K-Bars and Cadets

[ryanmann356]

I have never seen any pictures in any branch of the media that depicted cadets with knives, helmets, combats and other soldier like things.  The ONLY pictures I have seen in the media of any cadet in any of the branches are young good mannered children selling poppies in FULL DRESS UNIFORM.  Whether or not the cadets are allowed to have kabar knives or helmets is entirely up to the CO.  I highly doubt that a cadet would injure himself with a knife so horribly that it would be depicted on the news.  Most cadets have a little bit of common sense, to not run with a knife and stab themselves or buddy.  In my corps if an officer saw you playing around with a knife and endangering buddy, you'd be in the truck getting RTU'd faster than you can say "yes sir" and you would probably have a stripe ripped off your brassard and the cadets are made FULLY aware of this fact.  Cadets wear combats because we are allowed too.  They are perfect for the field and are practical.  If there was a persistan problem with this then they would not issue it at CSTCs or in some cases at the LHQ.  Cadets wear big huge brassards that say C-A-D-E-T for a reason on their combat uniforms.

 

[alan_li_13]

Whether or not the cadets are allowed to have kabar knives or helmets is entirely up to the CO.  I highly doubt that a cadet would injure himself with a knife so horribly that it would be depicted on the news.  Most cadets have a little bit of common sense, to not run with a knife and stab themselves or buddy. 

You'd be surprised. Blackdown CSTC 2003, Delta Company CL, week 4 ftx. A kid got stabbed in the ribs because another kid was playing with his little gerber. He was lucky he hit bone instead of the space in between. I had to do first aid. Imagine if that WAS a K-bar.

I have never seen any pictures in any branch of the media that depicted cadets with knives, helmets, combats and other soldier like things.  The ONLY pictures I have seen in the media of any cadet in any of the branches are young good mannered children selling poppies in FULL DRESS UNIFORM. 

How can you say that when you have as your avatar a picture of (presumably) you in combat dress holding a weapon?  :

 

[Burrows]

How can you say that when you have as your avatar a picture of (presumably) you in combat dress holding a weapon?  :

Well, it wasn't published by the media was it?

 

[Cpl.K Soomro]

Aight you guys, thx for all your great advice, i see that i created a bit of conflict. that wasn't what  i meant to do. I figured out a solution and am planning to get a 4 inch still blade knife that looks cool and is functional for bush ex's. one again thx

KS

 

[alan_li_13]

Well, it wasn't published by the media was it?

Media does not only mean main stream newspapers, evening news, etc. The Internet is also a medium. It's on a forum that can be viewed by anybody.

 

[Burrows]

I'm pretty sure he meant a newspaper, or television.

 

[Slim]

I'm pretty sure he meant a newspaper, or television.

I meant any form of communication that calls negative attention to the cadet program.

 

[Slim]

Yes we do...Why do you think I'm trying so hard to discourage cadts asking about CADPAT, knives and other military goodies...

 

[Slim]

OK...The below post is from 2332Piper and is relevant to what we're discussing hereSo I decided to post it.

As long as they are clearly ID'd as cadets and are wearing a different uniform (which is what we have now) then everything is just hunky-dory.

If cadets upped up their policy regarding dress and deportment and really enforced it, then we wouldn't have this issue. American cadets can wear the same uniform as their military because (I have met many US cadets when I was in) their D&D standards far exceed what we have here (and I mean everyone in general, yes there are always the cadets who take pride etc). Therefore, there is no issue if a cadet is confused with a military member down there because the is no real difference in dress standards. But here...a cadet corp in the woods looks like a rebel army (don't worry, I wore a mix-match too when I was a cadet...OD combats, garrison jacket...OD tilly hat...those were the days) and when they are wearing combats in 'garrison' it isn't much better (the only exception being at summer camp where standards can actually be truely enforced).

Bring every single cadet's D&D standards to what you have at cadet camp (uniform worn properly, blackened boots and no mix-match of civvie vs. military kit) and maybe it would be alright for everyone to wear CADPAT and whatnot. Thats the issue at hand (re: the uniforms), at least in my case. I look back at pics of me at cadets and I wonder what people on the street thought of us when they saw us (again, minus summer camp).

Cadets is a great org and I'm all for a military-styled org for youth (I was in it...duhh). However, if you want to all look like soldiers and play like soldiers (or sailors, airmen etc) then you have to act like them too. We in the CF have a few bad apples but they are mostly cancelled out by the good ones. Cadets on the other hand...the good ones (dress-wise) are cancelled out by the many crummy ones. People doing the real thing take pride in a good issued uniform (unless your KevinB and replace all your kit with non-issue stuff  ) and it irks them to see a bunch of kids running around playing soldier looking like a ragtag bunch of Taliban.

There is a challenge for all cadets on this site, start writing D-Cadets asking for stricter rules on D&D and some sort of method to enforce it (two warnings...third your out of cadets for good as an example), start enforcing uniformality at the corp level, for example, when in the bush, either proper uniform (all kit is OD, all boots are black/brown etc) or all civvie gear...no mix-match etc. And EVERYONE wears the big cadet brassard at all times (no trying to get away with wearing nothing, or OD rank slip ons etc, something the seniors usually like to do because they can get away with it). Something like that. The in a few years, once CADPAT maybe loses its controlled status and there is no OD left and they start issuing old CADPAT gear at summer camps because there is nothing else, then hey, knock yourselves out with the CADPAT. But first, increase the standards to what the CF has and then you may start wearing the same kit the CF does.

Just my two cents and as usual I take it WAY off topic.


And now me...

There are many sides to this issue and we all seem to have some strong feelings about this rather hot topic.

I think we're all going to have to agree to disagree.

the cadets see one side of this topic and do not have the perspective that the CF regular and reserve emebrs do.

The reg and reserve members for their part seem to recognize the pitfalls of having the cadets dressed like them.

I am now going to lock this one as I think that it's gone as far sas it can go without re-degenerating into chaos.

If anyone has a further point then PM me and we'll see where we stand.

But I think, personally, that tis all been covered.

Cheers

Slim

STAFF