Joining the irish defence forces

Sean/Telnor · 06-02-2008 05:10PM

Dub13 wrote: »

When I did my recruit training one guy was caught out saying he was not in the FCA (as it was then),surfactant to say he was picked out for extra attention.

just done my interview fe weeks ago. they guys in the PDF said the exsact same, if they know u were in the RDF, they single you out - <if you lie, its worse> this is because loads of the RDF think they know it all... they said the PDF is soooo much different than the RDF <im not talking bad about the RDF, sorry lads but it is so much different> but thats not knocking the RDF of corse. i got mates in it and all, and just repeating what i was told

I reckon you join now for the RDF if you are young - i didn't because of work and all and when i went to join the PDF told me not to, because the forms would take too long with paper work and this was my last year to join (pdf)

make sure to research the PDF fully before joining... as you prob know already, its no walk in the park. <New Recruits dont walk anywhere...they run> lol

talk to a soldier or too, and ask what its all about. the best thing you could ever ask is "tell me whats BAD about the training and then the good" every soldier will tell you - you learn to sleep while you are awake standing up and will be made run until you are sick. but its all worth it during the training, its one of the best adventures you will ever have"

Flying · 06-02-2008 06:51PM

Sean/Telnor wrote: »

just done my interview fe weeks ago. they guys in the PDF said the exsact same, if they know u were in the RDF, they single you out - <if you lie, its worse> this is because loads of the RDF think they know it all... they said the PDF is soooo much different than the RDF <im not talking bad about the RDF, sorry lads but it is so much different> but thats not knocking the RDF of corse. i got mates in it and all, and just repeating what i was told

I reckon you join now for the RDF if you are young - i didn't because of work and all and when i went to join the PDF told me not to, because the forms would take too long with paper work and this was my last year to join (pdf)

make sure to research the PDF fully before joining... as you prob know already, its no walk in the park. <New Recruits dont walk anywhere...they run> lol

talk to a soldier or too, and ask what its all about. the best thing you could ever ask is "tell me whats BAD about the training and then the good" every soldier will tell you - you learn to sleep while you are awake standing up and will be made run until you are sick. but its all worth it during the training, its one of the best adventures you will ever have"

This all depends on how mature the training staff are, it does'nt matter if you were in the Power Rangers they dont give a toss.

At the end of the day if you can hack it grand, if you can't jog on simple as that !

phil_w2@hotmail · 07-02-2008 10:42AM

flying you seem to be under the impression that the training staff are all a bunch of professional unopinionated people.

let me tell you they are not. being in the reserves/fca makes a difference, they screwed those guys hard and laughed about it. do not join the fca/reserves if you plan to go into the PDF. no bull....especially if you end up in gormanstown as there is nobody watching so sending you in to the sea in mid dec down on the beach while out on a run chest deep goes as does giving you 3-4 hours sleep for a month to break you. we had people hit with hypothermia no laugh. the corporals i've met and most privates will tell you this had their head up their a@s and screwed you into the ground for a laugh or a power trip when they were drunk.... yes kids it happens. ross kemp in gormanstown would be a hard one even for him!

they said after 4 weeks in that they had weeded out the useless ones.. we lost 20 in this time. some for stupid reasons like a weird appearance that a corporal didnt like, or they knew that somebody had a bad temper so they kept at him three on one screaming in his face until he broke so be prepared. that bullsh/t "break you to rebuild you" was rare, it was mostly break you to break you and laugh at you.

aurora go join the cadets. you dont need to be a rocket scientist as far as i could see from the officers in there and the fact that they are actually advertising for cadets now says a hell of a lot. they cannot get the people as we are all cushy in half decent jobs these days so aim high and go cadet training while its easier to get in, you'll smash it if your fit and in any way smart. at the end of the day its better pay. you take no **** from any non officer rank and you get better opportunities.

secondly mairt we are neutral. even if it is not in the constitution we will never go to war for the simple reason that we are incapable. only 10,000 demoralised soldiers, stock of only 3 hours of ammo for the entire army, 60% of manpower unfit for duty, no air force, no logistical support, no reason to go to war, out-dated brit tactics from ww2, no decent body armour, only 50 WMD suits in the country reserved for government and they have holes in them, no decent tanks, and the actual country would not let the govt go to war whatsoever.

