EPISODE 867 JACKSON SKEOCH JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMY….AND LOVES IT…BUT IT IS NO PICNIC
EPISODE 867 JACKSON SKEOCH…BASIC TRAINING IN CANADIAN ARMY 2023 Private Jackson
skeoch, PPLCI
alan skeoch
august 7, 2-2
Our grandson, Jackson Skeoch, joined the Canadian army A year ago To be precise he is now Private Skeoch in the PRINCESS PATRICIA’S LIGHT CANADIAN INFANTRY
His sergeant and officers have put him through Basic Training that was designed to assure new recruits were physically fit. We attended his graduation at CFB Edmonton alonng
with some 50 or so new rercruits . Today, August 11, 2023 that number has been reduced to 13. How did this happen?
STAGE ONE: GETTING INTO THE CANADIAN ARMY AS A POTENTIAL RECRUIT. ..BASIC TRAINING
“Grandma I can now make my own bed?”
“Is that part of Basic Training in the Canadian Army, Jackson?”
“Training sergeants seem to think so. If the corners are not perfectly square they make us do ouR again and again and again.”
“Seems joining the Canadian Army is basic housekeeping.”
“Bet you can’t make youR own bed Grandpa?”
“Correct. I thought basic training was gruelling.”
“It was. Watch this”
And there on a street corner in Edmonton, Jack and his partner fell to the ground and began doing push ups
with lightning speed. In the time it would take me to do one, they would do ten, Then they stopped leapt to
their feet…real for combat.
“Sergeants make us do push ups for slight infractions or no infractions.”
“Are sergeants tough on you?”
“You bet they are. Everything is a trial and failure followed by “Skeoch, give me sixty!”
“Make yoou angry Jack?”
“No I expected Basic Training to be tough. Some guys were not ready and they quit”
STAGE TWO: THE HAIRCUT CAPER….SHAVED HEADS
AN army barber shaved Jack bald ….all recruits wee treated the same which marked them as army boys. They became targets for
the local tough guys in Edmonton which could have led to fist fights had not the sergeants said
“If you get into fights
in Edmonton you will be just let go by the army.” (my words)
“Why recjruits have their heads shaved?
“lots of reasons. Standardization for instance….everyone looks the same. Sense of equality. Comrades. Clean break with previous life. Originally
to ensure no recruit spread head lice.
And so Jack survived Basic Training at CFB Edmonton. There was a graduation ceremony in an air force hanger
which we attended. We met the sergeants who were easy to talk to but the recruits kept their distance from them.
Jack had learned one of the fundamentals of army life. The Chain of Command. “That will keep us alive in combat.
We back up each other and follow orders.”
Not every potential army recruit is accepted. A great number are turned away.
Jack was accepted. His friends were not. There were 52 recruits in his Basic Training unit. A little over a year later that
number had fallen to 13.
It is a long story…stays with me.
STAGE 3 AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE— CANE TOADS, DEATH ADDERS AND DEADLY SPIDERS
“QUIET! This is part of our stealth training. Do not make any noise”
“Imagine , the two of us are the only recruits sent to Austraia for stealth training.””
“Hush! For God’s sake shut up.”
“And here we are crawling on our stomach through one of the most dangerous places on earth.”
“If you keep talking we will fail.”
“Damn scary place. Three deadly creatures are on the ground with us…”
“I’d rather not be reminded,”
“Did you know Australia has ten deadly spiders, one of which loves this tropical jungle.”
“You mean the Death Adder?”
“yes and others hanging from webs that we cannot see.”
“Remember our Australian instructor who brushed a big spider from his shirt”
“Paralysis , but he recovered. The spiders are awful but the CANE TOADS are worse.”
