Thinking of joining the RDF

Nuttzz

whats with the fecking thread of xmas past..

why dont you tell us what you? I hear the glen of imaal is great in the summer full of chicks with guns :rolleyes:

garthv

I was in the FCA (or RDF ,whatever the fùck they are calling themselves these days ) for about 6 months and it was the biggest joke ever. Admittedly it was fun ( cheap booze and guns,who can complain ) but any of the so called "officers" were all egotistical , power-hungry prats who's only mission in life was to give out to the Gunners.
A sergeant would tell you how to do one thing and then a corporal would turn around and give you a bollicking for doing it the wrong way. I would of stayed if they had got their act together but that never happened so I left

Bam Bam

I'm infantry not artillery, so I don't know what its like for gunners.
If you were in the RDF for 6 months then you would not have had access to the weapons you would have been marching or learning how to. Marching is an important part of military training and so takes a while to get right.

You say the corporals gave ouit when you did something wrong. You must remember that mistakes with weapons have the potential to kill someone, so mistakes are taken very seriously

Sleepy

I've always considered it a joke of an organisation. Almost everyone I've ever known (basically all bar one bloke) who've been involved with the FCA were utter gob****es that couldn't be trusted with water pistols never mind Streyers.

Complete waste of tax payers money imho.

garthv

Well I was in out out of it for about 2 years and then i stayed in it for a full 6 months straight. Im not talking about when you are out on the range, Im talking about stupid stuff like marching correctly etc..
The RDF would be a great place to be if the people who joined it were'nt either a) Gun-loving freaks or b) Power-hungry muppets

Nuttzz

Sleepy wrote:

I've always considered it a joke of an organisation. Almost everyone I've ever known (basically all bar one bloke) who've been involved with the FCA were utter gob****es that couldn't be trusted with water pistols never mind Streyers.

Complete waste of tax payers money imho.

I have never been a member of it, but I know plenty of scout leaders who were utter gobsh!tes but I wouldnt write off the whole organisation based on the few people I met.

I know some lads who were in the fca and some were muppets, but some were sound and cringed when they heard what the afore mentioned muppets would say.

I would say there are good and bad in it, just like all large organisations

Romo

Nice little thread about the Irish Army. Some good photos. Check out the army ranger and the kit he's got on his steyer. :eek:

Talk about pimp my gun.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4296&sid=53a62ddadeb6802ca2b98a6d027b25fb

Bam Bam

Yes the RDF has its share of idiots but what organisations hasn't, usually these people will learn with experience.

For people wanting to join the PDF, you should try the RDF for a bit just to see if it suits you, for people interested in the military you should join the RDF. There's plenty of units to join froim infantry, artillery, air defence and medical companies to name but a few.

The RDF is not a waste of taxpayers money as it provides the PDF with a large trained body of men if they need them.

If the binmen go on strike who you goona call?
If the fire service go on strike who you gonna call?

And our assault rifle is spelt steyr

Nuttzz

Bam Bam wrote:

If the binmen go on strike who you goona call?
If the fire service go on strike who you gonna call?

not the fca anyway, the bin strikes in the 70s and 80's were covered by the regular army and the last fire service strike was covered mostly by the civil defence and their AFS. The fca has yet to be mobilised. I wouldnt call them a waste of money either as my friends in it tell me things are improving with plans to send them on UN missions etc.

Bam Bam wrote:

And our assault rifle is spelt steyr

so what? why dont you run along now and crawl under a bush or something...

Bam Bam

Nowadays the PDF is spread pretty thin, so if there was a strike the RDF would have to be called up.

And I gave the corrected spelling for steyr because many people here are getting it wrong.

Ms Bitch

ok can you tell me whats the minimum height/weight for gals?
im joining in october, ill be 17.
what height i need to be and weight.

Bam Bam

Ms Bitch wrote:

ok can you tell me whats the minimum height/weight for gals?
im joining in october, ill be 17.
what height i need to be and weight.

You must be no less then 5 feet 4 inches in height and be in good physical health. you are sent on a medical to test eyes and so forth.

Colourblindness means you can't join.

Nuttzz

you have absolutely no basis on which to back that up bam bam, or so my fca officer friend tells me anyway

and what are you now the spelling police? who cares how its spelt

Bam Bam

Nuttzz wrote:

you have absolutely no basis on which to back that up bam bam, or so my fca officer friend tells me anyway

and what are you now the spelling police? who cares how its spelt

With approx a quarter of the PDF involved in overseas ops. ie 800 currently overseas 800 resting off and 800 training. Then PDF assuming domestic duties. Even now the Army is very tied up

Don't forget that the PDF is at minimum strength right now with less than 10'000 trained soldiers.

Also if your going to discuss a subject surely being able to spell what it is you're talking about is fairly important.


