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In a nutshell, this is an account of struggle, desperation, and hope. This is something I was (personally) amazed by, and wanted to share. I don't know if this happens all the time, but thank goodness it happened to me.
Joining the Canadian Forces was a dream I'd had for a very long time. Despite my surety that it was the right path for me, I met many obstacles even before I decided to apply. My parents, most of all, were not very supportive of a young girl joining the Forces.
And when I did finally decide to apply to join the Primary Reserves, there were complications with the trades I wanted, which caused a lot of stress between my family and I. With my family's trip to Asia coming up on August 2nd, we were in a rush to get the application in. Unfortunately, further complications meant that I received the necessary application documents on July 27. I had a little over one day to complete it, gather all my documents and references, and hand it in at the Recruiting Centre on the 29th.
My unit recruiter urged me to hurry, as he predicted that I would not make it onto BMQ for this year if I couldn't get the paperwork in fast enough.
By the end of it all, my relationship with my family was hanging by a thread. Despite their doubts, their unconditional love for me allowed me to somehow complete all the preparations on the morning of the 29th.
Unfortunately, when I arrived at the CFRC Toronto with my mother, we found it closed for the long weekend. Friday was my last day to hand in my application before I left, and my chance was gone. Because my family and I had been through so much just to get here, this was a crushing moment for my mother and I.
And here is where the mini-miracle occurred.
A soldier wearing an army uniform walked across the room and saw me pacing outside of the building, beyond the pane of glass. I was desperately trying to contact my unit recruiter to explain to him that I could not get my application in today. He saw me from the inside, and as I saw him I felt a tiny spark of hope. But he made an X motion with his arms, mouthing "closed." Then he walked out another door and disappeared.
That was it. My mother wanted to leave. She'd had enough of this process, and she was very upset. She said that she and my father were going to withdraw their enlistment consent. At that moment, I was utterly devastated.
There was no sign of activity within the darkened building, but I kept standing there. People walked past me all around, and time ticked by. I was still there, just staring into the building, knowing that if I left now, I would never be allowed to return.
The same soldier came back some time later, and I was still there. Finally he sent me a tiny smile and went into a back room. He returned with what might have been a recruiting officer (he was wearing a white uniform). As he walked towards me, he looked very tired. I grimaced, thinking that he was just going to tell me to leave. I even mentally prepared an apology.
But they actually opened the door for me and allowed me to enter, and spoke to me briefly. They explained that they were not qualified to process my application, and that I had no choice but to go home and return to apply after my trip. They even took a look at my paperwork, and even pointed out some errors I had to fix.
I was thankful, but I also had some questions. As another testament of this unexpected kindness, they called someone else, and another soldier joined the conversation to answer my questions to the best of his ability. They listened to my worries, and offered me relevant advice.
They were all so kind, and I was amazed that they took the time to speak with me, if only briefly. They had no reason to, as they were closed, but they chose to do so anyway because they cared about their applicants. I thanked them all graciously when we were done.
My mother, who had watched the exchange, had tears in her eyes. She could not believe what had just happened, and for some reason it opened her mind to the Forces. Suddenly she was excited for me to join, though she tried to hide it. It was a small action, but it had meant the world to my family. It gave us hope.
I will make another trip to the CFRC as soon as possible after I return, and even if things don't turn out the way I want them to, I would still be extremely grateful for the opportunity to work for the CF. I'd just turned 16, and I know I have a lifetime of opportunity ahead of me. Things will work out one way or another.
Army.ca, you all were with me from the beginning. I voiced my tentative questions on these forums, hoping for support, and each time I'd received it. I've spent hours upon hours abusing the search engine, and found it exceedingly helpful. Knowledge gave me the courage to finally manifest my dreams; thank you so much for all of your help, and thanks to the moderators/developers for keeping this site up and running.
This is my personal story so far. It's not very exciting at this point, but I've got a good feeling about the future.
Joining the Canadian Forces was a dream I'd had for a very long time. Despite my surety that it was the right path for me, I met many obstacles even before I decided to apply. My parents, most of all, were not very supportive of a young girl joining the Forces.
And when I did finally decide to apply to join the Primary Reserves, there were complications with the trades I wanted, which caused a lot of stress between my family and I. With my family's trip to Asia coming up on August 2nd, we were in a rush to get the application in. Unfortunately, further complications meant that I received the necessary application documents on July 27. I had a little over one day to complete it, gather all my documents and references, and hand it in at the Recruiting Centre on the 29th.
My unit recruiter urged me to hurry, as he predicted that I would not make it onto BMQ for this year if I couldn't get the paperwork in fast enough.
By the end of it all, my relationship with my family was hanging by a thread. Despite their doubts, their unconditional love for me allowed me to somehow complete all the preparations on the morning of the 29th.
Unfortunately, when I arrived at the CFRC Toronto with my mother, we found it closed for the long weekend. Friday was my last day to hand in my application before I left, and my chance was gone. Because my family and I had been through so much just to get here, this was a crushing moment for my mother and I.
And here is where the mini-miracle occurred.
A soldier wearing an army uniform walked across the room and saw me pacing outside of the building, beyond the pane of glass. I was desperately trying to contact my unit recruiter to explain to him that I could not get my application in today. He saw me from the inside, and as I saw him I felt a tiny spark of hope. But he made an X motion with his arms, mouthing "closed." Then he walked out another door and disappeared.
That was it. My mother wanted to leave. She'd had enough of this process, and she was very upset. She said that she and my father were going to withdraw their enlistment consent. At that moment, I was utterly devastated.
There was no sign of activity within the darkened building, but I kept standing there. People walked past me all around, and time ticked by. I was still there, just staring into the building, knowing that if I left now, I would never be allowed to return.
The same soldier came back some time later, and I was still there. Finally he sent me a tiny smile and went into a back room. He returned with what might have been a recruiting officer (he was wearing a white uniform). As he walked towards me, he looked very tired. I grimaced, thinking that he was just going to tell me to leave. I even mentally prepared an apology.
But they actually opened the door for me and allowed me to enter, and spoke to me briefly. They explained that they were not qualified to process my application, and that I had no choice but to go home and return to apply after my trip. They even took a look at my paperwork, and even pointed out some errors I had to fix.
I was thankful, but I also had some questions. As another testament of this unexpected kindness, they called someone else, and another soldier joined the conversation to answer my questions to the best of his ability. They listened to my worries, and offered me relevant advice.
They were all so kind, and I was amazed that they took the time to speak with me, if only briefly. They had no reason to, as they were closed, but they chose to do so anyway because they cared about their applicants. I thanked them all graciously when we were done.
My mother, who had watched the exchange, had tears in her eyes. She could not believe what had just happened, and for some reason it opened her mind to the Forces. Suddenly she was excited for me to join, though she tried to hide it. It was a small action, but it had meant the world to my family. It gave us hope.
I will make another trip to the CFRC as soon as possible after I return, and even if things don't turn out the way I want them to, I would still be extremely grateful for the opportunity to work for the CF. I'd just turned 16, and I know I have a lifetime of opportunity ahead of me. Things will work out one way or another.
Army.ca, you all were with me from the beginning. I voiced my tentative questions on these forums, hoping for support, and each time I'd received it. I've spent hours upon hours abusing the search engine, and found it exceedingly helpful. Knowledge gave me the courage to finally manifest my dreams; thank you so much for all of your help, and thanks to the moderators/developers for keeping this site up and running.
This is my personal story so far. It's not very exciting at this point, but I've got a good feeling about the future.
