Lazy Regiments?

[Sharpey]

Some thoughts were flying about the floor last parade night. Drill doesn‘t seem to be a huge priority...not a problem, we all know drill. Physical Fitness...that‘s something to be discussed I think. How many Regiments out there actually do regular PT, Ruk marches and the like? Now, I am in no better shape than Gumbi, but isn‘t a big part of basic soldiering as much as we all (most, some?) hate it?

 

[RCA]

"doesn‘t seem to be a huge priority...not a problem, we all know drill. "

I‘ve noticed in a few posts. Is drill losing its relevance or have the young snot-nose generation forgot the reason for drill - discipline

 

[Michael Dorosh]

The Calgary Highlanders do PT every Wednesday night. It is still up to members to maintain their own personal level of physical fitness. 1/2 an hour a week on a Wednesday will not do that.

I‘ve seen many people claim "no problem, we know drill." They usually look like dog**** when they go to do it.

 

[Sharpey]

I think the younger generation are not understanding the relevance of drill (not saying all.) When it does actually happen other than on Rememberance Day, bitches and complaints are usually tossed up. The feeling of proudness should be felt from sharp drill. I fear that basic soldiering is starting to be lost!

 

[rceme_rat]

Drill remains relevant - it teaches individuals to work as a team, to do as ordered - when ordered, to strive to improve a skill to perfection, to instill esprit de corps, etc.

Yes, we all hate doing drill ad nauseum. But we also feel proud to be told that we have done an excellent job. It is hard, tiring, at times boring. In short, good drill remains a real challenge for individuals and for units.

I read recently that change of command parades had been cancelled. I‘m hoping this to be an anomoly. When else is a unit going to parade if not to celebrate a significant event in its own history?

The underlying complaint, however, seems to be that many units spend more time on administration than on military training. Here‘s my two bits:

Once a week fitness training is worthless in promoting fitness, and a waste of time better spent doing other things. Assume your troops can keep themselves fit, and identify those who are not. Ruck marches are an event that can combine fitness testing with other military skills.

Similarly, troops should not be sitting arund doing admin. They should be doing training - section or troop level. Admin can be done at the same time, pulling individuals away if necessary (i.e., if the information required can‘t wait until a phone call later in the week). Ideally, admin will only involve Sr NCOs and Offrs -- get them together at a separate time.

A well-announced plan is necessary - troops need to know what training is coming up when, and how it all links together. This gives them a reason to keep parade night free - because it is not "one night" they are missing, but a link in a long chain of training.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I take exception to two comments.

First, a nitpicky one - don‘t say "we all hate drill", because all includes me, and I actually enjoy it. Granted, I came up as a piper, so perhaps I am in a deep minority, but I suspect there are one or two others that actually enjoy it too.

As for admin being the purview of Snr NCOs and officers only - no way. The only way Snr NCOs get to be Snr NCOs is by learning stuff when they are Junior NCMS.

Today‘s soldier is expected to think and to do for himself, that includes knowing how to perform basic administrative chores for himself, from writing a memo to his section commander asking for ED and T, to applying for TAA, to even, perhaps, updating his own UER. Too much basic admin simply does NOT get done; the state of UERs is a good example, and if junior NCMs are not learning how to do them, when will they learn?

The UER is supposed to track a soldier‘s experience and training, yet too many troops go for months or years without basic documentation being done. It is not up to the company OC to do 120 UERs on a monthly basis; there is a point where sections need to do this for themselves.

If only WOs and up are expected to do admin, what happens when Sgt. X gets promoted, becomes Platoon 2 i/c, and is suddenly told to update 30 UERs after every exercise and training course grad - but he has never seen one before because admin is only for Senior NCOs?

 

[Sharpey]

I just heard that this new BMQ teaches very little drill!! I guess just enough to get around on the parade square and the rest is up to the individual Units to teach the candidates. I find this very sad that the Armies standards are lowering at the rate that they are. Lowering standards is not a proper way to increase recruiting in my mind.... oops, I‘m heading off into a diferent thread.
As for UER‘s, last time I checked I mysteriously had done absolutly nothing with my Regiment for I think it was a year or two. Strange, I do remember being there, and I do remember getting paid!

 

[rceme_rat]

Fair enough, there are some who like drill -- I just thought I was the only one who found it the least bit enjoyable (Four years at RMC and you have to learn to tolerate it, if not actually enjoy it.)

As for admin - have I overstated my case? By all means, if your section commanders are Jr NCOs, then they should be doing some admin. UERs are important, as a re course reports, etc. There is also a certain amount of training regarding admin that must be done.

Maybe my thought would have been better expressed as "unnecessary admin" -- which essentially means eliminating admin that can‘t be done during the week by phone, full-time staff, etc. or that isn‘t important to the running of the unit, brigade, etc.

In short, troops shouldn‘t be sitting around while admin is being done -- something should be planned for them to make their parade nights fulfilling. Ideally, that involves combat skills training, IMHO.

 

[Pikache]

I had fun learning drill, though I wish there was more.

Yeah, it seemed that barebones drill, just enough to get around, was taught on BMQ.

 

[nigeljp]

The four big D‘s of being a good soldier are Drill Dress Deportment and Discipline. Deficiencies are in any of these are a sign of an idle or poorly trained soldier. I am working at Ceremonial Guard this summer after a long absence, and it is dismaying how all four D‘s have deteriorated in troops today. One example: I had to teach a Cpl how to do a Present Arms. He didn‘t simply forgotten it, or fumbled around on the command, but just stood there with a stupid look on his face. He had to be taught by squad like a recruit. There are troops from over 25 units from all over Canada attached to CG this year so it a really good comparison of soldier skills in their units. I am not impressed.
I will admit that it is hard to demand a high fitness standard in the reserves, although from my observation 95% of the troops are in good shape. I will also consider that field training in the reserves is constrained by lots of factors like budget and calendar. But I will lay the blame squarely on any unit‘s RSM if he has soldiers in his unit that can‘t drill to an acceptable standard or wear and maintain the uniform. It is a fact of life that the current QL2/BMQ courses do not contain enough on this to a give a recruit a firm grasp. Units have to use their limited time wisely to ensure that the core fundamentals are maintained.
Some might think that I am sounding like a parade square commando, but from my experience a soldier who can‘t perform in garrison is definitely not going to be able to keep his stuff wired tight in the field. How could I trust a troop to remember the actions on the obj if he can‘t remember how to perform a simple three squad drill command, or iron his shirt? If a Pte or Cpl has a problem with standing to attention and properly addressing his superiors on the parade square, would you trust him to take out the trench? Me neither. We need to reflect on what our army ethos is, and try to improve our skills, not let them wither away.

 

[portcullisguy]

Originally posted by Sharpey:
[qb]I just heard that this new BMQ teaches very little drill!! I guess just enough to get around on the parade square and the rest is up to the individual Units to teach the candidates. I find this very sad that the Armies standards are lowering at the rate that they are.

[/qb]

That IS sad. And it is unfortunate. I recall very little about drill from my cadet days, and I was looking forward to relearning it at BMQ this summer. I _want_ to get jacked up over drill, dress and deportment, because it means improving myself and improving my team work. Particularly this year ... I‘ll bet my first paycheck that the 48th will be involved in some way when our colonel-in-chief, The Queen, swings through town in October, and they‘re going to want people who can march properly, not slag-assed scrubs, as I will no doubt resemble when I first take the parade square this summer.