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Things I Learned the Hard Way on BMQ(L) 0129

November 30th, 2009 by skippy

(Submitted by Len)

-Don’t forget your parade boots for Remembrance Day

-BUTTONS!

-Meet your timings or it could be 50 pushups

-There’s a name for people who try to take assault the trench, after throwing the grenade 30 meters, with 8 rounds left in their 9th and final magazine: Casualty.

-Remember your name tag

– Don’t shoot friendly troops with a C6 on FTX2, it tends to make you unpopular.

-Ask your fire team partner your question before you ask the Sgt.

-Any Equipment you lose will be replaced by staff with a big heavy rock

– Changing C6 machine gun barrels with a round in the chamber is BAD!

-Shave in the morning, not at night.

-You can not get away with wearing dirty pants for inspection, as course senior.

– If a stand-to is called and you are the only one moving on the position, someone is possibly playing a prank on you

-Keep your Full fighting order on all the time if you have a smoking problem, so you’re always ready to go.

-Remember which way you came from when you are navigating.

-Look at the range card so you know where the trip flares are when you go out on patrol.

-“Charlie” (right flank) security during a platoon raid is not an appropriate spot for a nap.

-If you’re about to get jumped and pummeled by ten dudes, get the stripper to bring you home.

– “Just Fucking GO!” is not a legitimate drill command and will result in mass confusion and laughter [at you].

-When navigating, ask where the trip flares are BEFORE you go out on patrol so you don’t freak out and wander away in the wrong direction [in circles].

-Don’t jump up and stand on chairs and pump your fists in the air while singing along loudly to “We are the Champions” at Smugglers[local strip club]; small Asian women will threaten you.

-[in the throwing bay] Throw the Grenade OVER the wall, not INTO the wall.

-Bright white smiles are not tactical.

-Do not tell MCpl T [section second in command] anything about yourself, it will be used it against you.

-Don’t rest your face on the C6 when firing…you’ll end up with a fat lip.

– Do not stare directly at the Thunderflash beside you during a stand-to, it’s not worth watching the explosion.

-The only good bobble-head is Jenna Jameson, all others get pushups.

-Never trust a fart.

-Do not wash your [down filled] sleeping bag in the washing machine. They are very expensive.

-Link your ammo. This applies in the field and the bar.

– (very skinny soldier) Bring extra warm kit to the field…Better to have it and not need it, than to want and not have.

-No one can be trusted. Unfortunately this sometimes includes oneself.

-It’s not over until it’s over.

-Meaford is the place where dreams come to die.

-don’t try to be a hero with injuries, you could end up wearing a space boot [cast]

-Calling someone by their first name in uniform makes you a gluebag.

– Your weapon, it’s never clean enough.

-Don’t be scared of what you don’t know; learn it and be better for it.

-Just because you’re a rucksack with legs doesn’t mean you can’t do it.

-Whining doesn’t get you anything except old grapes.

-ABSOLUTELY, under any circumstances, fall asleep in class during the Commanding Officer’s address on the very first day of course, and get caught by the Base Sergeant Major. Always a bad idea!

-Don’t leave important things like your laptop insecure in your desk

– Speak quietly as not to waken the Meaford weather machine.

-If you have no idea what you’re doing, try not to look too stupid while you’re doing it.

– Polishing the bottoms of your boots for inspection is just as important as polishing the tops.

-Chewing mints during an inspection is a bad idea.

-Farting on a recce patrol (as funny as it was) is not a good idea.

– You will do log PT the morning after your flu shots.

– Don’t smoke with staff 10 minutes before morning inspection

-Warner Hill sucks!

– Store your gloves in a pocket, or just leave them outside the porta-john [as opposed to IN the porta-john]

-If your buttons come off your combat pants, don’t cut them off your combat jacket to replace them.

-Don’t threaten he Sgt that you will name your children after him.

– Meet your inspection timings.

-Wear lots of socks when you are doing sentry sitting in a trench in the middle of November.

– Always keep your eyes on your weapon

-Don’t wipe your ass with hand sanitizer

-Don’t pack un-needed kit

-THINK, before you talk.

-Bring chew to the field.

-Don’t trust the course senior to make smart decisions on his own.

-C-130 paraflares suck on recces, you could be laying in a puddle forever.

– Even though holding the door open for people is important, it is ALWAYS more important to actually pick up a kitbag and carry it in on the first day.

-If it’s noon on the first day of course and the staff all know your name, that’s bad.

