When I joined in 2005 the Canadian Forces bootcamp (a.k.a. "basic") consisted of two parts; the Initial Assessment Period (IAP) and the Basic Officer Training Program (BOTP). In total the course took 13 weeks and was held at the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu military base, Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School (CFLRS).
During this phase you will live in the MEGA. A behemoth of a building constructed in 1970s. The MEGA has everything to offer including one mess for junior ranks and one for officers, military store (CANEX), fitness facilities like gym and swimming pool and even a chapel where on some days they play movies.
All new recruits start off as Officer Cadets (OCdt). Following the graduation the rank is upgraded to 2Lt (Second Lieutenant). Don't expect to be paid a lot during the first 3 months. My salary was about 40K but I only got 1000 bucks each month (after taxes). The difference was to be paid out only after a successful completion of the boot camp (something to look forward to at the end of the course). Of course I had to find this out after arriving at St-Jean. A lot of other recruits were also misinformed about this and other details during the recruiting phase. We all concluded that the recruiting stuff was quite disconnected from the rest of the military. They just didn't have a lot of information on our career paths, pay details, etc. I wish I found out about the army forum during my signup process. There is a lot of useful information on it and questions can be posted as well. The address is http://forums.army.ca.
Most of the training is held at the MEGA. However, there are about 3 or 4 trips to the field which is located in Farnham, a town 30 min away. These can last from 1 to 5 days. It's challenging but also a lot of fun. That's when you get to shoot the rifle, carry attacks on other platoons and enjoy some camping :) Although, not so much fun in the winter.
You can see the MEGA building in the background of this picture:
And here is an interactive map showing the location of St-Jean and Farnham:
View Larger Map
The rest of this post are notes from a diary I kept updating while on this phase. Since we didn't have access to computers I kept a diary on paper. Now I typed it all for you to read. I include side notes if something needs clarification. And of course, if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me or comment below. I was on the course from beginning of September until middle of December 2005.
Tuesday - Sep 13, 2005
It's day 2 now and we are all fully dressed in combat gear. All our civilian clothing has been locked up for the next 4 weeks. Up until now a lot of time has been spent on administrative things like pay, background check, gear distribution, forms and expenses, quarters, meal payments etc. So far most classes are general, on regulations and policies. We also received our hair cuts (#2 all around) and there will be more in the next 3 months. I had some troubles at the drill today. Most instructors are French and it's hard to understand their commands and the echo in the hangars just makes it worse. Tomorrow, visit to the hospital to get the first round of shots (Hep A, B, tetanus, and others as needed). At least tonight we get 7 hours of sleep (let's hope).
Side note: Drill is a series of movements and positions executed by the troops during events like parades or marches. It's more than synchronized marching. It involves a lot of precision movements with or without the rifle. The students have to learn it in both, French and English. In fact, on Thursdays we had to do it in French. Not very difficult but quite challenging for the platoon commander. I was one of the lucky ones to get this task on a Thursday.
Friday - Sep 16, 2005
Already end of Friday, first week done, but it doesn't mean free weekend. First Aid training all day tomorrow! There was a lot of admin this week, sitting around and waiting, drills in the afternoons. Funny story from the vaccination day. They told us that if anyone is afraid of the needles that there is an option to have it administered on the bed, followed by a rest period. So guess what one of my friends decided to do? Even though he was fine with the needles he told them otherwise. Not a bad idea considering how exhausted we were that day. I would take that 30 min nap myself... Today finally got cooler so the drill was easier to perform (meaning that instead of sweating out 20 liters of water we only sweated out 10 lol). I like my platoon, guys are very funny so I laugh a lot even though it's tough. There is no time for personal things and you have to rush through everything. First PT this morning at 0500. It actually felt great. The first ones are easier and they slowly get tougher. One of my buddies sprang his ankle during PT, right at the beginning. As we lined up to start our warmup we were instructed to put our water canteens on the ground. It was still pitch black and when we started running he tripped on one of the canteens. Not a smart idea on the instructor's part... Few minutes ago we almost got caught with a magazine (the ones for boys) that someone circulated around :)
Side note: PT stands for physical training. Although I'm not a morning person waking up this early wasn't very difficult. It's because the days were so exhausting that the sleep was very deep and re-energizing.