We would be slaughtered in 2 hours by 5 planes from any other country. reality makes us neutral so we will not go to "war" simple. Even if we were invaded the americans and brits would do the fighting for us and the govt knows this hence the military budget.

but back to the point as this is turning into a seperate discussion altogether (another thread maybe)

Aurora it will be hard regardless of what way you do it. it has to be,its the army so get as fit as you can you are going to do things that you never thought you could do physically so whats the difference if its officers or corporals putting you through it. go join the cadets and get a career as an LT instead of a job as a private.

Mrmotivator007 · 07-02-2008 11:18AM

being fit aint gonna be a problem,ive been training for the last five months and i play alot of sports ,i wanted make sure i was ready before i rang them up,hence waiting until jan,not applying in oct.waiting another six months is a long time,but thats my own fault i guess.i was just thinking about joining in the rdf because it might improve my chances of geting selected.by the time i get in id only be their for about 3 months,then asking to leave,that wouldnt say much about me.just wondering out of how manny people apply for general enlistment,how many get selected,what do they base it on,as i wouldnt say id impress them with my education,as ive no qualifactions bar a n average LC,would being younger than evryboady else matter?

Mrmotivator007 · 07-02-2008 11:24AM

also would it matter if i was inquiring about joining the britsih army?would this matter

Flying · 07-02-2008 04:15PM

phil_w2@hotmail wrote: »

flying you seem to be under the impression that the training staff are all a bunch of professional unopinionated people.

let me tell you they are not. being in the reserves/fca makes a difference, they screwed those guys hard and laughed about it. do not join the fca/reserves if you plan to go into the PDF. no bull....especially if you end up in gormanstown as there is nobody watching so sending you in to the sea in mid dec down on the beach while out on a run chest deep goes as does giving you 3-4 hours sleep for a month to break you. we had people hit with hypothermia no laugh. the corporals i've met and most privates will tell you this had their head up their a@s and screwed you into the ground for a laugh or a power trip when they were drunk.... yes kids it happens. ross kemp in gormanstown would be a hard one even for him!

they said after 4 weeks in that they had weeded out the useless ones.. we lost 20 in this time. some for stupid reasons like a weird appearance that a corporal didnt like, or they knew that somebody had a bad temper so they kept at him three on one screaming in his face until he broke so be prepared. that bullsh/t "break you to rebuild you" was rare, it was mostly break you to break you and laugh at you.

aurora go join the cadets. you dont need to be a rocket scientist as far as i could see from the officers in there and the fact that they are actually advertising for cadets now says a hell of a lot. they cannot get the people as we are all cushy in half decent jobs these days so aim high and go cadet training while its easier to get in, you'll smash it if your fit and in any way smart. at the end of the day its better pay. you take no **** from any non officer rank and you get better opportunities.

secondly mairt we are neutral. even if it is not in the constitution we will never go to war for the simple reason that we are incapable. only 10,000 demoralised soldiers, stock of only 3 hours of ammo for the entire army, 60% of manpower unfit for duty, no air force, no logistical support, no reason to go to war, out-dated brit tactics from ww2, no decent body armour, only 50 WMD suits in the country reserved for government and they have holes in them, no decent tanks, and the actual country would not let the govt go to war whatsoever.

We would be slaughtered in 2 hours by 5 planes from any other country. reality makes us neutral so we will not go to "war" simple. Even if we were invaded the americans and brits would do the fighting for us and the govt knows this hence the military budget.

but back to the point as this is turning into a seperate discussion altogether (another thread maybe)

Aurora it will be hard regardless of what way you do it. it has to be,its the army so get as fit as you can you are going to do things that you never thought you could do physically so whats the difference if its officers or corporals putting you through it. go join the cadets and get a career as an LT instead of a job as a private.

I was trained in the Cos De Del De Gormo, if you read my post again, it is down to the maturity of the Staff (NOT ALL STAFF), I also happened to be a section NCO with one recruit platoon and the staff were mature and a seasoned bunch made up of people from certain (Eastern Command at the time) border units, ex members of the ARW, ex- FFL and guys who were at least 21 years in.

I have watched the training today and to be honest it is quite bad to what it was 10 or even 15 years ago.

Cato · 07-02-2008 04:30PM

interesting opinions and expiriences on the training... can you tell why you think the training is bad these days? and can anyone descibe more stories, dificulties of training? thanks!

newby.204 · 07-02-2008 05:43PM

Flying wrote: »

I was trained in the Cos De Del De Gormo, if you read my post again, it is down to the maturity of the Staff (NOT ALL STAFF), I also happened to be a section NCO with one recruit platoon and the staff were mature and a seasoned bunch made up of people from certain (Eastern Command at the time) border units, ex members of the ARW, ex- FFL and guys who were at least 21 years in.

