Ahhh CG, how I love to hate you ...
You'll find a lot of people who go back year after year (even some who aren't part of either guard regiment) because it is a lot of fun. I say give'er and I will see you there. It is true, it is a bag drive, lots of long hard days, but it is manageable and the city is great (compared to Meaford anyway) and the schedule mellows out.
CG is usually done in two phases, Intensive drill and the parade season with all the BMQ courses done before hand. During intensive drill your day will start around 5:30-ish with wake up PT. After your food shave weapons inspections and all other regular admin it's off to the Parade Square / Parking Lot #6. For around three weeks or so you are taught in 40 minute drill lessons how to perform and perfect the drill movements you will need on the hill and on the way as well as at the house, you will grow to love forms on the march, they are as fun as they are impressive. Yes it is hot and disgustingly humid, but the medics there are fantastic and don't let us get too carried away in the heat as well as keeping our feet and knees (and hilarious bayonet stab wounds) all in working order. There are times when we go to 15 on 30 off.
The parades start and you go onto a four days on four days off schedule. For three of those days you will be doing the changing of the guard on Parliament Hill. Wake up and admin is the same, even the trip to lot six but instead of drill lessons, you basically do a drill practice and company review. Then its on the bus to CSDH and juice until you step off. The afternoons are filled with all kinds of fun. Courses and army knowledge skill lessons go off. Everything from SATS operater to Recce Patrols and section attacks. Our new CO ( a Patricia by the way) is huge on the army side of things. We are riflemen first and sexy chick magnets second. The leadership there is excellent, I have never seen such a huge emphasis placed on ethics and professionalism anywhere else.
The one day where you aren't on the hill you will be at the GG's house. Typically you can expect to pull two or three shifts on sentry at either the front door or the front gate. Here my friend is where you get to "interact" with the people and the beautiful (wo)men brought in by the busload. Again military skill or knowledge lectures are given when you aren't on shift. Last year I taught a lot of weapons lectures (and lost plenty of dummy grenade parts ...) but mixed in were call for fire and radio procedure type things.
If you are still up in the air about it just think to yourself what other job in the army ends with up to 2000 people clapping for you? If that doesn't float your boat, then comes your four days off, which are really just that, lots to be done and then night rolls around for all the drunk with none of the Pet. They pay me like a maniac and cover the cost of my R&Q as well. Ahhh, living the dream.
Plus you never know who you are going to meet, I'm on the far left behind the RSM in 3B's.
Duty with honour!
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