Monday - Sep 19, 2005
Yesterday (Sunday) we got an extra hour of sleep. It felt good to sleep the full 6 hours. We had an easy course on fitness and health. The rest of the day was crazy because we had to get ready for our first inspection. Amazingly enough this morning I received a compliment from one of the Sargents. He asked if I was ever part of the reserves. He was surprised how clean my room was and said "you learn fast". After that we had a course on the rucksack contents and later on TOPO maps (topographical). We also found out that 80% of the platoon (including me) forgot to lockup the helmet and the rucksack. We all got a "note to file" that equipment wasn't secured. Tomorrow we're having another inspection, and this time I'll remember to lockup everything. For now... off to sawing.
Side note: The first 2 weeks of evening time is spent sawing-on tags with our names to every piece of clothing including each and every sock, underwear, toques, scarfs, etc. The tags include the first 4 letters of our last name followed by the last 3 digits of our service number (this is your military ID). They have to be of specific length, located at exact location, having 4 stitches on the long sides and 2 on the short. Oh yea, and the stitches need to be spaced out symmetrically so no sloppies here :) If not, you'll be told to rip it off and redo it, plus get punished with pushups or something similar. By the way, when I went through, they were only allowed to give us max of 20 pushups at a time.
Saturday - Sep 24, 2005
Exactly two weeks in and the first day off. Although we couldn't leave the base we had the whole day to ourselves. Woke up at 0715 (what a great feeling to sleep in), got dressed and went for breakfast. What's nice is that the kitchen on weekends is empty, no lineups, no rushing. I spent the day learning first aid and practicing some drill with the rifle. We also had a trip to Canex. I only bought an extra shaving cream (so I can leave it on display and not touch it) and a pouch for my meal card, money and keys. Yesterday we had a swimming test in the pool. That was very refreshing. I had to jump in with my combat shirt and pants and stay aloft for 2 minutes, then swim for 20 meters, get out, put on the life jacket, jump in again from about 6 meters and swim another 20 meters. It wasn't easy and few people failed. Not sure what will happen to them, they might need a re-test. Tomorrow is Sunday and it will be a busy day. We are going to march in public (for veterans) with other platoons. Should be a fun experience. The rest of the day will be filled with CPR classes. Anyways, I've got to fix up my tie for Monday (will be taking photos for our military ID) and maybe write some post cards.
Side note 1: Canex is a military convenience store. The profits from this business are put into a special fund which is then used for various programs like, for example, loans for military stuff etc.
Side note 2: The whole room must always be tidy and clean. On top of it, all personal items have a designated spot on the shelves. For example, the shaving cream must be placed on the top shelf, in the back right corner. Same goes for the items on the desk. The picture frame, which must be of specific dimensions, is placed on the left side of the middle shelf, 2 inches from the side wall.
Side note 3: Did you know that it's necessary to perform CPR even after the person dies, to keep the organs alive for a possible donation?
Oct 2, 2005
The parade last Sunday was a nightmare. First we walked for about an hour through the town of St-Jean. This part was fun, people watching from balconies and street corners were cheering us, kids were waving flags. Once we got to the parade square we had to form up and stand at attention for about 1.5 hours. To top it off it started to rain and was quite cold. Few candidates passed out, one even threw up. When we finally started moving I felt like my whole body was frozen. The joints and muscles just didn't want to move. The rest of the week was busy as usual. I passed my CPR exam (about 10 people didn't and will have to do a re-test). We also practiced marching with a rucksack. This time only 2 km but the goal is to be able to complete 13km in 2 hours (with 80 lbs on your back). Also, for the first time, we tried the obstacle course.
The PT on Friday was interesting. The workout was in the pool. They started off with all of us walking in a circle (shallow water, about 5 feet deep). When we switched direction there was so much current that we could barely move. The rest of the workout included various exercises around the pool (pushups, situps, squats) with a swim across the pool in between each of those.
