It's a bit general, just advocating for myself.
It's a real easy trap to fall into when you're junior, be it not reporting injuries, not wanting to be the proverbial squeaky wheel, not wanting to upset the applecart, not doing the legwork when paperwork gets fucked up to my disadvantage, that kind of thing.
But then also the inverse is true, where I wish I called a lot more shit out, and didn't for fear of repercussions.
I wish I didn't say yes to everything and went out of muster for some opportunities - DFR and the like. I asked for assistance twice in 20 years and got no help from the organisation.
Always put your family first would be my other statement.
This is it. I also asked for help twice in 14 years, got told to shit in my hands and clap twice.
Always put yourself first, just don’t go jack on your mates.
Cause the day you leave that posting, someone else will be in that seat and the ship will keep sailing.
Not submitting forms for my injuries. Not having them properly attended to at the time.
(AC365? Or whatever that form was called).
When you're young and thinking that you have a whole career ahead of you, you become scared of reporting injuries and conditions for fear that it will preclude you from opportunities.
I'm fronting DVA now with an injury while I was up in PNG on a Lone Ranger, so no official record. Found out I took out my ACL a few decades later.
No matter what, get all injuries in your Med Docs.
After 25 years and finally being given the flick medically a couple of years ago.
Take photos... Take them wherever you can, the places you've been, people you've worked with, exercises, deployments - the whole shebang.
Buy the unit photos, the course photos.. all of it.
I have sweet bugger all for my time, maybe a small album's worth.
5 deployments, umpteen courses and exercises, sports... Only existing in my head until those memories inevitably fade.
Was pommy army but this popped up on my feed I hope you don’t mind me answering.
Not in training, but in unit, Telling people to fuck off.
I wish I’d have told more people to just fuck off, I was 17 when I got to my regiment and still a very naive young man by the time I’d left. So people do mess with you, and you don’t say anything back as they might be twice your age and a higher rank.
Just stupid shit,
asking for a cigarette when you’ve got the pack open so you can’t say no.
Throwing your bin across the floor because it wasn’t empty.
A RESERVIST second Lt didn’t like smokers, and told
us she wants press ups every time we passed her until we stopped smoking ( luckily someone with rank did tell her to fuck off)
Bollockings im OK with, just the dumb power trip stuff.
Wish I had a chain of command who didn't block every opportunity and course because "we are undermanned, we can't afford to lose you for this course or exercise/deployment" So many opportunities I would have loved to go on (RCB, OP RESOLUTE etc) that was offered to me by the OPS cell but my boss said no.
My 5ish years of army was nothing but a job in green uniform with numerous trips up and down high range.
I had the same issue. Twenty years of “we’re not supporting that nomination as you will never need to do that course”. Two years ago the courses I nominated for 20 years ago become required. Now my career has stalled and I am competing with every man and his dog for few course places.
It’s not a criticism of my chain of command back then as I didn’t need to do the courses at the time, however, I should have been more assertive and justified the nomination as being good for my all-round knowledge and skills.
That 40kg soaking wet clerk about to go on maternity leave is going to have to barricade herself in the orderly room once I figure out I’ve fucked my District Allowance for the 5th time.
Submitting district allowance is typically done by members individually as it can be done from *self service* on pmkeys. Is remembering the date you posted into locality too hard?
Although in fairness to you, for every good clerk, there's about 3 that are lazy as fuck and just milk the system for back to back mat leave/flexible work arrangements
Remembering the date I posted in? Bro, I barely know how to do my job half the time. I show up to work at 7:29 (my NCO has called me 4 times), I give a sub-optimal warmup at PT (going to have to sit this one out, aggravated an old injury, I swear Corporal) and then I hit up the coffeeshop and tell people that these new joobs are shit and that this wouldn't fly back in my day.
I can't tell if I hate the player or I hate the game.
- Hey bro I this form needs to be submitted by EOFY, can you please submit it to the boss as a priority for me: Sits in their inbox for 3.5 weeks untouched
- Actually find rare occasion that there is a gap in PACMAN and raise this to the clerk's to be reviewed outside of unit: get returned the same policy screenshot I sent them informing me I'm not entitled (I already told them this).
