sunday trainings?  Will I get first Aid training and certification?  Will I get a St John's ambulance First Aid card?  What weapons do we train on?  Is there an obstacle course?  Enough for now again, BTW, thank you so much, you're awesome, GH

 

[Sig_Des]

Also wondering about kit marking...is it the same as the individual units and should I have it done before I get there?  Should I bring a cell phone to contact my kids or is there a CSN line available?  Because everything is crammed in so tight, is there any down time, wk ends maybe, later on in the course?  If so, is there a way to get to Winnipeg to visit my long lost Grandma?  Are there Sunday trainings?  Will I get first Aid training and certification?  Will I get a St John's ambulance First Aid card?  What weapons do we train on?  Is there an obstacle course?  Enough for now again, BTW, thank you so much, you're awesome, GH

1) Kit is marked with last name and last 3 of SN. When I went through, first day was a kit explosion. Basically, "everyone hold up your KFS holder. If not already done, Mark your KFS holder", etc.

2) There are payphones and CSN phones available, but I found with 12 phones TOPS, and around 250 students, a cell phone was great to have.

3) Assume that you won't have time off the base. You might, but expect to not have any. We had a couple of weekends off to go to Brandon, but not much other than that. Working on Sundays depends on the staff and what schedule you're on. You will have Church parade if you so choose, though. I tended to get some sleep on sundays while everyone else went to Church, and then spent the afternoon getting kit ready for inspection, and cleaning.

4) You will be trained on standard First Aid as per SJA, but you won't get the card or certificate. It'll be sent to your unit should you so request it, and then you can get it from them.

5) There is an obstacle course. Won't tell you about that one, you'll have to figure it out 

6) Weapons are, C7, C9, Grenades. I don't know about the last couple of years, but some may do handling training on the C6. I never did in Shilo. Glad for it too, humping the Pig is a pain in the ***. So much fun the fire, however.

 

[Pte. Bloggins]

You won't be the oldest one there, my unit is sending an old guy, super gung ho though.
I'm going for PLQ for the same start date as you and I've also been tapped for instructing the next BMQ intake, should be a wild summer, too bad it totally screwed up my regularly scheduled leave plan    I suppose I  can always take December off and fly to the States for some more Desert hiking...

You're in Shilo this summer too, eh...sounds like a lot of people are going this year. I'm there for four months this summer as GD...see you there.

I wish I had answer for you but I'm going to Shilo this summer too, also for Sig Op. I'm hopefully leaving in July.
I just finished up everything on Thursday, just need to be sworn in and get my gear. I'm joining the 709 (Toronto) Comm., you?

Joining 709 eh? Welcome aboard, I'm sure you'll enjoy the unit- there's a great bunch of people here. Don't worry about being the oldest guy, although most of the junior ranks at the unit are in school, there's a few that have finished plus I think there's also an older recruit kicking around who is going out to Shilo for SQ this summer. And besides, don't worry about age, no one cares how old you are so long as you get the job done. Besides, 26 isn't old- I had a guy who was at least in his late 40s on my 5s course last summer and he did fine.

 

[Angela F.]

Well, I'm not a Sig, but I am going R291, joining 772 EW in Kingston.
Maybe I will see some of you in Shilo this summer, as it looks like I should be going late June/early July for BMQ.  I'm not sworn in yet, but I'm going to the unit this week and should be sworn in then.  Age wise, I'm sure I won't be the oldest, but I certainly won't be one of the youngest, at 26 - actually, If I'm gone through July/August, I'll turn 27 while there!
Good luck to everyone, I hope I meet some of you there!

 

[greenhorn]

I have gone on question overload, so I will give ya'll a break, thank you so much for your guidance and help.  Later, GH

 

[RossF]

Ahhhh Shiiiilloooo...

You'll learn a lot. Hey Rose! What's up? Good luck w/ your course this summer!

-Ross

 

[2929]

6) Weapons are, C7, C9, Grenades. I don't know about the last couple of years, but some may do handling training on the C6. I never did in Shilo. Glad for it too, humping the Pig is a pain in the ***. So much fun the fire, however.

We had trg on the C6 last year and we fired it on the machine gun range w/ the C9. I had the wonderful pleasure of carrying it around for 4 weeks. On the SQ field ex they never gave me a BFA or blanks, it just ended up being a big sand filled piece of metal that I had to carry around a clean. I was told that they might have it next year or they might not, it's a toss up. The living quarters are the same toss up, you might live in an old kindergarten classroom (aka the purple room with the little kid hand prints on the wall) or you might not.