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All things LASIK surgery (aircrew/other -- merged)

You know what...  Hitormiss has made a good suggestion, but the wrong way to go about it.  (Prepare for a good jacking!!)

People get the Lasiq (or whatever) surgery all the time, and even when it was in its experimental stages, guys at RMC had it done.  The Army will not pay for it, and you if there are complications, you can be released, but with the technology theses days, that is very rare.
Of course it is fairly expensive..
My suggestion, if you really want to be in the cbt arms, is hold out on the surgery for now..  get in to RMC with whatever trade they offer you..  they know you are V4 from your initial test.. that wont change.  While you're there, you have 4 years to get the surgery, and request an occupation transfer before graduating..  If  you don't want to delay any occupational training (in the summer), you should consider getting the surgery before the end of 2nd year.. (usually have 2nd language trg after 1st year, if you are not exempt)

Think about it..  no lies involved

Now hitormiss, steady up!  And you shouldnt use my name in your post.. even if its spelled wrong..  I'm not trying to hide or anything.. enough people know me as Chags anyway..  As for giving your opinion, heck, there's no problem with that..  you admitted to knowing squat!!
 
Thank you all for your great suggestions and I'm actually considering all of those. However, I'm only 18 right now and to my knowledge, my body is still changing so I should wait a few more years to get a laser eye surgery. I called the medical technition to see if I could retake the test because I believe I screwed up my right eye while she tested my left eye by pressing against it too hard while covering it(my stupid mistake) but she said that I will not be able to change those results. I even sent my visual acuity which shows that my eyes are -3.50 and -3.75, which should pass for V3 I think, but that did not change anything. So, I called my career councilor and added a few more occupations to my MOC, which were logistics officer, signals officer, and EME officer. To me, these occupations don't compare to combat arms but I'll take it. So, for now I guess I'll just wait and hope for an acceptance to RMC and then change my occupation after getting the surgery done during my first few years. For now I'll just keep my fingers crossed for an acceptance. Thanks again for your suggestions!
 
Uhhm.. I have a buddy at RMC in 2nd year who is MARS who is getting his LASIK Paid for my Her Majesty....  He just told me about it, was booked in november, cleared by all the channels, and is going in May or something.
 
Thanks eliminator ,  however we still havent gotten ours,  and neither has my husbands friends that graduated.  Everyones convinced they forgot since its been this long. Anyone else here graduate last year and get theirs?
 
seoulja,

If you're worried about your vision status, get a second opinion with a civvie optometrist.  This will be on your own buck, but they can't refute official docs from another official source (doctor).  When I applied to RMC as a pilot they told me I had epilepsy (from my EEG).  The only recourse they offered was sending the graph to Ottawa to be reread.  Knowing buddy in Ottawa would probably say the same thing, I got another EEG at the local hospital.  No probs, they accepted it.

Meridian,

Haven't seen the CANFORGEN on the Lasik yet.  Any references?  This sit. has been discussed at length by my unit.
 
Meridian,

Haven't seen the CANFORGEN on the Lasik yet.  Any references?  This sit. has been discussed at length by my unit.


Because it is BS.
 
kincanucks said:
Meridian,

Haven't seen the CANFORGEN on the Lasik yet.   Any references?   This sit. has been discussed at length by my unit.


Because it is BS.


That it is. My husband inquired about it, and RMC said it is not covered due to what can happen if your on a flight, and pressure changes
 
He is MARS, not going for Pilot.

And KinCanucks.. It isnt BS..  He may have had his chain pulled, but he isnt the type of guy to make s#it up and besides there is no real reason to make it up. I told him I was suprised they were covering it, he said he managed to convince someone with a red cross that it was a good idea he do it.

Apparently his only apprehension is possibly missing phase training.

 
AirForceWife said:
That it is. My husband inquired about it, and RMC said it is not covered due to what can happen if your on a flight, and pressure changes

Meridian said:
He is MARS, not going for Pilot.

So you're saying he will NEVER fly in ANY TYPE of aircraft?  Does he intend to sail everywhere?  Or take the train when he has to go out to Esquimalt or Halifax for Phase training?  I doubt it.

I have done a recent search through the CANFORGENs and have not found anything. 

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/21676.0.html

Suggest you check out the above link.

 
Strike = Look. Like I said, maybe the military docs were yanking his chain. But he seemed pretty convinced that he was getting it done, and that the military was paying.