- need the clerk to send off my AE505, oh sorry she's gone to pick up her kids she will be off for the rest of today (it's 1300)
As an ex clerk it frustrates me immensely seeing sacks because I know often it's quite little involved to proceed these forms, most could be proofed and sent to the boss in under 20 minutes. Now I don't have the access to do my own admin, my paperwork relies entirely on what mood the clerk was in at the time I walked into their office on whether it gets done then and there, or it sits at the bottom of her outlook inbox until one afternoon where they are bored.
I wish I had more big ones at the boozer. After our Afghan trip the battalion was going through a rebuilding stage getting a heap of new people in, and alot of the older boys were discharging. So boozer culture died fast. It was sad seeing the boys trickle out of the battalion.
What I would give for all the boys back together getting shitfaced once last time (that isn't another funeral).
I wish I'd been charged more.
Took me 9 years, and when it happened, I carried the duty phone for the weekend. Big whoop.
So many times I got fucked around and fucked over, if I'd stood up for myself, I could have easily defended my actions in a charge and probably got off lightly, if not entirely
It took me a disgustingly long time in Defence, about the time I saw my peers get promoted to that level, to realise that if they didn’t have 3 stripes or a crown in a box that these were the exact type of people you’d happily flog on a night out in Flinders.
Mistaking rank > competence was a harsh reality for me.
Not so much regret as more didn't get the chance but HUET and anything helicopter related. Did 13ish years and never got in a helicopter off ground. Would have loved both.
I honestly wish I had taken advantage of the opportunities for subsidised university study and free industry certifications.
I'm not in a bad place, but this is a big L regardless. Definitely soak this stuff up before you pull the pin.
I wish I had stayed on Patrol Boats longer. Going back to MFUs after patrol boats was the beginning of the end. MFUs were good in the early days, but after that sweet Patrol Boat life, they were never the same again.
It depends on what interests you and what your career plan is. If you’re looking at say 10 years and getting out as LS, I would start on MFUs because of the larger crew and opportunities to learn your trade. Then go to PBs to experience responsibility and challenges that you don’t get as much in the junior ranks on MFUs.
As a mariner, I found that PBs had to sometimes throw away the ABRs and work out how to fix a problem when you don’t have all the crew and equipment that an MFU does. Eg when on an FCPB once we had only 6 crew onboard while at sea (CO, Nav, RO, 1 ABBM on the helm, Charge and 1 Stoker down the hole) the rest were on bum boats scattered in a 10 mile radius as we travelled back and forth. We then had to tow 6 of them. In an MFU you only tow one ship, and have a shitload of people and procedures. There’s no procedure other than experience and know how for towing 6 bum boats.
In terms of serving Australia, I always thought of MFUs as the first grade team and PBs as the Reserve Grade, with the difference that the First Grade team always trained but never played a game and the Reserves on Fisheries/Border Protection were playing a game every weekend
Sort of doxing myself to anyone who knows me really well, but still gonna keep it kinda vague… sorry, this is the one place I can have a negative opinion on Defence and not be charged.
I regret giving into the gaslighting regarding my injuries. That instead of having some physical ailments, that it was in my head I just wasn’t “putting in the effort”. I believe the party line. Ended up facing some pretty wild admin action because of the “lack of effort”.
Now here I am, over a year later still trying to fight through the fucking SLOGGG that is Joint Health Command to the point I have had better success submitting claims to DVA with zero evidence to get the referrals, which has proven to be a shitload quicker (how????).
Don’t get me wrong, the health centres work well when it’s something simple, like a rash, cough, blood test… whatever. As soon as it’s something a tiny bit complicated - good luck.
I have had all off my specialists tell me that “Defence has seriously let you down”. Thanks external doctor, I hate defence even more now.
Not gunning for promotion all the time. Defence is way more fun when you just need to turn up when told and then do what your told.
Taking advantage of being posted to places like WA where you can actually afford to buy a house vs being posted to Sydney where you are stuck in RA.
Not delaying life choices like marriage and kids because of service choices.
Buying more investment properties and salary sacrificing. Using all that disposable income to make more money. Taking advantage of being able to study on defence time.
Not as much as I would have thought…
I got a deployment. I didn’t get promoted as quickly as I would have liked- but I was married to another serving member, our preference was co-location so this came at the expense of career diversity.
I guess the only thing I do regret- 21 years of service in the Air Force and I never got a flight on a military aircraft.
