Canadian Military Postal System

[Scoobie Newbie]

Is there anyone in the "know"  that can explain why our postal system is vastly slower then our allies.
Please keep the speculation till about page 3 please.

 

[GK .Dundas]

Rumor has it they are currently putting out a request for proposals and hope to start the bidding process to replace their last tortoise during FY 08.
Of course in the fullness of time this may change and barring any legal challenges and of course this assumes that environmental reviews  are completed.There are of course some mild problems to be ironed out. what with the problems of handicapped accessibility, etc.equitable employment standards
I do hope the above clears up any confusion and restore your faith in the postal service...... Afghanistan??? that's near Moosejaw right?

 

[GK .Dundas]

Seriously tho' I suspect it may just be because a large portion of the army and extend that to the Govt....and the rest of the country doesn't quite realise that we're at war. the Machinery has rusted to the point where it can barely function.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

I suppose that's possible.  I was hoping a postie would be a member here and be able to enlighten us as to how the system works.  We were in Bosnia for how long.  You would think they would figure out a quicker way based on the models our allies use.

 

[GK .Dundas]

I suppose that's possible.  I was hoping a postie would be a member here and be able to enlighten us as to how the system works.  We were in Bosnia for how long.  You would think they would figure out a quicker way based on the models our allies use.

Not before we do the prerequisite 10 year long study on the problem and of course hold hearings. I'm not at all sure that I'm joking either. We do seem to be love with going thru the motions, don't we?

 

[PiperDown]

I think it all has to do with the amount of  flights we have.. All our mail gets sent to Belleville, then sits around in Trenton for possibly  a week (maybe even 2 if the plane is filled with other supplies) then goes over seas.. The mail does sometimes get held up in customs on the other side.. In Bosnia, I remember it taking 6 weeks to get mail.. as the mail was delivered from camp to camp, (and waiting at each one for a few days, until the next supply run) and by the time it got to Drvar (the last stop along the way) mommies cookies were as good as hockey pucks.. 
The Americans no doubt have flights every day.. and they pick their mail up directly off the plane and it goes out by blackhawk to each camp.

anyway.. yeah, I agree... The "system" is frustrating.

Cheers,

 

[jaawod]

But what about the mail that is not going overseas?  I can't even count how many times I have only recieved bills on their due date!  It seems like a lot of the time the system just can't seem to find us.

 

[FastEddy]

I think it all has to do with the amount of  flights we have.. All our mail gets sent to Belleville, then sits around in Trenton for possibly  a week (maybe even 2 if the plane is filled with other supplies) then goes over seas.. The mail does sometimes get held up in customs on the other side.. In Bosnia, I remember it taking 6 weeks to get mail.. as the mail was delivered from camp to camp, (and waiting at each one for a few days, until the next supply run) and by the time it got to Drvar (the last stop along the way) mommies cookies were as good as hockey pucks.. 
The Americans no doubt have flights every day.. and they pick their mail up directly off the plane and it goes out by blackhawk to each camp.

anyway.. yeah, I agree... The "system" is frustrating.

Cheers,

Yeah !, I guess that why it takes 5 to 7 days for a first class letter from Montreal to get to Chatauguay, just over the Bridge.

It sure can't be the poor buggers trudging through all kinds of weather with it when they finally get it to deliver.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The mail in Windsor gets shipped in bulk to Toronto, gets sorted by postal code and sent back to Windsor for delivery. No wonder it cost so much to send a letter. :

 

[PiperDown]

I believe the title of the thread was "Canadian MILITARY postal system"

so, complaints about a first class letter from montreal do not apply..  I highly doubt a corporal postie is going to deliver your first class mail..

also, mail from windsor getting sorted in toronto.. once again, canada post and not the military postal system

In canada, we use canada post.


The military postal system in question from this post, ( I speculate) is regarding mail overseas

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

you speculate correctly

 

[Fishbone Jones]

It's still got to get to, and from Trenton, via the rest of Canada. It's all part of the problem. Don't be so cranky.

 

[Armymedic]

There is nothing wrong with the Military Postal System. It works. The only limitation is aircraft space. I have recieved parcels in Bosnia and Afghanistan in less then a week from the time my wife dropped them off.  Perhaps mail is slow to Afghanistan now because all the Timmies supplies going into KAF.