This weekend we visited a memorial cemetery in Montreal and the war museum in Ottawa :) One way drive to Ottawa is about 2 hrs (which meant 4 hours of peace). The buses are nice so it was comfortable and we could nap on the way (we are lucky, apparently the other platoon instructors don't allow their students to sleep on the bus). This was our first time in public and they warned us not to invite family members to come see us. I took a chance and told my girlfriend and mom to come to the museum. My girlfriend showed up first and while we were walking around the museum I heard this on the PA system "Officer Cadet Miczaski, please report to the front desk". I freaked out as I thought they caught me. So I proceeded towards the front desk but it turned out my mom didn't want to go inside and asked that I be paged :) Thank god it wasn't the instructors!
Oct 11, 2005
Already in 5th week. Time is flying faster, I love it. It's not so bad anymore. Two days ago we had our first weekend off. It was also Thanksgiving so normally we would get 3 days but our captain wasn't impressed with the inspection on Friday and decided to keep us there until Saturday night. At least we still got Sunday and Monday off. So of course I was planning to drive back home to Ottawa. Guess what happened? My car broke down! It started fine, took a while to warm up (it was pretty cold) but there was also a strange ticking sound from under the hood. Soon enough, as I start driving, the alternator quit and the battery died. At that point I knew I wasn't going anywhere, what a nightmare, and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere. Anyways, with a couple of boosts I managed to get to a Canadian Tire and I just left it there. However, my girlfriend was so resourceful that she found a friend and came to pick me up. The time was now 2am! To top it off, the girl that drove got a speeding ticket on the way home. I think we didn't get to bed until 0500 hours. Mom ended up driving me back on Monday.
Today we had our CBRN exam and practical. We all did very well and passed all the tests. We even got a taste of some tear gas (CS gas) during the practical. The exercise involved walking into a room with the mask on. Once the gas was deployed we practiced taking the mask off (while keeping the breath), putting it back on and blowing out as much as we could to expel the gas from the mask. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, it made me quite nervous. Tomorrow and Thursday, all day at the firing range!!!
Side note: This exercise of removing a mask was meant to prepare us for a situation where one needs to decontaminate. We also learned that there are some pills (used by special forces) that can immunize you from this gas. However, apparently there are some crazy side effects.
Oct 16, 2005
Firing range was cool but not as much fun as I expected. We had to concentrate a lot to pass, i.e. obtain a good score. Luckily I wasn't one of the 10 that failed (even though I was really disappointed with my shots). It's not a problem if you have to repeat the firing test but what sucks about it is that you have to go to the range a second time on another day, so in essence you have more work to do. On Friday I passed the drill exam but because of my duty job couldn't leave until the next day. So I picked up my car and drove home on Saturday. Got a lot of things done (visited Dad, developed some pictures, changed tires and washed the summer rims, checked banking and paid some bills). Spent the rest of the day with my girlfriend and drove back at 2130 to be back at the MEGA for midnight (this is still Saturday). I had to be back for Sunday in order to have enough time for packing and preparation for Farnham (5 day camping trip, woohoo!).
Oct 24, 2005
Farnham was not such a WOOHOO as I imagined it to be. The first day wasn't so bad. We setup the camp, did some marching around and that was it. But after that the weather got worse, it rained most of the time and one night the temperature fell below 0 degrees Celsius. It really sucks when you're awaken at 0500 and you have to get out of your cozy and warm sleeping bag (wearing just a T-shirt and underwear) and start dressing. You have about 10 minutes to put on the damp and cold clothes, tie up the boots with freezing fingers and try to make it for food. The worst were the morning lectures if we had to sit around and listen. Everyone was shivering as we were not moving.
The toughest tasks that week were the rucksack march and TOPO exercises. TOPO was on Tuesday. It started at 1400 and went on until 2300. We had to navigate through swamps and dense bushes. It's hard to describe the feeling of walking through the woods in the darkness, stepping through water, mud and submerged logs which are very slippery. All this while it was raining. On top of this you must accurately navigate using your map and compass. We also had one rucksack which we rotated between us, carrying it in these conditions was not easy.