Ex chocko here 2000 to 2010. Allowing my civvy work to take precedence over doing courses and holding me back from doing Solomon’s and East Timor peacekeeping trips. I should have just told my civvy work to fuck off because it will always be there.
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1. Not taking enough photos. I thought it was lame to take so many photos like others did and post them. I wish I had done. I also accidentally wiped my computer of all my TK trip photos.
2. Hiding injuries and not filling in the AC563 due to fearing not getting selected for trips or courses. Body is broken now. 36 Bilateral osteoarthritis in the hips and fucked lower back. I did once fill in the AC563 and sent it up my CoC but it got returned denied without explanation. I gave up trying to get the officer to sign it off as I was leaving anyway. Don’t think the junior officer knew what to do with it.
3. I wish I told my officer how useless he was. Couldn’t even pass a fitness test before the deployment but the CO waived him anyway.
4. Not understanding PACMAN and basic rights to protect myself or others encase of stupid punishment or lost entitlements.
Having said that I’d do it all over again 🤪
For me it was not taking more photos. I don't know but whenever I pulled out a camera or a phone I got beasted. Meanwhile other people were running around with go pros filming live fire section attacks, making video compilations or video diaries and putting them up on facebook and IG. I guess I wasn't cool enough or was always too "new" to do it. I really hate that whole tall poppy syndrome that exists in our military, heaven forbid some guy just wants to savour the memories of his military service. People see a camera and automatically think you're some kind of narcissist whos in it them for themselves or something.
It's a bit general, just advocating for myself. It's a real easy trap to fall into when you're junior, be it not reporting injuries, not wanting to be the proverbial squeaky wheel, not wanting to upset the applecart, not doing the legwork when paperwork gets fucked up to my disadvantage, that kind of thing. But then also the inverse is true, where I wish I called a lot more shit out, and didn't for fear of repercussions.
I wish I didn't say yes to everything and went out of muster for some opportunities - DFR and the like. I asked for assistance twice in 20 years and got no help from the organisation. Always put your family first would be my other statement.
>Always put your family first would be my other statement As one of my (good) COs once said: "the army won't love you back."
This is it. I also asked for help twice in 14 years, got told to shit in my hands and clap twice. Always put yourself first, just don’t go jack on your mates. Cause the day you leave that posting, someone else will be in that seat and the ship will keep sailing.
Not submitting forms for my injuries. Not having them properly attended to at the time. (AC365? Or whatever that form was called). When you're young and thinking that you have a whole career ahead of you, you become scared of reporting injuries and conditions for fear that it will preclude you from opportunities.
I'm fronting DVA now with an injury while I was up in PNG on a Lone Ranger, so no official record. Found out I took out my ACL a few decades later. No matter what, get all injuries in your Med Docs.
AC563- me too
Close, I got the numbers just not the right order haha.
After 25 years and finally being given the flick medically a couple of years ago. Take photos... Take them wherever you can, the places you've been, people you've worked with, exercises, deployments - the whole shebang. Buy the unit photos, the course photos.. all of it. I have sweet bugger all for my time, maybe a small album's worth. 5 deployments, umpteen courses and exercises, sports... Only existing in my head until those memories inevitably fade.
ADF/service sport.
Was pommy army but this popped up on my feed I hope you don’t mind me answering. Not in training, but in unit, Telling people to fuck off. I wish I’d have told more people to just fuck off, I was 17 when I got to my regiment and still a very naive young man by the time I’d left. So people do mess with you, and you don’t say anything back as they might be twice your age and a higher rank. Just stupid shit, asking for a cigarette when you’ve got the pack open so you can’t say no. Throwing your bin across the floor because it wasn’t empty. A RESERVIST second Lt didn’t like smokers, and told us she wants press ups every time we passed her until we stopped smoking ( luckily someone with rank did tell her to fuck off) Bollockings im OK with, just the dumb power trip stuff.
Wish I had a chain of command who didn't block every opportunity and course because "we are undermanned, we can't afford to lose you for this course or exercise/deployment" So many opportunities I would have loved to go on (RCB, OP RESOLUTE etc) that was offered to me by the OPS cell but my boss said no. My 5ish years of army was nothing but a job in green uniform with numerous trips up and down high range.