I have watched the training today and to be honest it is quite bad to what it was 10 or even 15 years ago.

bad how if you dont mind me asking?? not as hard?? not trained as well?

Flying · 07-02-2008 07:08PM

newby.204 wrote: »

bad how if you dont mind me asking?? not as hard?? not trained as well?

IMHO to soft and with A7 and PC brigade around every corner you cannot train soldiers to be soldiers anymore.

newby.204 · 07-02-2008 11:07PM

thats fair enough!!

Sean/Telnor · 08-02-2008 10:30AM

got a good question (well to me anyway

)
Lets just say i get into the army by passing my medical, fitness and get selected... how much notice do they give you before you have to report to the barracks???

Do they say you have made it - and tell you when to report (like 2 Sept 2008)

do they say you have made it - and later (few weeks / months) send you a letter to report at a date

do they send you a letter saying report in 2 weeks or even report next monday?

im just wondering how much notice i would get before having to report for training because of my apartment lease and all.

if anyone knows it would be a GREAT help

thanks lads

Flying · 08-02-2008 11:15AM

Sean/Telnor wrote: »

got a good question (well to me anyway )
Lets just say i get into the army by passing my medical, fitness and get selected... how much notice do they give you before you have to report to the barracks???

Do they say you have made it - and tell you when to report (like 2 Sept 2008)

do they say you have made it - and later (few weeks / months) send you a letter to report at a date

do they send you a letter saying report in 2 weeks or even report next monday?

im just wondering how much notice i would get before having to report for training because of my apartment lease and all.

if anyone knows it would be a GREAT help thanks lads

Anything up to a month or be cheeky and ring manpower direct and ask them, your fortune is under your tongue !

Sean/Telnor · 08-02-2008 12:58PM

Flying wrote: »

Anything up to a month or be cheeky and ring manpower direct and ask them, your fortune is under your tongue !

I wont be cheeky. i got money that i will loose if i dont hand in notice in good time and all that with the apartment. thanks for the advice. i will ask nicely. not nice to be cheeky though. especialy when they can torture you in training LOL just kidding.

Thanks Flying. you are the military Guru

phil_w2@hotmail · 08-02-2008 01:21PM

we had 3 corporals kicked out of the training and a seargent charged in our platoon because they were making lads run with cement blocks in their backback, severe bullying including physical abuse (no bs i witnessed it) and just using the place to prepare themselves for ARW selection.

It was pretty harsh beyond training boys to be men and then soldiers. I was all for the harsh times - it made me a man. but when a corporal keeps coming into the room at 3 in the morning and punching people in the chest as they slept and laughing about it... it crosses a line where you consider beating the beejayzus out of him as a team. you could die from that ****. and they kept him there until one guy who quit from the abuse he got went to the MP's.... that took 4 and a half months.

it got really bad when we passed out 2 star and came back feeling like almost soldiers to find we had no seargent or officer and only 3 corporals for a month working shift. no lie two of them were drunk every night and had great fun.

but i'm sure its not like this in every platoon as i've seen another platoon trained a lot better with rules in place and it worked fine but be ready to be drilled hard as it can happen.

I didnt want this to be a horror story but looks like it turned out that way. Thats why i said join the cadets as at least your in the curragh and there are officers and MP's everywhere.

good luck though whatever way you go and sew your pockets shut so you dont get caught with your hands in them

Flying · 08-02-2008 02:18PM

phil_w2@hotmail wrote: »

we had 3 corporals kicked out of the training and a seargent charged in our platoon because they were making lads run with cement blocks in their backback, severe bullying including physical abuse (no bs i witnessed it) and just using the place to prepare themselves for ARW selection.

It was pretty harsh beyond training boys to be men and then soldiers. I was all for the harsh times - it made me a man. but when a corporal keeps coming into the room at 3 in the morning and punching people in the chest as they slept and laughing about it... it crosses a line where you consider beating the beejayzus out of him as a team. you could die from that ****. and they kept him there until one guy who quit from the abuse he got went to the MP's.... that took 4 and a half months.

it got really bad when we passed out 2 star and came back feeling like almost soldiers to find we had no seargent or officer and only 3 corporals for a month working shift. no lie two of them were drunk every night and had great fun.

but i'm sure its not like this in every platoon as i've seen another platoon trained a lot better with rules in place and it worked fine but be ready to be drilled hard as it can happen.