The rucksack march was tough too. Because everything was soaked the sack must've been twice as heavy. Boots were damp, we were already tired from 4 days in the field and were doing this in the dark. We marched for about 6 km. My back hurt already from Monday's march so I needed a help of some Advils. Overall it was a good experience and we are going to prepare better for next time (this coming Wednesday).
Nov 4, 2005
Just arrived from a full week in the field. Feels great as this is pretty much the end of IAP (completed week 8). Next week is the last one and we are staying at the MEGA the whole time. After that 4 weeks of BOTP and we're DONE!!! This week in Farnham was tough. We were all being tested on task procedures, and I failed mine which was on Tuesday. I had to get my troops to build a machine to lift a 500 lb cement block and place it on a 10 foot platform. I had a good plan but run out of time. I just didn't see how my idea would work and wasted too much time pondering about it. Fortunately there was a re-test and I passed with a really good mark. Three people didn't pass the re-tests and that's pretty much the end of their military career, CTed (course terminated).
We slept in the 10 men tents for 3 nights (Monday to Thursday) and on last night in the barracks. We had to prepare for the 13 km rucksack march on Friday. It wasn't as bad as we expected it to be. The whole platoon completed it with good time. Now we are back at the MEGA, on our own time but can't leave until tomorrow morning. I already have my leave pass signed so I'm driving back home!! Woo-hoo!
Nov 16, 2005
The last week of IAP was horrible. Mainly admin stuff, some X-Rays and lessons on safe sex. A lot of times staff had no idea what to do with us. Very poorly planned, we spent a lot of time sitting around and waiting. A very boring and long week. Then on Friday we did a parade for November's Remembrance Day and after that were allowed to leave home at 1400. I left with a buddy of mine (navigator wanna be) for Ottawa around 1430. Dropped him off and went to see my girlfriend at work. For the first time tanned in a stand-up machine ;)
It was also my sister's birthday that weekend, so on Friday night we went to her boyfriend's for a party but only stayed until 0100 as I was pretty tired. On Saturday I simply relaxed reading my new book on WWII, took a long shower and did some laundry. Didn't even go home that weekend, just stayed at my girlfriend's. At night we drove to Montreal with few other friends and went out to club 737 and then Rouge on St. Laurent Street. Got upset with one of my not so close friends putting moves on my girl. I grabbed his hand, squeezed it hard and sorted him out :) I'm a very tolerant person but when someone crosses a line I loose it.
All of us went shopping the next day and separated around 1600. Now it's Wednesday, 1st week of BOTP and I'm slightly getting bored with all the dry lectures we are having. All of us are doing 5 minute presentations tomorrow so that should be more fun. Topic of any choice, I'll be talking about my Europe trip experiences, when I visited 5 countries in 3 weeks just before joining the military. The good thing now is that we get more time off and have access to the gym. Hopefully we don't get too much homework for this weekend so I can go back to Ottawa and relax a bit. So far I've been studying during my drives. It's 2 hours each way so no point wasting this valuable time.
Nov 30, 2005
Some call BOTP "Death by Powerpoint". There are tons of lectures and most of them are very dry. On top of it there is PT almost every morning which means waking up at 0430, so you can imagine spending the rest of the day in a class room is not easy. Right now we are finishing the last week of lectures. All the written exams are done and so are the two 20 minute presentations. Next week last trip to Farnham (Leopard task) and the week after is the grad. Today we tried on the DEUs for the first time.... Looking good!
Side note: This is the end of my hand written notes from the bootcamp phase. This phase was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences ever.
Go on to the next post to read about my grad.
Click here to go back to the main page.
39 comments:
Hey, do you know if ncms and officers have to do task procedure tests, or is it only officers?
And do everyone get the same assignment for those tests, or are there a other ones?
Not sure 100% but I vaguely remember that the NCMs were also doing something similar.
Hi, I'm currently in the process of getting my Canadian Commercial Pilot License - I've been very interested in becoming a pilot with the RCAF after I graduate. My question is - Do I need to have a 4 year university education in order to be considered for pilot?
Yes, you do need a university degree from a recognized post-secondary institution. However! I've heard of a rumor that it is possible to get the forces pay for your education (civilian university). You should visit a recruitment center near you and I'm sure all your questions will be answered.