Moderators should this not be in the volunteerism section of society?

Calhoun

Tried to sign up but because im shorth sighted i wasnt allowed cause i couldnt see well enough without my glass's. I didnt think that would be a problem as i thought other armys around the world had people who wear glasses. My friend joined though and it ended up a bunch of tossers smoking for about 2 hours and some corporal who thought he was the **** shouting at you in Irish.

Nuttzz

bam bam, no mention of a fca call up during the recent threatend prison strike, that cant be that under manned, so if the army has 10,000 men and 800 are away and another 1600 are resting off or training, what are the other 7500 at?

Bam Bam

Darkener wrote:

Tried to sign up but because im shorth sighted i wasnt allowed cause i couldnt see well enough without my glass's. I didnt think that would be a problem as i thought other armys around the world had people who wear glasses. My friend joined though and it ended up a bunch of tossers smoking for about 2 hours and some corporal who thought he was the **** shouting at you in Irish.

Sorry to hear that, but glasses are fragile and if you can't see well enough without them what'd you do if you were on exercise and they broke.

The corporal shouts to ensure everyone in the group hears, the orders are in irish because this is ireland, and many members do smoke, but its a stressful occupation.

Bam Bam

Nuttzz wrote:

bam bam, no mention of a fca call up during the recent threatend prison strike, that cant be that under manned, so if the army has 10,000 men and 800 are away and another 1600 are resting off or training, what are the other 7500 at?

Domestic duties. training exercises, guards in barracks, admin staff, cash escorts, prison guard, they ensure that there is a defence infrastructure back home.

RDF aren't prison guards and are not trained in that field, however the PDF have recieved traing in this area.

Calhoun

Bam Bam wrote:

Sorry to hear that, but glasses are fragile and if you can't see well enough without them what'd you do if you were on exercise and they broke.

The corporal shouts to ensure everyone in the group hears, the orders are in irish because this is ireland, and many members do smoke, but its a stressful occupation.

What you think contacts are?? I can see well enough myself without them. What do they do in the american army btw? You see them all in pics ect with glasses on. If i was in a situation were the would break anyway id probably be hurt quite a bit. In all the time i have had my glasses and the **** ive done with them.

The Corporal basicly had power trip. Hes playing army. Thought he was cool. The night i was brought up doing drills and ****. I obviosly hadnt been there before so the assumption i would know what i was doing is stupid.

How is it stressful when all you do for about 2 hours is smoke. They stressing over getting cancer? Anyway the prospects of going down the curragh were the real PDF think your a walking joke could be quite annoying. Didn't some guy sue a while ago cause someone from the PDF threw a gas grenade into a RDF barracks. The guy that sued had reall bad asmha

Nuttzz

all 7500? your living in a dream world young man.

you still have not backed up your statement that if there was a strike the fca would be called out, i think that just your personal opinion.

you also havent pulled me on saying there was no mention of an fca call out during the recent threatend prision strike, but you cant as there was no mention of it, yet you claim if there were a strike you would be called out

i think your living in your own dream land

Bam Bam

Darkener why not try again to join, usually at your medicals they take into account if you are wearing glasses.

Obviously the 2 hours traing parade isn't stressful but have yet to do an exercise, where there is little sleep yet you must always stay alert.

Nuts, think about how many defence installations are around the country and the duties that are required at each base, cooks, barbers, medical staff, mechanics etc then the people who work when others are off, then there is base guard and security. Admin staff at each facility, drivers. remember that that 7500 members work throughout the entire country.

I said that the RDF are not trained for prison duty, we are a back-up to the PDF if they need us they'd call usually they first request volunteers from units to help the PDF if they needed to call up the entire reserve or individual units they would, or if a strike lasted long enough they would have no choice but to call up the reserve.

Nuttzz

Bam Bam wrote:

Nuts, think about how many defence installations are around the country and the duties that are required at each base, cooks, barbers, medical staff, mechanics etc then the people who work when others are off, then there is base guard and security. Admin staff at each facility, drivers. remember that that 7500 members work throughout the entire country.

I said that the RDF are not trained for prison duty, we are a back-up to the PDF if they need us they'd call usually they first request volunteers from units to help the PDF if they needed to call up the entire reserve or individual units they would, or if a strike lasted long enough they would have no choice but to call up the reserve.

surely if there is an emergency the cooks barbers mechanics etc are trained for other duties and can preform these roles before the fca is called up

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=177244&issue_id=1901
the last threaten bus strike, the army made plans and only needed 200 people, sureley they can spare 200 out of the 7500?
The bus strike of 74 lasted nine weeks, no fca call out then.

now you have moved from a call up to a request for volunteers, go on admit it this is just all your personal opinion with no basis in fact what so ever.