I didnt want this to be a horror story but looks like it turned out that way. Thats why i said join the cadets as at least your in the curragh and there are officers and MP's everywhere.

good luck though whatever way you go and sew your pockets shut so you dont get caught with your hands in them

When exactly were you trained, and as for cement blocks in packs I would class that as good training the rest bullying.

eroo · 08-02-2008 04:17PM

When did all of these alleged instances happen?

phil_w2@hotmail · 08-02-2008 04:25PM

well they are not alleged as charges were tried and penalty given so just instances.

it was around the year 2000... spring... thats all i'll say as it was not me that reported it...

elvis jaffacake · 08-02-2008 05:18PM

Flying wrote: »

When exactly were you trained, and as for cement blocks in packs I would class that as good training the rest bullying.

I've never seen cement blocks used in combat....you train with what you use, all this old bs blocks in pack's ect went out with the stone age, even the Brits in their sneaky beaky lad's don't do it any more, you carry what you need and use, you can't eat/shoot/use blocks except to build a wall.

eroo · 08-02-2008 05:25PM

phil_w2@hotmail wrote: »

well they are not alleged as charges were tried and penalty given so just instances.

it was around the year 2000... spring... thats all i'll say as it was not me that reported it...

8 years is a long time.Anybody wanting to join PDF shouldn't worry as those types probably aren't handling recruits anymore,obviously there will be a few gowls..but with A7 things like that are definitely a thing of the past..

newby.204 · 08-02-2008 06:56PM

having done rec trg in the not so distant past i reckon you shouldnt hear about a7 or the pss till you have completed all your trg and become a 3*.

my 2 cents

Cato · 08-02-2008 10:50PM

interview on monday im all set, nervous but excited all the same cant wait! when will they say have i passed? straight after or a few days/weeks later?

Flying · 08-02-2008 11:03PM

elvis jaffacake wrote: »

I've never seen cement blocks used in combat....you train with what you use, all this old bs blocks in pack's ect went out with the stone age, even the Brits in their sneaky beaky lad's don't do it any more, you carry what you need and use, you can't eat/shoot/use blocks except to build a wall.

Off course you cant use them for anything useful but it trains a person to carry weight, it is no more different than carrying sand and even the Irish army unofficially train in that manner to emulate it.

Also running in boots as compared to runners, my own father used to give me the old webbing pack with at least 1 to 2 full sandbags inside to train me for it and wearing old steel toe capped boots that were on issue in the late 70's.

Nobody said about bringing them into combat and also in recruit training even 10 years ago on route marches sand bags and bricks were used to fill plce bergens.

Flying · 08-02-2008 11:05PM

Cato wrote: »

interview on monday im all set, nervous but excited all the same cant wait! when will they say have i passed? straight after or a few days/weeks later?

You wont be told you passed you will recieve a letter informing you to go for your Medical and PT if you do.

-aurora · 09-02-2008 07:03PM

Cato wrote: »

interview on monday im all set, nervous but excited all the same cant wait! when will they say have i passed? straight after or a few days/weeks later?

when did you send in your application form and also which bde did you apply to if you dont ming me asking?

Cato · 09-02-2008 07:18PM

-aurora wrote: »

when did you send in your application form and also which bde did you apply to if you dont ming me asking?

september/southern

-aurora · 10-02-2008 06:28PM

Cato wrote: »

september/southern

thanks just trying to get an idea of when ill be asked, thanks

Cato · 10-02-2008 09:26PM

-aurora wrote: »

thanks just trying to get an idea of when ill be asked, thanks

i would say june/september for your interview if you applied around this time? thats just a guess

-aurora · 11-02-2008 09:15AM

Cato wrote: »

i would say june/september for your interview if you applied around this time? thats just a guess

i applied to dftc and eastern bde. as far as i know the want the next platoon in for august so hopefully ill get in with them.

Cato · 11-02-2008 06:03PM

-aurora wrote: »

i applied to dftc and eastern bde. as far as i know the want the next platoon in for august so hopefully ill get in with them.

so if your in the reserves do you have to go therough the medicals and interviews or do you just go in with the next platoon?

-aurora · 11-02-2008 06:10PM

Cato wrote: »

so if your in the reserves do you have to go therough the medicals and interviews or do you just go in with the next platoon?

no, reserves have to go through the exact same proceedure as everyone else. I was just saying that hopefully ill get an interview etc for the group thats going in for august

Joining the irish defence forces

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