“Right. Never touch one of those sons of bitches…they are toxic. Death Adders population on Magnetcic
Island has been decimated by cane toads. The snakes think cane toads are food…just touching the cane
toad skin kills the snakes.. A good thing I guess but the cane toads are bloody dangerous for us. “
“And they just stand there in the dark,. We could touch one and not know it until we passed out, The Aussie
have an antidote thankfully. “
“Invasive species from South America….In 1937 cane toads were released to control insect pest in sugar cane fields…62,000
released …now immense problem. If a dog licks a cane tosd, the dog dies and the toad inflates itself but hardly moves,”
“One of the Aussies says to also keep clear of the big Kangaroos…the males get huffy and can attack.”
“Jesus, We passed by several to night…they got in our way…heard one huffing.”
“Do you think we can win this stealth competition Jack?”
“yeah … think so …”
“I think the Aussie patrol will win.”
“They know this jungle .. know the dangers ,,, we are newcomers .. Last week we were in camp Shiloh in’
the middle of a Canadian winter,, February. How could we expect to win a stealth competition in the jungles
of Magnetic Island/“
“I wonder how the Aussies would survive if the temperature was 20 below zero?”
“Snow and ice”
“How about a summer filled with black flies, mosquitoes, blow flies, ground wasps, moose flies”
Defences
Specimen from El Salvador: The large parotoid glands are visible behind the eyes.
The skin of the adult cane toad is toxic, as well as the enlarged parotoid glands behind the eyes, and other glands across its back. When the toad is threatened, its glands secrete a milky-white fluid known as bufotoxin.[52]Components of bufotoxin are toxic to many animals;[53] even human deaths have been recorded due to the consumption of cane toads.[31] Dogs are especially prone to be poisoned by licking or biting toads. Pets showing excessive drooling, extremely red gums, head-shaking, crying, loss of coordination, and/or convulsions require immediate veterinary attention.[25]
Bufotenin, one of the chemicals excreted by the cane toad, is classified as a schedule 9 drug under Australian law, alongside heroin and LSD.[54] The effects of bufotenin are thought to be similar to those of mild poisoning; the stimulation, which includes mild hallucinations, lasts less than an hour.[55] As the cane toad excretes bufotenin in small amounts, and other toxins in relatively large quantities, toad licking could result in serious illness or death.[56]
In addition to releasing toxin, the cane toad is capable of inflating its lungs, puffing up, and lifting its body off the ground to appear taller and larger to a potential predator.[52]
Since 2011, experimenters in the Kimberley region of Western Australia have used poisonous sausages containing toad meat in an attempt to protect native animals from cane toads’ deadly impact. The Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation, along with the University of Sydney, developed these sausage-shaped baits as a tool in order to train native animals not to eat the toads. By blending bits of toad with a nausea-inducing chemical, the baits train the animals to stay away from the amphibians.[57][58][59]
“For God’s sake shut up….keep your eyes peeled for death adders, spiders or cane toads…and enemy spotters with guns”
“I’ll buy you a beer if you will kiss a cane toad.”
“What was that noise?”
CONCLUSION OF PARTS 1,2 AND 3
JACK RETURNED TO CANADA AFTER 3 WEEKS CRAWLING THROUGH THE JUNGLE OF MAGNETIC ISLAND.
HE HAD SVERAL HUGE WELTS ON HIS BACK WHICH WERE DIAGNOSED AS POISON IVY. NOT SO. EVENTUALLY THE WELTS DISAPPEARED
BUT THEY WERE NOT POISON IVY.
IF YOU VISIT AUSTRALIA DO NOT SPEND YOUR HOLIDAY CRAWLING ON YOUR STOMACH
THROUGH THE TROPICAL JUNGLE OF MAGNETIC ISLAND. I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT
THE MEAT EATING ANTS.
STAGE FOUR: JACKSON WINS HIS RECCE BADGE NEXT EPISODE
alan skeoch
august 17, 2023
POST SCRIPT
“Cane toads have reduced the population of a deadly reptile by nearly 90 per cent in Australia, but on this island they are thriving.