No need to be so hostile towards me, I already clearly stated that its possible he was being yanked around.
 
I just don't want your buddy getting fleeced.  I don't have the link on hand, but you can get to the DWAN medical site and they do have a list of things that are covered and that are not.

BTW, have a friend that was told he was V3 when he was recruited, and then they later said there was an error and he was V4 and therefore was going to be released ('cause he couldn't be V4 in his trade).  He did end up winning that battle.
 
Pure curiosity, what was the end result... transfer of trade, or vision correction or a review of the V4?
 
Wow, this topic is really interesting. 

As a current RMC cadet I would just like to make a few points that may or may not have been touched on (i dont have time to read 14 pages of posts)

When I first learned of the existance of RMC I was intrigued to say the least. I have always had a fascination with the military.  One of the things that was really built up in my head from recruiters and also the RMC webpage was the professionalism of the institution and its cadets.  This is also the main thing that shocked me when arriving for IAP in St-Jean and then again, but harder the second time, after the completion of FYOP at the college.  I was definately shocked how some people managed to make it to basic in the first place (and also shocked when they passed). The entrance criteria is based on two scales, academic and military potential. I am not ashamed to say that I am one of those who floated in easily on a high academic potential with only an average to upper-average leadership potential. I have now that a lot of my prespectives on everything have changed.  I am (if others here are not) greatful for the experiences afforded to me hear to improve my leadership skills.

Anyway, back to my point, I found that once the viel of the isolation of the First Year Orientation Period was lifted that the level of maturity and professionalism in the college was much lower than I had come to expect.  This has been reinforced numerous times over the past year, including this morning with a can of water leaning against another cadet's door.  The disciplinary actions at the college are inadequate for helping the cadets develop a high standard of self discipline, albeit that the system is currently undergoing review and change.  It is still shocking to see the actions of 4th year cadets who are now just a litte over 6 months of phase training away from being placed in their units. I do hope they grow up very quickly.

As for the cocky attitude of "ring knockers" i can say nothing as my experience is still limited. It does not seem like something that is unlikely to some graduates, although I do know many people here at the college that do take a much more professional approach to things as I do.  To say this is a quality of RMC cadets only seems extreme to me however. While I have personally witnessed a lot of unimpressive behaviour from RMC cadets, they are only acting as anyone their (and my) age would.  This type of behaviour is common to most of the current young generation and was something that i had hoped to get away from by going to the college.

:) on a lighter note, there was a comment on Queen's girls not being impressed by RMC guys. I can say that i know a lot of guys with Queen's girls, and the girls still like the uniforms (heh, the first year Queen's girls don't know any better yet). I cannot speak from personal experience however, as I am one of the few with a girlfriend at the college (we met during IAP). For anyone looking at attending RMC, it is very hard to leave family and friends behind and I would suggest that if you do end up at the College try to find one or two close friends you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and feelings with. The support will go a long way to helping you deal with the stresses faced on a day to day basis.  It is a huge life change and a huge sacrifice to join the Forces, but I do feel that it is worth it.

I noticed a comment earlier about having trouble to get people to go to RMC. All I can say to that is that approx. 250 cadets were accepted this year from over 1500+? applications (i have heard various numbers, this being a more conservative one, but all quite large relative to the number selected).  Although, we did have one fellow cry and quit the second day of IAP when he was the first CPC (cadet platoon commander) and got yelled at and fired by the Sgt.. I believe the first 5 got fired, which was very planned out, as most of the things in IAP are, to create worry and stress.

As for comments on officers being strictly commisioned from the ranks, I believe that to be something both impossible and unnecessary, especially for trades outside of the combat arms or outside of the Army.  IAP is designed to give us a taste of what it means to follow.  A common phare was "you must learn to follow in order to lead". Although some people had a difficult time with the concept of followership and coursemanship, and in the process often bladed fellow coursemates. It might be desireable to give officers more of a taste of what it is like to be commanded, however there are also good leaders here that don't require that experience and I am sure they will make good officers (although they are in the majority).  My complaint is with the overall maturity level at the college, but what can you expect with examples being set like a recent incident with a squad com getting really drunk at the Christmas Ball and doing a lot of things best left unmentioned here. There are differences in how we are treated from private recruits though (they make more money for one,  ;)). Right from the start we are guided and expected to figure things out on our own as apposed to being told how and when to do everything. It was a favorite game of our PO1, Sgt and MCpls to change information on us or not provide enough of it to see if we could coordinate or think of and ask the proper questions.

