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Drew Watson

Drew Watson

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2,070
Location
Salt Spring Island, BC Canada
Well My sons have signed up for the military two days ago and have been called for the interview already. :thumb: They are going in for engineer training and officer training. It is humorus listening to them talk as they are under the impression that they don't have to do basic as they are after officer training and think they don't have to do the same training as everyone else. Oh I wish I was there when they learn different. :rofl:
 
My youngest lost 100 lbs in 7 months through working out and diet and they are both in great shape, The kids have no idea what they are in for. Oh and that the europe trip that they are planning in March will still happen as the military will just work around their schedule. Yep that is what they said. Really. I responded with " let me know how that works out for ya".

Really I am proud of them for joining but they have the know it all attitude and I would just like to be there the first day when a drill sargent gets into their face and starts a yelling. They think I yell lots because I am over half deaf have no idea what yelling is yet.
 
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Chris Hatfield said:
:rofl:

I learned first-hand never to believe anything a recruiter says.
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My son can testify to that. When he joined to be a corpsman, I asked him what the chances of him being attached to the marines and he said the recruiter said he would be given a choice to go Navy (blue) or go with the marines (green), He's been in 10 years had three deployment with the marine and is yet to set foot on a ship..
 
My nephew had a similar experience when he was told that he could get into the army right away rather than waiting and he could just transfer into the navy later. Well after so many years he was able to do it only he was stationed in Edmonton ( check out on a map where the ocean is lol). He still has not stepped foot on a ship even though he was transfered to Victoria a few years ago. He is now just waiting for his time to be up and then he is out. Just like most kids mine know everything ( just as I did when I was their age) and they have to learn through experience. I think that will be the best thing for them.
 
My biggest problem in Navy boot camp was boredom. They didn't worry about getting us fit they just tried to get us to where we could stand living on a postage stamp with a couple hundred other guys.

However I ended up with a P3 squadron and the closest I ever got to a Navy ship was about 3-400 feet above one.

Garry
 
Darren Wright said:
My son is signed up to go to basic (Navy) in June. He's gotten pretty fit, but I'm looking forward to the realization he's going to have of what 'fit' is. :D
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When I did Navy basic in the year of .... it was 9 weeks of marching... I think we did PT about twice a week, then it was mostly jumping jacks and push ups for about 20 minutes... I went in as a skinny 19 year old, 6'1" (nearly) and 133 lbs...my jersey size was a 38 in the chest.. pants were 28 in the waist... I gained 15 lbs in boot camp... more because we were marched to the chow hall 3 times a day and they plopped food on your tray whether you wanted or liked it or not, and were not allowed to throw it away... My records show that I am a qualified marksman with an M1 rifle, even though to this day a little over 50 years later, I've never held, much less fired an M1. I am also noted as being qualified with a .45...(you are supposed to be qualified with a .45 to be a second class petty officer) my first time to fire one was in the last 4 or 5 months of my deployment, aboard ship at sea, the gunner's mate handed me one and instructed me to shoot down a weather balloon tethered off the fantail.... you cannot shoot down a weather balloon with a .45... the bullets will only deflect the balloon, not penetrate... I did hit the Pacific Ocean every time.... I'm good at marching.:rofl:

Drew, congratulations to your boys...
 
My boot camp was 13 weeks like Chucks. My son's however it was quite different. He was running 10- miles per day running an obstacle course the whole shooting match. It's a good thing cause from boot camp and A school they shipped him off to a Marine infantry unit.
 
I like most young kids didn't know what i was getting into when i joined the army. After boot camp i got a letter from the army saying i was going to advanced infantry training and would be stationed at fort campbell home of the 101 airborne division. Still didn't know what i was getting my self into. The training back then consisted of helicopter rappeling,troop ladder, ranger/special forces training and a whole lot more.looking back i'm glad i was able to get through with it, as it made me who i am today. Just like it will make your boys the men they will become.
Steve
 
I remember my Air Force basic training fondly. Really, I thought it was fun. Except for the sweat in Texas heat in July wearing full fatigues (today they call it dress battle uniform) and the sweat dried at the seams into a rasp-like crust that tore our skin.
Congrats to your sons, they will learn quickly.
 
Drew Watson said:
...The kids have no idea what they are in for. Oh and that the europe trip that they are planning in March will still happen as the military will just work around their schedule. Yep that is what they said. Really. I responded with " let me know how that works out for ya".

Really I am proud of them for joining but they have the know it all attitude and I would just like to be there the first day when a drill sargent gets into their face and starts a yelling. They think I yell lots because I am over half deaf have no idea what yelling is yet.
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Having been both a Recruiter and a DI during my 22 years in the Marine Corps, I can see a lot of humor in their attitudes.

Let us know how that all works out for them! :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Oh boy Drew you gave me such a laugh with all those comments. Took me back a few years too.

As i have said before we had compulsory conscription but with hindsite i think the guys that dont get at least the basics experience are missing something today.

On the other hand though i became convinced it aint something for everyone.

I had such fun in my time. My only advice to them would be to keep the right attitude to everything they come across. Of course your boys are going voluntary, in our case many went with an attitude and it cost them deerly.

Now as for pay I looked up the exchange rate of the Rand against the US dollar for the time i was in and we got paid a whole $1.07c per day. Then there was mess fee deduction and all sorts of other regiment deductions which of course we had no say in and we ended up typically with around $25 for the month.
 
Well I have to say I'm shocked...... SHOCKED to learn that Canada still has a few ships in the Navy........ :eek: :rolleyes: ;) :D :rofl:

All kidding aside, good for your boys Drew, I trust they will return men.

Cheers!
 
Tell them congrats from me as well. Everything the recruiter told them is the truth, really it is.

I mine told me one thing that was the truth. On the day I left he said, "in about 4 days, you will hate me worse than anyone you have ever met. By the time it is over, you won't hate me". He was right. I would still choke him, if I could find him:D:D I never did get over it.
 
Congrats to both boys, Drew. I wish them the best. :thumb:

Stuart Ablett said:
Well I have to say I'm shocked...... SHOCKED to learn that Canada still has a few ships in the Navy........ :eek: :rolleyes: ;) :D :rofl:
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Yeah, they got a boat a few years back. It was all over the news over here. :whistling:

the-canadian-navy-demotivational-poster-1247847108.jpg


Actually, they have 33 vessels, and it doesn't look like they're counting ice canoes:

http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/cms/1/1_eng.asp
 
Hi Drew,

My congratulations to you and your boys. I spent five years in the Marines and I have never regretted it. I respect anyone who decides to serve their country. Recruiters never lie but their vision of the truth is somewhat unique. I enlisted in the Marines in 1967. I told the recruiter (Gunny Claypool-- can still remember his name) that I wanted to go to language school and to Officer Candidate School. He was so positive and made it sound so easy.

A few years later I met him and he was shocked to see the bars on my collar and to find out I had gone to language school. It was a first for him. God bless him. Nearest person to a Marine is a Navy Corpsman-- I think Marines respect them more than almost anyone. Semper Fi
 
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