Check out this page for some more entry requirements info (click on Fact Sheet above the video):
http://www.forces.ca/en/job/pilot-32
Hi,
First of all I've been reading your blog and it is amazing so far. I was wondering about the test of building a machine that lifts 500 lbs: what kind of materials do they provide you with and how did you do it? Make a pulley system?..
Also I have glasses so I was wondering if it is possible to get through basic medical tests and CFAT first to see if I am eligible? The reason is if I do pass, I would have to go through Laser Eye surgery before aircrew tests?
Finally, how important are grades? I've heard people say that they don't matter that much but I am not sure considering you do have to send your grades. I'm in 2nd year university and I am wondering if it is the right moment to go see a recruiter yet.
Thank you for writing this very inspiring blog
Hi Steph,
Thanks for kind comments. Building that lift system was a bit tricky. We only had ropes and some 2 by 4's. The load had to be lifted to a certain height, and I think that's where I had troubles. But this should be the least of your worries. You work on a team so others can help you out. Worst case the will let you redo a test. They are short on pilots so at the end if you try your best they will let you pass.
As to glasses you'll have to check with the recruiter. The rules have changes since when I joined. At that time you weren't eliglbe if you were wearing glasses but I believe now you would be ok. Not sure what the policy on laser eye surgery is either.
As for grades try your best in school but yea, don't worry. Some of the people in my platoon had horrible grades and they still got in.
I would suggest you go talk to the recruiter now. I regretted for waiting too long and wasting time. You never know what they will tell you. There might be some new program I don't know about, maybe they can pay for your university, etc. They are really nice people and are not pushy at all. You have nothing to loose.
I'm going to shoot off some emails to my friends in the CF and ask about these questions. Specifically about eye sight. Check in a week or so and I might have more answers.
Cheers!
Ok, so here it is. I got feedback from two current CF pilots and they believe that laser eye surgery is ok but they are not sure if the military would actually pay for this procedure. Also, apparently 20/20 vision is no longer required. But again, best bet is to contact your nearest recruiter as they would know best on what are the current rules and regulations. Cheers!
Hello,
Thank you so much for this blog. It is extremely helpful. I'm taking in my application tomorrow to begin the process to become a pilot with CF. I've been really nervous about the whole thing as I just don't know what to expect. I have the credentials so we will just wait and see what happens. I've been doing my research and I'm starting to get more information on what to expect, but I'm still very confused. Thank you for your blog!
Hi Martin, Thanks for the quick responses.
I am not expecting the CF to pay for my Laser Surgery at all. The main worry for me is if I will have to do laser eye surgery before even applying or after certain application steps (CFAT, Medical tests, etc). Obviously I would do it if I was accepted, but if I undergo the surgery and get disqualified for other reasons, that would really suck.
Basically, I'd like to avoid the surgery unless I know I at least have a shot a becoming a pilot, or aircrew.
Question: When would I learn that I am DQ because of my vision? Is it at the initial medical test, or at the air crew selection, or perhaps even before?
I am a V4 so my options are very limited; I may have to get my eyes lasered either way. Here is a list of all the trades with their vision requirements in case future readers are wondering
http://www.forces.gc.ca/health-sante/pd/CFP-PFC-154/AN-E-eng.asp
I will go see a recruiter and report back to help other people in the same situation as me.
Hi,
i'm thinking about joining as a pilot but I have a question. I am married and have a son. During the training phases, I don't think your family can move in with you. How long do you leave home without comming back (i.e. Phase II - 6-9 month) Do you have a brake where you can come back during the training or in between the different phases?? Thanks!
I have good news for you. The family CAN come with you. The military is very good about that. They will move everone and you also have a priority for getting into PMQs, the housing project (as opposed to living in the barracks).
Phase I is pretty short and sweet so you probably wouldn't wanna move the family around so much at that point. Especially that after this phase you might come back to your original posting and wait few months for Phase II. You will want to move for Phase II as from there the military will just move the whole family whereever the training will take you. Good luck!