As for the RETP program at the college, it is a very difficult life.  The service commitment, or rather lack thereof, is nice for some people. However, with the mounting costs (although low tuition compared to many universities) and inablility to work part time (at least in first year) it can be difficult financially.  What they dont tell you ahead of time is that to get the reserve education money (some thing like $762 for the year this year) in your final year you must be a member of a reserve unit and you cannot apply for it until september to ensure that you have a commitment to the forces.  I would also like to clarify that the service commitment for ROTP is now 5 years not 4, and I believe that it is 7 for aircrew.

RMC has shifted towards a high focus on marks and academics. The mil wing however has become a part of the weekly school schedule. Wednesday mornings (as apposed to the former system of every other weekend) are dedicated to Professional Miliary Training, which encompasses a wide variety of things from leadership to drill (in fall and spring).  There is also a military psychology course built into the core curriculum, 1 semester for Sci/Eng and 2 for Arts students. While this may seem like very little, it is a lot more military exposure than ROTPs at civi U's are getting. RMC provides a great opportunity, combined with summer phase training, to develop your leadership skills as well as academics (esp. with the small classes, much unlike other Us), but you have to want to develop yourself. A common problem is that rather than developing useful things cadets become very good at cutting corners without being caught. And as my squadron Sgt says, "You cut corners and infantry die!"
Perhaps it is the need for junior officers that prohibits more thorough screening of cadets to tell those who are just here for a free ride from those who are serious.

That is basically what I have come to learn about the college in the past year. It is not necessarily the college (and its policies) tself but some of the people here that create problems. I believe that RMC still produces more capable Jr Officers than instituitions like Westpoint who have a very different approach than RMC (which places emphasis on self discipline). I do feel that there are changes that will develop over next few years, hopefully for the better for the college and the CF. It is also possible that stereotypes have developed against RMC "ring knockers" because more is expected of them simply because they come from RMC. Anyone who feels they are a superior officer for having attended RMC and flaunts the fact is not a good officer. There are however many good RMC officers too. I see a lot of speculation in a some posts. Trust me when I say you dont know what its like until you get here, and dont be surprised if its not what the recruiter said.

All of that being said, I am proud to say that I attend RMC (albeit less proud at some moments) because it is an excellent educational institution and I hope that after I graduate that my experiences here at the college will have at least helped to give me an idea of the concept of leadership.  Personal developement is really up to us as individuals, and it is too bad that some people don't take that as seriously as they should, but don't automatically assume that all RMC graduates are useless. 

- An Ossifer Kididiot




 
Excellent read!

You've got my vote for CWC :)

---

I only completed the ROTP Junior program "Prep Year", so again, my RMC experience is limited. I do speak every so often with a friend who is a 2nd year right now at the college as previously mentioned.  I did note however during IAP and during my initial prep year that the quality of cadets in general was pathetic in my opinion, but that it did meet with the stereotypical generalizations we can make about today's youth.

Many of the cadets who were selected for the program in prep year were either behind academically marks-wise, were from the province of Quebec and thus required a cegep qualifying year for entrance to an Ontario university or were from another province where math or other courses were determined to be lackluster for admittance to RMC.  All this to say that the military has even adapted to make room for those who may not be academically advanced initially, but who have supposedly proven themselves otherwise.

Recalling my application, much of what I had to show was leadership and military potential.  (You are gauged on Academics, Military AND leadership, if I recall correctly, not just Academics and military, Kincanucks and others can correct me here if IM wrong).

The way I (and I subsequently found out others) "proved" this was by demonstrating that we were things like "School President, Captain of this team, chair of this high school committee" etc.  The issue here is that it can be especially daunting to review a 17 (sometimes 16) year old. While there are older applicants (and in my experience it is these who generally find the maturity level at the college/IAP/BOTP appalling, not suprisingly) the majority of candidates have just graduated high school and have never been away from home.

How do you assess leadership potential? Is it based off of the most popular person in school? The problem I noticed was that the program basically pulled in the "snobby" popular kids from schools across Canada... you then have a bunch of kids who are used to be the go-to guy... the most important person... all together.. Then you throw in the "top" cadets from the Cadet movement, and you get the same sort of thing, but now with people who "know military stuff".

