Advice for women on BMQ and other courses [MERGED]

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Hopefully the title avoided total gross out BUT be warned. What to the girls do on course at BMQ etc during that time...? ???

......and just some friendly advice. If the men you know are "grossed out" by the fact women get periods, then you need to change the men in your life.

You're welcome.

 

[bcperson]

......and just some friendly advice. If the men you know are "grossed out" by the fact women get periods, then you need to change the men in your life.

You're welcome.

Actually the title was for any Men on here that would be freaked out...

 

[armyvern]

Actually the title was for any Men on here that would be freaked out...

That's his point:  men wouldn't freak out about menstruation;  mere boys will.

 

[Dissident]

I shared a trench on basic with a female. Period were not a problem, neither were my IMP farts.

 

[Scott]

Actually the title was for any Men on here that would be freaked out...

Helping the stereotype keep life does nothing to help.

 

[Cplanchnice]

Hello, my daughter has been showing some interest in joining the military lately. She hasn't out right told me she wanted  to join but she is asking me questions about the forces and her Internet history is filled with miliatry sites and information. I am scared for her, especially being a woman and the things I have heard from friends. Judging by her Internet history she seems interested in combat and military police. These don't seem like safe roles for a young girl but how will she be treated by other soldiers? If she goes to Afghanistan will they respect her? What are the chances of her becoming a prisoner of war?  The last question bothers me the most. If she gets captured I ccan't imagine what would happen to her, I just can't handle the thought. I hope you answers calm my nerves but if not how can I accept her decision if she does end
up in the military.

 

[Cplanchnice]

I read through all of them (not every page) and they were very helpful. Would being a military police woman be "safer" for her? That thread about the young girl who died scared me a little, some comments mentioned knowing that being captured and tortured is a possibility. That one fear is the only thing really making it difficult for me to accept. I know she is capable of being a good soldier but she is my only child.

 

[mariomike]

I read through all of them (not every page) and they were very helpful.  Would being a military police woman be "safer" for her?

Glad you found them helpful. This discussion is about a female MP serving in Afghanistan:

Cpl. Jennifer, Canadian female MP a first at Afghan National Police checkpoint? 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/68404.0/nowap.html

 

[Jarnhamar]

The last question bothers me the most. If she gets captured I ccan't imagine what would happen to her, I just can't handle the thought. I hope you answers calm my nerves but if not how can I accept her decision if she does end
up in the military.

I understand what you're worried about but personally I would be much more worried about what may happen to my daughter at college or university than I would be her deployed (in the context you're talking about).

If she joins some soldiers will respect her and treat her well.  Others will treat her like crap 'cause shes a chick'.

 

[jeffb]

I understand your concerns being a parent myself of two girls but I can honestly say that given my experience in the CAF, I would be very supporting of them following this career path. Yes, there is an inherent risk in service in the military but if you put these risks aside for a moment, there are a lot of benefits to military service. Firstly, as long as she is successfully in her training and stays out of trouble, she will most likely have a job until she retires with a very competitive pension. There are not that many places that can say that anymore. Secondly, she will have ample opportunities for education, both formal and informal. The CAF places a very high emphasis on personal development through formal training and encouragement and support for individual training if the individual so chooses to pursue it. Thirdly, she will spend her career surrounded by people that are, on the whole at least, very dedicated and professional that she will build lasting bonds with.

I suspect many of your concerns about military life (beyond the getting captured/killed in combat) are rooted in some very misunderstandings about what it is like for women in the Canadian Army that are drawn from media and Hollywood depictions of the American military. If you read back in this thread, you'll probably see that those stereotypes do not necessarily track the reality in Canada. With respect to the getting killed/captured concerns, statistically speaking this is very unlikely but admittedly, statistics for something like this are not of much use as they don't predict what the CAF is going to be doing over the 30 years or so of her career.

Finally, I'd just say that if she really is interested in joining there is likely little that you will be able to do to talk her out of it. Some people join the CAF because they want a stable job or are looking for an adventure. Others, because it is a calling of some sort. If your daughter is the later, the best thing you can do is to be supportive and try and nudge her in a direction that you think might maximize her happiness within the organization vice trying to get in her way.

Best of luck. 

 

[Dissident]

My wife is ex Infantry and recently released after doing 9 years in the Military Police. Her 13 years were done while being a reservist and she did one tour in Afghanistan in 2010-2011. She never complained to me about being treated any differently because of her gender.

There will always be risks when serving in the forces. The risk of capture for troops at large is negligible, IMHO.

 

[TCBF]

- My mother, before she died, told me she thought that I should have become a teacher. In a sense I did - I taught a lot of courses and trained a lot of soldiers in thirty-eight years. I originally joined up for three years, but life has a way of taking off on you.

She lost her husband - my father - when I was four. This was before the great wave of social programs were created for such things. She had to go to night school then go to work. She re-married to a Second World War veteran. My uncles were Second World War and Korea Veterans. Our working class neighbourhood was made up of Second World War veterans from both sides. Her cousin was killed in action during the Second World War. Then her only son - me - joins the regular army, jumps out of airplanes, spends five years in Germany on two hours notice to move in a Cold War that she thought might go hot, and so on.

She was fading when I first deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 and was spared worrying by the time of my second tour to what I like to call "The Sandbox of Sorrow."

What did my mother say when I joined? "It's your life" she said.

In the twenty-four years she lived after I joined, I tried to make it back as often as I could. Still, that would be only about twenty-four months worth. Basically, if you convert that to straight time, I joined at just under twenty two years old and she saw me for two years after that.