– Don’t pick up your flashlight if you drop it in the shitter in the field.

-Don’t use Purell hand sanitizer to wipe your ass in the field.

– Don’t mistake tampons for candy.

– If you have a Rogers cell phone, don’t bother bringing it.

-You really don’t want to play the game “Barrel, barrel, who’s got the barrel?” It sounds funner than it really is.

– Do not criticize the PT, you (and everyone else) will end up with more.

– Don’t wear your steel toed boots on a ruck sack march

– People are stupid. Stupid people do stupid things. [no sleep amplifies this]

– Sometimes if you want something done right you have to do it yourself.

-You can’t do everything yourself.

-Don’t trust anyone.

– Pick a better approach than a dry rose bush on your recce patrol

– Don’t leave your cell phone or game system out when you leave for lunch.

-If you get poked in the eye with a branch, tell someone right away when you start to lose your sight.

– Secure all C9 machine gun ammo to the weapon prior to beginning of recce patrol.

-Trying to expend all loose C9 ammo during an aussie peel back may result in a surprise when you turn around and realize the rest of your section is gone.

-Check whether your flashlight is functioning prior to leaving on a recce patrol [for the objective sketch]

-When operating a paraflare, remember which way to turn the body. Try not to look surprised.

-It’s okay to ask fro permission to go to the washroom, even on Remembrance Day

-If there’s a chance you might need it, bring it. This includes IECS pants, it gets cold at night.

-Sleep whenever you can (except while on sentry)

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13 Responses to “Things I Learned the Hard Way on BMQ(L) 0129”

  1. Anna Says:

    “the Meaford weather machine”!!! Yay, A friend of mine was there I guess two summers ago now, he spoke of it often, with loathing. According to him there are a couple places you can find cell phone reception, you just have to look really hard, and be inventive. I believe he mentioned hanging out of a second story window once. :D

    Reply

  2. Len Says:

    They have since installed a cellphone tower, markedly increasing the level of drama in tha barracks.

    Reply

    Anna reply on December 1st, 2009 9:48 am:

    Lol, well that sounds more interesting, although less fun than hanging out of windows to talk with people.

    Reply

  3. Matt Says:

    Amazing. There are probably readers from 3 or 4 different countries, at least 3-4 different military branches, and we can all relate to that list.

    Reply

  4. Wyvrex Says:

    Can someone explain “Barrel barrel, whos got the barrel”

    Most of this list cannot relate to but i thinki get thi jist of it. Is barrel barrel a game where somebody lost the spare barrel and everyones life is about to suck?

    Reply

    Matt reply on December 1st, 2009 9:04 pm:

    That is a pretty good guess. If you have all your barrels, and know where they are, you can substitute almost any expensive or critical piece of equipment.

    Reply

    Len reply on December 15th, 2009 5:38 pm:

    The machine gunner needs to carry _their_ spare barrel with them whenever they have the gun. Sometimes people just grab things and go and they don’t keep track of which barrel goes with which gun or the gunner doesn’t know who has his spare barrel.

    Great hilarity generally ensues.

    So, they run around the building (which REALLY sucks in winter with 3 feet of snow) ending up back in 3 ranks with all the gunners having the correct barrel. If they don’t then they just do another lap of the building. I’ve never had them do more than 2 laps before they got it right.

    Reply

  5. M578Jockey Says:

    Polishing the bottoms of your boots is as important as polishing the tops….

    Doesn’t that make a mess of the barracks floor when you try to walk in them?

    Vicar’s Yaphank !?!? I don’t know, but it sounds dirty!

    Reply

    Len reply on December 15th, 2009 5:40 pm:

    Parade boots, they usually just sit there on your shelf for months at a time.

    Reply

  6. CCO Says:

    Len, did you learn to dry shave–like I did one morning at Fort Jackson?

    Reply

    Len reply on December 15th, 2009 5:42 pm:

    I was only 16 when I did basic, I didn’t really need to shave. my section commander made me shave with a blade (which I had never done) and then threatened to charge me with self inflicted wound upon seeing the results.

    Reply

  7. PaladinPhil Says:

    LOL, I spent quite a bit of time at ARTS Meaford. I know “Smugglers” very well indeed. As well I remember seeing snow in July due to the Great Weather Machine as well. Only place I know where you could break shovels and pick axes digging trenches in the summer. Fall, gave you a swimming pool.

    Reply

  8. Travis Says:

    haha warner hill we did a 12k ruck there lost 12 guys and i got to holes on my feet

    Reply

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