Canada Post, and Canada Customs, on the other hand....

Oh, and for all you who do not know, Kandahar is about 15 mins away from Quill Lake, Sask.

 

[military granny]

Gentlemen I don't know how the military post works but I sent a parcel to my son on Feb 17 ( dropped off at CFB Edmonton) son went on htla March 8 parcel delivered March 28 while on htla. Boy from his section locked it up for him. That makes hmmmmm 38 days. But got smarter with the second one Easter goodies already sent 10 days ago just in case.

 

[FastEddy]

I believe the title of the thread was "Canadian MILITARY postal system"

so, complaints about a first class letter from montreal do not apply..  I highly doubt a corporal postie is going to deliver your first class mail..

also, mail from windsor getting sorted in toronto.. once again, canada post and not the military postal system

In canada, we use canada post.


The military postal system in question from this post, ( I speculate) is regarding mail overseas

As "recceguy" pointed out its all relative.

Regardless whether the CF Postal Service at times is hampered by the lack of immediate CF's Air/Land facilities, (at that point the clock starts ticking for them) It would be fair to assume that any considerable delay at Canada Post would represent the Major Factor  in the delay of Service Mail.

Examples of such extended delays by Canada Post in Local Deliveries are relative and would be the root cause in the delays of Service Personnel Mail Service. Hence their inclusion.

Maybe some Corporal Posties might learn a thing or two if they did deliver Local Mail for six months or so.

 

[Centurian1985]

This may not help but here is how I learned it works:

You hand you package to the postie at the camp in Kandahar.
He makes sure its wrapped and labelled properly.
He puts it into a bag for Canada.
They travel by day to the collection point in Kabul.
It gets mixed in with all the mail from the Canadians at Kabul (which is a lot! they go to flea markets in the capital all the time right?)
Then it sits there until a flight from 'the other place' arrives.
The mail goes through an x-ray machine, because of course everyone knows we pack C4 in our mail to send home to mom and the kids (yes Im being sarcastic, but those are air transport rules, go figure)
Maybe the mail gets sniffed by a British or US dope dog, and delayed again if the dog actually finds something (oh that might explain why some of yoru packages arrived stained too..hehe .. I saw a dope dog do that once right into someones open barrack box, boy that wass funny!).
It gets loaded onto a flight to 'the other place'...if there's room, otherwise it waits for the next flight.
If the flight is carrying the Prime Minister or other noteworthies, then the boys in dark glasses will have it removed (because 'it might blow up that thar impotant guy'  or might possibly 'concealing a mujahideen ninja who could knife the governer general' etc.)

Anyway...once it arrives at 'the other place', a grumpy postie will put it in a corner because they are either a) overworked because some other staff are away on leave or TD, or b) overworked because someone is there but not helping the lower ranks do the work (like other jobs, there are no extra hands assigned to the post office, you get the minimum for the mission meaning you are usually short handed throught out whole deployment).
Then, if they have time, they will resort the mail and put it in with the mail from the people at 'the other place'. 
Then you wait again for another plane to arrive and for there to be room (and hopefully no VIPs with large contingents of followers);
However, if the departing plane arrives and leaves outside of working hours, and no one is assigned to night shift, then the mail waits for the next plane to arrive during daylight working hours. (Dont laugh, its true! Ive seen it happen! Many post office staff on deployment in rear areas do not work after 5 PM!)
Then it finally arrives in Canada and goes into the mail system.

Now, it doesnt work like this ALL the time.  It all depends on who the postal staff on deployment are and how dedicated they are to their job. 

 

[George Wallace]

Ummmmm!

Centurian.

You forgot the Arrival in Canada and passed through the Xray machines in Toronto to clear Canada Customs, then back to Belleville to be dispersed to the Canada Post System... ;D

 

[Centurian1985]

I figured once it got to Canada that was a given...thats why i didnt include union strikes or floods or ice storms ! ;D

 

[delta89]

Hi @ all

I collect stamps of army postal services from all over the world.

Now i thought, this forum is a good occasion to ask soldiers, if they could send me a letter or postcard for my collection.

If it is possible, just write an e-mail and I will send you my adress.

Thanks to all

Greets from Switzerland

Daniel

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

delta89 the mail I gt back from my buddy oversea's is an ink stamp and not your normal stamp per se.