I think the biggest issue in general with todays youth is the ever-building individualist movement. Everything is about me me me, making my dreams cometrue, doing whatever my heart contents... coupled with the irreverance of the Canadian population towards the military profession in general (when I joined, and when I was in, I heard ALL THE TIME "Why did you join the military!?  Why would you go to a military school voluntarily!?") . The pomp and pageantry, the perhaps old-school "gentlemanliness" that was associated with being an officer and a cadet at RMC is no longer really evident.

Note that I do not pretend to believe that there was never any shenaningans in the past - far from it. But the biggest thing I noted (even within myself) is that I found I had to sell why I was going to RMC to everyone. My family, friends, people I met at the bar... I constantly felt the need (And saw all my colleagues doing it as well) to show the positives 'Free education, getting my wings for free, etc etc".  Basically highlighting all the WRONG reasons for joining, but the same reasons the military and CFRG's push so heavily to market to youth.

All said and told, you get people who really are wearing blue just because its a cheap way to get a pilot's license. They never wanted to lead soldiers - they are wearing blue afteralll; they dont really want to fight wars; they just cant afford pilot training and love to fly.  Same thing on the navy side - I just want to "sail the ocean" and "I love big ships" was actually a common reason.  an Ethics class demonstrated to myself and friends that many of our colleagues had never even considered real-war, real-life, life-or-death situations and what they would do if they were in them...  they were just here for the free ride....

 
Are there any requirements besides the basic knowledge and things like that. to get into RMC? What do you do there? Anything Specific? Can anyone tell me? :)
 
Meridian said:
Note that I do not pretend to believe that there was never any shenaningans in the past - far from it. But the biggest thing I noted (even within myself) is that I found I had to sell why I was going to RMC to everyone. My family, friends, people I met at the bar... I constantly felt the need (And saw all my colleagues doing it as well) to show the positives 'Free education, getting my wings for free, etc etc".   Basically highlighting all the WRONG reasons for joining, but the same reasons the military and CFRG's push so heavily to market to youth.

All said and told, you get people who really are wearing blue just because its a cheap way to get a pilot's license. They never wanted to lead soldiers - they are wearing blue afteralll; they dont really want to fight wars; they just cant afford pilot training and love to fly.   Same thing on the navy side - I just want to "sail the ocean" and "I love big ships" was actually a common reason.    an Ethics class demonstrated to myself and friends that many of our colleagues had never even considered real-war, real-life, life-or-death situations and what they would do if they were in them...    they were just here for the free ride....


Here here! I myself am applying for rmc and my reasons for applying are not the free education(hence why i said i would take retp) but to serve my country and lead people and not to just skim along for the free ride. I just have to say that if i am not accepted, i just hope the people who are, are there for the right reasons of serving their country and not just for free education and ending up having to justify why they are there.
 
As for saying that you would take RETP, it is unlikely that they will offer you RETP if you do not want it, as far as most of the RETPs this year go. I know some who asked for RETP and were offered ROTP on the other hand.

Excellent point Meridian, and something that I have both realized and i believe forgot to mention in my earlier post is the fact that most of the people here are still so young. I have also noticed those that started off saying that they would quit before second year (so they get a free first year, and before we have financial obligations if we VR) have now changed their minds. It takes time to adapt I guess. It really is quite a system shock and huge change/adjustment coming out of highschool. Imagine how great I was feeling getting yelled at by a french-canadian MCpl when I should have been at my grad/prom or out drinking on my 18th birthday :)
 
Themos said:
As for saying that you would take RETP, it is unlikely that they will offer you RETP if you do not want it, as far as most of the RETPs this year go. I know some who asked for RETP and were offered ROTP on the other hand.

Yeah i dint say i was expecting it, just showing that free education was not my motive to apply
 
I'm in the process of applying to join the Canadian Forces.    Currenly, I'm getting all my documentations ready.   As you might already have guess, I wear glasses, I am nearsighted.   I'm just wondering if its a good idea to get my eyes fix with respect to the Canadian Forces' policy.   For example, if I do go through with the Lasik treatment, will I be rejected at the medical examination stage?   Are there any medical examiner, doctor, or recuiter can answer this question?   Thanks in advance.

Seal
 
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