Army Reserves

Elessar

I'm thinking of joining the RDF 65th Batallion I think, it's in Swords anyway, just wondering can anyone share with me what their experience is like in the reserves?

I was talking to them at the Military Salute show last Sunday and it seemed interesting, I was shown the weapons etc. and everyone seemed at least friendly. I'm not sure if it's for me though, as you need to be REALLY fit (which I am not ) and a "team" player. I get on well with people but prefer my own company if you know what I mean (I'm quiet). On the whole I'm not sure if I could handle the whole Army thing, but I know it would be good for me - fitness, confidence (?), training.

Are they supremely strict? Are the regular troops good to new recruits? I am not sure about fitting in. I am a medic and was told that that's always a bonus point if you want to join. Anyway the corporal said I should head down on Thursday. I dunno, I was only inquisitive at first but the idea has been brewing with me all week.

Can anyone share their experiences?

PeakOutput

I was in that company and i enjoyed it.

I lost interest after not making the air corp cadets but up until then I thought it was great.

as for being fit, i was not amazingly fit and other than on the summer camps or the odd weekend away I do not think I was ever out of breath.

the progression is slow(and sometimes boring) especially at the start and you must be prepared for pretty much only square bashing for the first couple of months.

swords seemed to me to be a very active company as regards weekends away shooting and things.

again there is not much contact with the pdf other than the camps away and even then they appeared to me to keep themselves to themselves accept for rdf and pdf officers getting on.


overall its a good laugh like any club there are a few wierdos in it but they seem to get weeded out and all the ncos were cool enough as long as you knew when it was time to "work" and time to joke

give it a go for a few weeks you have nothing to lose really

cork1

hi im thinking of joining aswell.if i join can i quit if i decide its not for me!

Poccington

If you're thinking of joining anywhere in the 65th....... Send me a PM and I'll give you a heads up on what it's like, the different Coys etc.

cork1

im going for the 23rd infantry in cork

bunny shooter

cork1 wrote:

im going for the 23rd infantry in cork

You must be joking They don't exist anymore

They was integrated into the new 34th Inf. Bn. if memory serves me right.

23 Inf. Bn. or as they were labelled, the Para's, as they believed they were better than the other Inf. Bn.'s in the Southern Brigade, wrongly I might add, no longer exists. Re-org wasn't a total failure

cork1

ya i new they integrated but i didnt no wat they were now known as

bunny shooter

cork1 wrote:

ya i new they integrated but i didnt no wat they were now known as

I'll give you one bit of advice, take it or leave it, don't mention 23rd Inf. Bn. if you join 34th. Inf. Bn. it won't make you very popular.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Elessar wrote:

I'm thinking of joining the RDF 65th Batallion

Stupid names for FCA units, like we have 64 battlions of FCA lads before them :rolleyes:


Sorry but I think these names are pure idiocy. I was in B 'Coy, 7 Inf Bn and then a few year's ago someone decides to put 64 other battlions before it, lol.

Off topic I know, but what a joke.

bunny shooter

Mairt wrote:

Stupid names for FCA units, like we have 64 battlions of FCA lads before them :rolleyes:


Sorry but I think these names are pure idiocy. I was in B 'Coy, 7 Inf Bn and then a few year's ago someone decides to put 64 other battlions before it, lol.

Off topic I know, but what a joke.

Re-org has aligned each RDF unit to a PDF unit eg. 34 Inf Bn RDF aligned to 4 Inf Bn PDF; 31 CAV RDF aligned to 1 CAV PDF etc, etc. all RDF units in southern brigade are prefixed by "3", don't know why ?

Poccington

Mairt wrote:

Stupid names for FCA units, like we have 64 battlions of FCA lads before them :rolleyes:


Sorry but I think these names are pure idiocy. I was in B 'Coy, 7 Inf Bn and then a few year's ago someone decides to put 64 other battlions before it, lol.

Off topic I know, but what a joke.

It's just changed since the Re-Org. Every unit in the East now has a "6" before the number of the PDF Unit it's alligned with.

So it's like 65 Inf Bn is alligned with 5 Inf Bn PDF
62 Inf Bn is alligned with 2 Inf Bn PDF
62 FAR is alligned with 2 FAR PDF

And so on....

cp251

Join the 62nd. I was in the 20th (City of Dublin) battalion. We were the best damm battalion in the FCA and I was in the D Company (An Piarsach) the best damm company in the Battalion. We did border duty alongside the regulars and even flew in the Alouettes long before any other FCA unit. Officially we used the .303 but we really carried the FN almost all the time so much so that we had to be retrained for a parade where we had to carry the old Lee Enfield.

I have no reason to suppose that their merger with the 21st and transformation into the 62nd has in any way diminished that reputation. They even have a company based in Baldonnel.

I would rejoin if they'd have me.:)

Ox

all RDF units in southern brigade are prefixed by "3", don't know why ?

There were three brigades in the Irish Army, 3 PDF and three FCA (as it was). Each command except the Curragh had two Bdes, one PDF and one FCA. In the PDF re-org in the mid-90s the Commands were disestablished and replaced with territorial Bdes numbered after the former PDF Bdes in each command - 1 Bde (Southern Command PDF), 2 Bde (Eastern Command PDF) and 4 Bde (Western Command PDF). When the FCA were reorganised into the RDF a similar process occured and in order to provide a link to the former FCA and provide some structure to unit designations, the RDF units were numbered according to their linked PDF unit and former FCA Bde - 3 Bde (Southern Command FCÁ), 5 Bde (Western Command FCÁ) and 6 Bde (Eastern Command FCÁ).

Cp251, I don't want to start a bun-fight here but having put a lot of years into the FCÁ/RDF I can say that every unit in the reserve thinks the same thing about their Unit. There were and are no elite Units in the RDF, when your NCOs or Officers say you are the first unit to carry the steyr/provide a Guard of Honour/guard a PDF post they are doing what they are paid to do - motivating troops to carry out another ****ty duty. Units take their personalities from those in charge, so Elassar if you like the people you met from the 65th, join them.

Best of luck!

cp251

There are no elite units but there are good and bad. You get an idea of how good or bad your unit is when you go into direct competition with other units. If you beat them in competitions displaying military and sporting skills. Then you can decide whether or not you are a good unit. The ultimate test is combat but of course that never happens.

You get an idea of how good your unit is when you lose shooting competitions because the shooter from the other Battalion is a 48 year old fat private in a uniform that barely fits who happens to be an expert marksman and hunter who is kept active just so they can win the shooting competition every year.

Of course you are right I am bound to think that. But isn't that part of what makes a good unit. Belief that you are a good unit?

I might add, we were definitely the first FCA unit to be trained in helicopters and flew as 'sticks' complete with rifles in the Alouette. Also the last, as the DoD refused to let it happen again until the RDF came into being. We also tried to get para wings by parachuting in uniform under the auspices of our CS who happened to be a jump pilot. The idea was to make five jumps with the Irish Parachute club. At the time, you didn't have to do it in military aircraft to earn your wings. Imagine the consternation in Parkgate street when they imagined a bunch of 'sandbags' marching around sporting parachute wings.:eek: They swiftly changed the rules.

gary.k10

Does anybody have a contact number for the army reserves in Swords?