Hey Martin. I just found your blog today and I must say it's a pretty big help. I just passed CFASC last week and will be merit listed next week so I might be posting some questions for you here and there. One thing I just had to say though is that you must have balls of steel lol - looking at your pictures I'm surprised none of the instructors said anything when you took them, especially that one while you're marching. I was in the reserves for a while and during BMQ they were pretty hard-assed about things like that. Kudos
Yea I guess it was pretty stupid of me. They could have confiscated my camera. But luckily never got caught :)
Hello, and I would just like to say thank you very much for your taking time to making this blog. I have been very fortunate to be selected and will be starting BMOQ in the coming January as a Pilot Officer Cadet. I have a question regarding quarters. Does everyone get their own room?
Thank you!
Congrats!! Yes, you always have your own room as an officer cadet. You're only sharing the bathroom during basic training. After that (during flight training) you always have your own room and bathroom.
Hi there,
I am heading to st.jean on January 11th!
I am excited and super nervous. I am most worried about the physical fitness portion of BMOQ. I can breeze through the run and sit ups, it is the push ups that worry me most. I am hoping you could elaborate on the morning fitness routine. What can I expect at 5am? :) any other tips you have would be appreciated!!
Thanks!
Melissa
That's awesome, I'm excited for you.
These early morning workouts consisted mainly of a light jog around the base. It wasn't really that difficult. The worst was getting up so early but after the initial hurdle it was quite nice to get some fresh air before breaky.
Don't worry about the push ups. It's one of those funny workouts that if you practice a little bit but consistently, you'll get very good at it. They will let you do them on your knees (the easy push up) until you get stronger.
Don't worry, sometimes it will feel overwhelming but you will get used to it. Remember it's only those 13 weeks, and most of it is actually a lot of fun.
My husband is currently in the BMQ at st jean. He was on sick leave for a month. He got his health chit to go back on platoon today. My question is this. What are the standard practices/rules for them going back onto platoon? He was originally told that because he was better before the sixty days wer up he can go back onto platoon for the same weem he left off at. Now he is being sent to warrior. He got told by the doc he did not not need warrior. Are they allowed to do that?
I don't know their standard practices for that. In my experience it was twofold, the doctor had to approve someone getting back as well as the course captain. It all depends on the situation.
Thanks for your blog. I've read through most of your BOTP section. I'm considering joining as an officer and your posts helped give me a better idea of what goes on in basic. Thanks!
Hello I will be applying for the position of infantry officer soon do you know anything helpful about the training to be a infantry officer or have any other advice
Basic training (boot camp) is the same for all military personel so most of the notes in this blog apply to you too. Other than that check out army.ca forum for tons of useful info. If I had to give you one advice it would be: stay in shape and the training will be much easier!
Thanks Martin for doing this. My daughter is in the process of bieing a pilot. She is very fit but only weighs 135 pounds. Do all recruits have to carry an 80 pound back pack for 13km or do they make some allowances for women?
Hi Sarah, I wasn't clear about the weight of the back pack. It doesn't mean that everyone carries the same weight. Basically everyone is required to have the same amount of gear/clothes. This means that a smaller person will have a lighter back pack simply because the clothes are smaller size (eg. Medium instead of X-Large). They weren't very strict on that either so if someone wanted to bring less clothes for change they did that. There were small people in my group and this wasn't an issue really :) Good luck to your daughter!
Hello Martin, great blog, thanks for posting your experiences!
I am just going through with the medical and interview portion of the application. quick question, is there a chaplain during basic/access to religious services? As a Catholic I am required to go to Mass on Sundays, do you know if there is a Church closely/ do they allow you to attend once a week?
Thanks
Joe
Hi Joe, the answer is yes. There's a chapel which is always open for everyone. I believe there are scheduled masses but they also hold other events in there like play movies on some days. It was a great place to go and relax in peace too!
beauty, thanks man!
Thank you for posting the information it is extremely helpful In understanding the progression of the course. Im going for Aerospace officer and am 40 years old. However, my knees are weak, achy and sketchy. I am trying to run on the treadmill 10 minutes at a time with a five minute walk And then repeat. I'm wondering What is the intensity and duration of the morning runs ? Are they short runs, Light runs or? I am concerned because My knees are now feeling the strain of just Trying to train for the basic training. Please give me some detail if possible! Also, what is the swimming like? Are there people that show up not prepared? If so how do they React To people who maybe cant wim or who Are not good swimmers. (Me being one) This would settle my curiosity if you could please give me some info!