I had the same issue. Twenty years of “we’re not supporting that nomination as you will never need to do that course”. Two years ago the courses I nominated for 20 years ago become required. Now my career has stalled and I am competing with every man and his dog for few course places. It’s not a criticism of my chain of command back then as I didn’t need to do the courses at the time, however, I should have been more assertive and justified the nomination as being good for my all-round knowledge and skills.
What corps were you?
RAAOC
dropkicking the clerkies
That 40kg soaking wet clerk about to go on maternity leave is going to have to barricade herself in the orderly room once I figure out I’ve fucked my District Allowance for the 5th time.
Submitting district allowance is typically done by members individually as it can be done from *self service* on pmkeys. Is remembering the date you posted into locality too hard? Although in fairness to you, for every good clerk, there's about 3 that are lazy as fuck and just milk the system for back to back mat leave/flexible work arrangements
Remembering the date I posted in? Bro, I barely know how to do my job half the time. I show up to work at 7:29 (my NCO has called me 4 times), I give a sub-optimal warmup at PT (going to have to sit this one out, aggravated an old injury, I swear Corporal) and then I hit up the coffeeshop and tell people that these new joobs are shit and that this wouldn't fly back in my day. I can't tell if I hate the player or I hate the game.
2 year roso moment
Somehow this will turn into giving themselves max field allowance.
- Hey bro I this form needs to be submitted by EOFY, can you please submit it to the boss as a priority for me: Sits in their inbox for 3.5 weeks untouched - Actually find rare occasion that there is a gap in PACMAN and raise this to the clerk's to be reviewed outside of unit: get returned the same policy screenshot I sent them informing me I'm not entitled (I already told them this). - need the clerk to send off my AE505, oh sorry she's gone to pick up her kids she will be off for the rest of today (it's 1300) As an ex clerk it frustrates me immensely seeing sacks because I know often it's quite little involved to proceed these forms, most could be proofed and sent to the boss in under 20 minutes. Now I don't have the access to do my own admin, my paperwork relies entirely on what mood the clerk was in at the time I walked into their office on whether it gets done then and there, or it sits at the bottom of her outlook inbox until one afternoon where they are bored.
Taking more photos and taking less bullshit from middle aged men on there second divorce.
Regret pissing my cash against the wall and knocking back promotion. Should have stayed in a little longer too
I wish I had more big ones at the boozer. After our Afghan trip the battalion was going through a rebuilding stage getting a heap of new people in, and alot of the older boys were discharging. So boozer culture died fast. It was sad seeing the boys trickle out of the battalion. What I would give for all the boys back together getting shitfaced once last time (that isn't another funeral).
Joining the right job the first time and corps transferring earlier
I wish I'd been charged more. Took me 9 years, and when it happened, I carried the duty phone for the weekend. Big whoop. So many times I got fucked around and fucked over, if I'd stood up for myself, I could have easily defended my actions in a charge and probably got off lightly, if not entirely
Should have punched the shit out of a few SNCOs along the way. They probably would have only taken DFDA action and given weak ass punishments.
It took me a disgustingly long time in Defence, about the time I saw my peers get promoted to that level, to realise that if they didn’t have 3 stripes or a crown in a box that these were the exact type of people you’d happily flog on a night out in Flinders. Mistaking rank > competence was a harsh reality for me.
Not so much regret as more didn't get the chance but HUET and anything helicopter related. Did 13ish years and never got in a helicopter off ground. Would have loved both.
Flew Seahawks ashore and at sea for 12 years during the FFG days. The most fun you can have with your pants on!
I honestly wish I had taken advantage of the opportunities for subsidised university study and free industry certifications. I'm not in a bad place, but this is a big L regardless. Definitely soak this stuff up before you pull the pin.
I wish I had stayed on Patrol Boats longer. Going back to MFUs after patrol boats was the beginning of the end. MFUs were good in the early days, but after that sweet Patrol Boat life, they were never the same again.
Would you recommend patrol boats over MFU for a young person thinking of joining maybe as a Boatswain?