I bet your fca mates and superiors will love reading this :rolleyes:

Bam Bam

Nuttzz wrote:

surely if there is an emergency the cooks barbers mechanics etc are trained for other duties and can preform these roles before the fca is called up

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=177244&issue_id=1901
the last threaten bus strike, the army made plans and only needed 200 people, sureley they can spare 200 out of the 7500?
The bus strike of 74 lasted nine weeks, no fca call out then.

now you have moved from a call up to a request for volunteers, go on admit it this is just all your personal opinion with no basis in fact what so ever.

I bet your fca mates and superiors will love reading this :rolleyes:

I've said usually the PDF first request volunteers because this is less time and resource consuming then a full scale call-up( which only happened during the emergency)

But we can go round and round in circles like this, so I'm going to stop now.

This thread is about the RDF not PDF. It is supposed to be a resource for people who want information on the reserve and what we do and how to join that is all.

If you want to discuss PDF strength anymore then start a thread on it.

woosaysdan

usually what would happen is that if the P.D.F were called out for say a strike or more recently Shannon, the R.D.F would fill in for the P.D.F for the likes of duties etc if numbers were tight in the barracks!!! as fro nuttzzs comments the R.D.F are better trained and to fill in these roles than they were 20 - 30 years ago!!!

Jim_No.6

Well, I've read most of this, and I don't have much else to say, except that;

i.) I wear glasses - my eyesight isn't that bad though; clearly there have to be *some* minimum requirements. That said, I agree with Bam Bam in saying that you should try again. :rolleyes:

ii.) Nutz*: All I can say to reply to your saying that the RDF have no useful function is that I spent a few very boring, yet vital guard work while G.W. was over here this summer - there weren't enough PDF to go around; they are almost constantly on some kind of operation schedule {by which I mean, that they are in constant training, unavailable, or on operations} and so there is a need for people who are willing to give up their time for their country: for free no less! {Compared to the time put in over a year, a RDF soldier recieves very little pay: anyone in it just for the money will be sorely disappointed}. As to a Reserve call up; this is seen as an absolute last resort: maybe you should look up what the purpose of an army is before you start spouting that kind of (rubbish).



* Is this spelled right? Or is that immaterial?

Nuttzz

Nuttzz wrote:

I have never been a member of it, but I know plenty of scout leaders who were utter gobsh!tes but I wouldnt write off the whole organisation based on the few people I met.

I know some lads who were in the fca and some were muppets, but some were sound and cringed when they heard what the afore mentioned muppets would say.

I would say there are good and bad in it, just like all large organisations

I started off by defending you lot, i have friends in the fca. You asked who would we call on during stirkes, I said it would not be the fca, which it wouldnt be, by your own addmission all the fca would do would be to free up the regular army.

Jim No 6, I know what the army does and I know what the fca do, so you volunteered for some security duties, well done.

bam bam wrote:

Nowadays the PDF is spread pretty thin, so if there was a strike the RDF would have to be called up

there is a big difference between volunteering for duties and being called up.

jimNo_6 wrote:

As to a Reserve call up; this is seen as an absolute last resort: maybe you should look up what the purpose of an army is before you start spouting that kind of (rubbish).

yet your buddy bam bam says differently? And i'm the one spouting rubbish?

Bam Bam

End this argument now.

This thread is for people who wish to become members of the Army Reserve.

If anyone has any questions about how to join and what we do. Then please post and I and others will try to help.

seamus

Moved from AH

Nuttzz

Bam Bam wrote:

This thread is for people who wish to become members of the Army Reserve.

If anyone has any questions about how to join and what we do. Then please post and I and others will try to help.

it was back in 2003 but then you came along and posted

bam bam wrote:

What are peoples opinion of both the Army Reserve and the Naval Reserve?

people don't just think its cheap booze and guns do they?

I'm a Pte in the Army Reserve and have been for 3 years. I don't drink and take what I do very seriously

so you were soliciting opinions on the fca, which you got, but now you havent heard what you wanted to hear so all of a sudden about people wishing to become members....

So then would you like to answer my questions?

i'm 33 can I join?
Is there a fitness test?
How often do you shoot guns?
Can I join the fca in meath or do I have to serve in dublin first?
Can I drive a tank? Do the fca have tanks?
what do you do when you go to the glen?
how often do you do duties in barracks?
how much is the booze?

testicle

i'm 33 can I join?
yes

Is there a fitness test?
no, but there will be if you join after oct 1

How often do you shoot guns?
minimum once a year

Can I join the fca in meath or do I have to serve in dublin first?
yes to meath

Can I drive a tank? Do the fca have tanks?
no to both. the defence forces do not have any tanks

what do you do when you go to the glen?
train

how often do you do duties in barracks?
depends

how much is the booze?
€2.35 at last check for a lager