Thanks so much,
Hey Mike, the runs are definitely not light. They last at least 30 minutes with various workouts in between (including jumps). Good news is that they are only once or twice a week.
However, there is other training that could be straneous for the knees like the PT test or long marches with a 40 pound back pack. This one aims to train everyone for the final speedy walk of 13 km. It's tough to say the least.
Swimming however shouldn't be of your concern. We had guys that couldn't swim and they managed fine.
I would say go into the recruiting office and find out more about the training because things might have changed. Also, if you would have a note from doctor about weak knees then you wouldn't have to go through all the tough running etc. I remember we had a few ppl with health issues who would come out to training but have a lighter routine.
Good luck and let us know if you find out anything new.
Thanks for your blog, I have been doing my research regarding the training to have an idea how hard it is. I am a Registered Nurse and planning to apply as a Nursing Officer, I am just anxious about the basic and officer training because I haven't had any experience about military before and just mainly in the hospital. Again thank you for sharing your experiences it really help the anxiety that Iam feeling.
Thanks for your blog, I have been doing my research regarding the training to have an idea how hard it is. I am a Registered Nurse and planning to apply as a Nursing Officer, I am just anxious about the basic and officer training because I haven't had any experience about military before and just mainly in the hospital. Again thank you for sharing your experiences it really help the anxiety that Iam feeling.
Hi Martin
It's very inspiring to read your story and I'm getting 100% motivated to finish my school and sign-up for the forces as a pilot. Thanks for taking your time to make a great blog to give us all the info that we need.
P.s. sorry for my English.. I'm French and I'm still learning.
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your blog. It is very inspiring and very informative. It's also a very good read.
I am in the beginning stages of applying. Still awaiting my aptitude test and first physical. I graduated with a bachelor of science degree. I've given enlisting a lot of thought. I am a mother and a first nation woman. Although an exciting time for me, a total career change (from a therapist to hopefully flight crew) I am very scared of the physical fitness. I have hired a trainer who is helping me get started now, but the thought of the physical part is horrifying to me. Obviously I'm still not in the best shape, having a high stress desk job and mom of 5 for the past while.
My question is, can you fail the BMOQ training for this reason?
Thanks again. Your sharing has eased a lot of worries I had. Take Care best of luck in your future.
Hey, koodos for this big move and career change decision. That's kind of what I did after getting tired of a desk job and following my dreams. I wouldn't worry about the physical. Even when I was going through almost everyone made it, even those with weak hearts. Actually the ones that didn't make it were the ones that changed their mind and wanted out. The military is working hard to get new recruits so they will do everything they can to help you. Apparently there's a new 90-day Warrior Fitness Training Program for those that fail the physical. My suggestion: train, rest and eat well (less carbs minimal sugars). Also be positive about this new challange.
Very interesting story, thank you for sharing.
Hey Martin, thanks for this. Interesting and informative. I have a couple advanced science degrees so would join via direct entry. It's tough... I really believe this what I want to do, but I have a wife and child and I worry about the months (years?) with such a small salary. You only mention salary at the start of basic training (1000 take home a month until you complete basic, yikes, that's not enough to keep 3 people alive), but from what you've seen, is it possible to have a family and complete the initial stages of the direct entry program? Thanks, and I appreciate you answering people's questions after all these years!
Definitely! From what I've seen during my training, those with families did better than average. My reasoning is that they were more committed, better disciplined and wiser in general, due to having families. It is very important though that your wife understands what it entiles for her. Without her support it will be a completely different ball game :) Good luck!
Hello Martin,
I was wondering if there was a minimum height to join the forces. You talked about the swimming pool exercice where you all had to walk in circle in a 5feet deep pool... If I were to be 5feet tall, there would be a problem, wouldn't it? xD
Hey, I've never heard of such a requirement (to be of certain height). In general they were very accommodating in all aspects of the training so I don't think this will be a problem. They will most likely think of another substitute for this specific exercise :)
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