When people my age envy my pension, I tell them three things:
1. I payed for it. It was part of a pay and benefits package known to the entire country. There is no secret golden parachute for retiring soldiers.
2. Nothing stopped them from walking into the Recruiting Centre when I did.
3. They got to stay in their home town surrounded by relatives and attending family weddings and funerals. Their support network - and more importantly, their spouse's support network - was right there. I and my wife had no such luxury. This was before the age of the internet, as well, so family news was often slow in coming.

Will your child be killed in action, wounded in action or be captured? Maybe. Maybe not. There are no guarantees in life.

If this seems rather coarse, remember that I am a baby boomer who was raised listening to first-hand accounts of combat in the Great War and the Second World War. I grew up watching the Cuban Missile Crisis on TV, and back then we all thought that we might possibly die in a nuclear war. I am probably part of the last generation of Canadians who knows what an air raid siren test sounds like. I also know what it is like to be five years old and not know that it is a test.

At the moment, statistics are on our side. From 2002 - 2015, Canada has lost more people killed in avalanches than in combat in central Asia.
That might change.

It is a dangerous world, but there must still be hope. After all, families are still having babies.

 

[Bird_Gunner45]

- My mother, before she died, told me she thought that I should have become a teacher. In a sense I did - I taught a lot of courses and trained a lot of soldiers in thirty-eight years. I originally joined up for three years, but life has a way of taking off on you.

She lost her husband - my father - when I was four. This was before the great wave of social programs were created for such things. She had to go to night school then go to work. She re-married to a Second World War veteran. My uncles were Second World War and Korea Veterans. Our working class neighbourhood was made up of Second World War veterans from both sides. Her cousin was killed in action during the Second World War. Then her only son - me - joins the regular army, jumps out of airplanes, spends five years in Germany on two hours notice to move in a Cold War that she thought might go hot, and so on.

She was fading when I first deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 and was spared worrying by the time of my second tour to what I like to call "The Sandbox of Sorrow."

What did my mother say when I joined? "It's your life" she said.

In the twenty-four years she lived after I joined, I tried to make it back as often as I could. Still, that would be only about twenty-four months worth. Basically, if you convert that to straight time, I joined at just under twenty two years old and she saw me for two years after that.

When people my age envy my pension, I tell them three things:
1. I payed for it. It was part of a pay and benefits package known to the entire country. There is no secret golden parachute for retiring soldiers.
2. Nothing stopped them from walking into the Recruiting Centre when I did.
3. They got to stay in their home town surrounded by relatives and attending family weddings and funerals. Their support network - and more importantly, their spouse's support network - was right there. I and my wife had no such luxury. This was before the age of the internet, as well, so family news was often slow in coming.

Will your child be killed in action, wounded in action or be captured? Maybe. Maybe not. There are no guarantees in life.

If this seems rather coarse, remember that I am a baby boomer who was raised listening to first-hand accounts of combat in the Great War and the Second World War. I grew up watching the Cuban Missile Crisis on TV, and back then we all thought that we might possibly die in a nuclear war. I am probably part of the last generation of Canadians who knows what an air raid siren test sounds like. I also know what it is like to be five years old and not know that it is a test.

At the moment, statistics are on our side. From 2002 - 2015, Canada has lost more people killed in avalanches than in combat in central Asia.
That might change.

It is a dangerous world, but there must still be hope. After all, families are still having babies.

:goodpost: When my mother passed in the autumn I had the good fortune of being in Borden (an hour away) for courses, so spent more time at home in the 4 months leading to her passing than in the 13 years prior. It's something that the civilians forget when they talk about the pension- you lose out on family, having children go to the same school, have the same teams, friends, etc and so much more. Well said!

 

[observor 69]

A well written New York Times article on Lt. Courtney Wilson, who served in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, and her personal experience as a female soldier in the US army.

While at War, Female Soldiers Fight to Belong
[size=10pt]By BENEDICT CAREYMAY 24, 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/health/while-at-war-female-soldiers-fight-to-belong.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

 

[Sempai Julia]

I did a search, found a thread with my answer, but answer was from 2009. Times change and I hope the answer to my question has to.

Do they still take birth control pills away at BMQ?

I can survive without them, but I prefer to not have random unpredictable periods :-\

Thank you

 

[Strike]

Who the heck said they take away BCPs at BMQ?

 

[Colta]

When I was in basic Feb 2014 they didn't... I just brought the boxes with the prescription info and a copy of my prescription with me. When they checked through my bags they asked me about it but didn't say anything. I don't think it's an issue... pretty much every girl on my platoon was taking some form of BC... just makes life easier if you don't have to deal with all that crap 2-3 times during your basic training.

Whenever I get back in I fully intend upon bringing it with me again. I can't see any reason they'd take it away. As long as you can show a prescription for it (you need it anyway to get it renewed later) then you should be fine. It was brought up during my medical and wasn't an issue either... they don't really seem to care one way or another.

 

[Historybuff22]

Hey there, so I am a 22 year old female who is looking to do basic training after I complete my bachelor's degree. In all honesty I am pretty ignorant about the whole process and basic training so any tips would be appreciated!!!

 

[Scarlett]

As a female going through the recruiting process right now, my tip to you is to use the search function on this forum. I have been able to find an answer on here to every question I've had.

Regards.

 

[Historybuff22]

My last random question is that I have had bunions on my feet since about the age of 5. They really are small and do not bother me unless my shoes are tight. I want to work as an intelligence officer or similar. Do you think this will stop me? Thank you!