Off Townsville’s coast, Magnetic Island is a haven for holiday makers, backpackers — and death adders.
Listed as Australia’s ninth most dangerous snake, the death adder has a distinctly stumpy look with brown banding and a peculiar triangular head and lives under leaf foliage where it sits and waits for its prey.
Their numbers have dwindled on Australia’s mainland with scientists reporting one death adder population dropped by 89 per cent in the past 30 years.”
CANE TOADS ARE TOXIC
Nearly 25 tears ago, Marjorie, Andrew and I were touring Australia and thought it would begun to find
some ofthes giant Cane Toads in a sugar cane field in Queensland. We were naive,. We were stupid.
Thankfully some local people intervened. “The damn things are toxic..stay clear of cane toads…an invasive
species that have made our cane fields actually any fields dangerous to explore.”
What is basic training for the army?
Basic army training is training that army candidates undergo to enable them to succeed in a military environment. The training tests candidates on their perseverance and emphasizes basic military skills, weapons handling, ethical issues and first aid. A significant portion of the training entails physical fitness to prepare candidates to deal with actual war and harsh conditions they may deploy to during their active military service.
How long is basic training for the army?
The answer for how long is basic training for the army is 10 weeks, with class time taking 62% of the duration, field time taking 25%, and 13% of the time dedicated to physical training. The training takes place at different locations depending on whether you are a full-time or a part-time candidate. For full-time candidates, basic training takes place at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Ruchelieu, Quebec. Part-time candidates take their basic training at a Canadian Armed Forces training centre or a local reserve unit location. Here are the key elements of basic training you need to know:
Physical fitness evaluation
The physical fitness evaluation takes place during the first week of basic training. Candidates undergo a fitness test to establish their level of physical fitness. The fitness test comprises four components:
The sandbag lift: This test, which takes a maximum of three minutes and 30 seconds, involves 30 consecutive lifts of a sandbag weighing 20 kg from the floor to a height of one metre. The candidate alternates between left and right sandbags.
Intermittent loaded shuttles: This test involves performing 10 consecutive shuttles, alternating between loaded shuttles with a 20 kg sandbag and unloaded shuttles. The test is to be completed in five minutes and 21 seconds.
Sandbag drag: The candidate in this test carries a sandbag weighing 20 kg and pulls a minimum of four sandbags on the floor over 20 metres without stopping.
20-metre rushes: In this test, the candidate starts from a prone position, completes two shuttle sprints, and drops back to the prone position every 10 metres for a total of 80 metres.
Candidates who pass all four tests proceed with the other segments of the basic training. If you fail in any of the components, you may re-do the test within 90 days. If you still don’t pass all four tests after the 90-day period, they release you from the training centre.
Physical training
Physical training is among the dominant sessions of basic army training. Candidates undergo rigorous and regular physical training to prepare for the field exercises. Physical training also prepares candidates for the 13-kilometre march in full combat gear and the fitness standards of the army.
Field exercises
Candidates for the army undergo various field exercises to sharpen their military skills. Field exercise involves activities like firing weapons, using a compass, reading maps and full combat gear marches. Candidates also learn topics such as setting up personnel and communal living arrangements and cooking food in nonconventional ways.
Confidence course
The confidence course entails diverse physical tasks to enhance the confidence of army candidates to handle tough challenges. Tests in the confidence course may involve tasks such as scaling walls, climbing nets, and crossing ditches while hanging from monkey bars.
Swimming
Swimming is an important aspect of basic army training. The swimming test entails jumping into a pool of water and swimming for 50 metres while wearing a life jacket. Candidates also somersault into the pool without a life jacket, tread water for two minutes, and swim for 20 metres.
Daily routine
The typical daily routine during basic army training starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. Candidates spend their daytime performing physical exercises, marches, classroom sessions, and practical lessons on various military aspects. They spend the evenings maintaining personal equipment, cleaning the living quarters and preparing for the next day’s activities.