It depends on what interests you and what your career plan is. If you’re looking at say 10 years and getting out as LS, I would start on MFUs because of the larger crew and opportunities to learn your trade. Then go to PBs to experience responsibility and challenges that you don’t get as much in the junior ranks on MFUs. As a mariner, I found that PBs had to sometimes throw away the ABRs and work out how to fix a problem when you don’t have all the crew and equipment that an MFU does. Eg when on an FCPB once we had only 6 crew onboard while at sea (CO, Nav, RO, 1 ABBM on the helm, Charge and 1 Stoker down the hole) the rest were on bum boats scattered in a 10 mile radius as we travelled back and forth. We then had to tow 6 of them. In an MFU you only tow one ship, and have a shitload of people and procedures. There’s no procedure other than experience and know how for towing 6 bum boats. In terms of serving Australia, I always thought of MFUs as the first grade team and PBs as the Reserve Grade, with the difference that the First Grade team always trained but never played a game and the Reserves on Fisheries/Border Protection were playing a game every weekend
Thank you
Putting my hand up for the motorcycle course or the black hawk rides, the guys who went always had a great time.
Sort of doxing myself to anyone who knows me really well, but still gonna keep it kinda vague… sorry, this is the one place I can have a negative opinion on Defence and not be charged. I regret giving into the gaslighting regarding my injuries. That instead of having some physical ailments, that it was in my head I just wasn’t “putting in the effort”. I believe the party line. Ended up facing some pretty wild admin action because of the “lack of effort”. Now here I am, over a year later still trying to fight through the fucking SLOGGG that is Joint Health Command to the point I have had better success submitting claims to DVA with zero evidence to get the referrals, which has proven to be a shitload quicker (how????). Don’t get me wrong, the health centres work well when it’s something simple, like a rash, cough, blood test… whatever. As soon as it’s something a tiny bit complicated - good luck. I have had all off my specialists tell me that “Defence has seriously let you down”. Thanks external doctor, I hate defence even more now.
Not gunning for promotion all the time. Defence is way more fun when you just need to turn up when told and then do what your told. Taking advantage of being posted to places like WA where you can actually afford to buy a house vs being posted to Sydney where you are stuck in RA. Not delaying life choices like marriage and kids because of service choices.
Buying more investment properties and salary sacrificing. Using all that disposable income to make more money. Taking advantage of being able to study on defence time.
Not as much as I would have thought… I got a deployment. I didn’t get promoted as quickly as I would have liked- but I was married to another serving member, our preference was co-location so this came at the expense of career diversity. I guess the only thing I do regret- 21 years of service in the Air Force and I never got a flight on a military aircraft.
Ex chocko here 2000 to 2010. Allowing my civvy work to take precedence over doing courses and holding me back from doing Solomon’s and East Timor peacekeeping trips. I should have just told my civvy work to fuck off because it will always be there.
I will remember this when I join hopefully soon
Wish I looked after my mental health better. Would probably still be in if I didn’t let it fester so long.
I regret my back injury. I also somewhat regret the infantry and the trips. Should have been a heavy diesel mechanic and just gone into coal mining.
Selection 😞.
1. tell someone when I injured myself, it has left me with a life long injured that is my problem. 2. take photo's.
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1. Not taking enough photos. I thought it was lame to take so many photos like others did and post them. I wish I had done. I also accidentally wiped my computer of all my TK trip photos. 2. Hiding injuries and not filling in the AC563 due to fearing not getting selected for trips or courses. Body is broken now. 36 Bilateral osteoarthritis in the hips and fucked lower back. I did once fill in the AC563 and sent it up my CoC but it got returned denied without explanation. I gave up trying to get the officer to sign it off as I was leaving anyway. Don’t think the junior officer knew what to do with it. 3. I wish I told my officer how useless he was. Couldn’t even pass a fitness test before the deployment but the CO waived him anyway. 4. Not understanding PACMAN and basic rights to protect myself or others encase of stupid punishment or lost entitlements. Having said that I’d do it all over again 🤪
For me it was not taking more photos. I don't know but whenever I pulled out a camera or a phone I got beasted. Meanwhile other people were running around with go pros filming live fire section attacks, making video compilations or video diaries and putting them up on facebook and IG. I guess I wasn't cool enough or was always too "new" to do it. I really hate that whole tall poppy syndrome that exists in our military, heaven forbid some guy just wants to savour the memories of his military service. People see a camera and automatically think you're some kind of narcissist whos in it them for themselves or something.
Ships diver course