http://www.defencejobs.gov.au/army/jobs ... yTypeId=17

I had the first round of interviews/tests for this job in the army today. I aced all the tests, what you guys think of this?

If it's something you can use when you leave the military (and I thing that most of the qualifications & training that are available in the CE field are pretty useful in the civilian sector) and you don't mind putting up with everything that comes with the uniform then it's a great opportunity.

Do it.

Sounds like a lot of fun. I used go to Fort AP Hill with our combat engineers to practice blowing shit up. It was great.

That's one hell of caveat. How about doing it because it's fun? Fast roping and SPIE rigging aren't exactly useful outside of the military but they're fun. Whatever MOS he chooses, he'll either love it, tolerate it or hate it. That experience will be useful in determining what he does or doesn't want to do for a living.

The same stuff he'll have to put up with while in uniform is the same stuff everyone else has to put up with, only he'll get to blow shit up and look good while doing it.

Yeh I'm really stoked about it, there's another round of testing I've gotta do and then full medical and stuff like that before I can get accepted but I think I should be fine.

All the rifleman spots in my area are full so I figured I'd go with CE instead, at the very worst I get to blow some shit up, learn about fortifying buildings and dick around with some power tools...

Hmm... Combat engie? Sounds dangerous...

haha yeh, I'm hoping its more demolitions than disposals... I'm not real keen on the whole clearing minefields or defusing explosives but I get civil accreditation so I think that means I could legally store and use explosives as a civilian.

Nice... my dad was a seabee, pretty close (no mines though, at least that he ever told me about )

Remember 21C and 21B are similar MOSs. 21B is the engineer, 21C is the bridger (they may have gone back to 12B, 12C respectively).
Combat engineer is a great job from using demolitions to blow the shit out of anything, to clearing routes for armor and infantry, to creating survivability positions, to creating obstacles to manipulate the battlefield, and acting as infantry.
The main differences for combat engineers is what type of unit you are heading into. There are light, heavy, mechanized.
If your a young man I'd advise taking the light or heavy route first to get a good feel for them. If your an old man I'd suggest going mech because it is easier on old bones.

Going Active, Reserves, National Guard?

Here's a good video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKNsBX-hSOg.
Things probably have changed at basic/ait so what they show you doing there might be a tad bit different (video looks like from 2006).

While vlad's absolutley right, especially if you're only going to be in for a couple of years, to my way of thinking you should look to get the maximum return for your time investment.

Like vlad I was a Navy Corpsman (I think I saw him mention that in a thread somewhere), I originally joined with the intention of spending a couple of years. I had so much fun (field Corpsman with the Marines, independent duty with the SEALS and as a foreign military advisor) I ended up sticking around for 20 years. I got out and am doing the contractor thing while I go to school so I can tack some letters onto my signature block and make some decent money.

edited for grammar

Fragimus et Fracimus, eh? Yeah, combat engineers isn't a bad choice. You'll get deployed a fair bit, they like to use the gingerbeers to build stuff around the place.

You'll also get your tickets for quite a bit of machinery, which will be great if you wanted to go into construction after leaving the army.

Not so sure on storing/using explosives as a civilian, unless you mean your work or something storing it and you using it on their behalf - that can have pretty good application in some of the mines out West.

Good luck on the rest of the testing. I take it you'll be heading to Kapooka after your testing - there are plenty of threads on here and elsewhere about what you can expect from it, even if they aren't particularly Australia-specific.

Keep your head down, do what you're told, don't whinge bitch or complain and don't be a buddy-fucker and you'll do just fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipYkuCZ2IYI
Think it'll be something like this?

that was playing at the recruitment centre....

lol jokes

PS: Australian Combat Engineers have slightly different roles than US ones, but it's generally the same shit.
PPS: I'll be joining the reserves (Part Time)

This photo was taken at Fort AP Hill in Virginia.
It should be titled 'Marine Corps landscaping'.

I was with SPMAGTF UNITAS and we were pissing off the Army range master. I guess they had a 20 lbs limit that we wanted to test.

The engineer tape sucked and we had to use fallen branches to prop that shit up. Also notice the wires trailing away? They were spooled out to a position behind an overturned tracked vehicle and connected to a clacker. I don't know why there are pine needles on top.

Going chocco, hey?

There are pluses and minuses to both - I started as a chocco infantry officer, then went full time. Good way to try before you buy.

The pluses are that you can get away from it every now and again, that it doesn't take over your life, unless you want it to, and if you do get jack of it you can leave without too much of an issue.

Minuses include it taking forever to get certain tickets. The courses will only be run a couple of times a year, if that and so if you miss out you have to wash dishes on the next field ex til you get qualified. That would most certainly suck.

It also takes a fair while to get promoted for the same reason, but honestly promotion is over-rated!

You'll have a blast, though. Kapooka sucks but you'll come out with a great new bunch of mates. Doubly so after you've been on course with some of the lads from your unit.

That is the coolest thing I've seen in months!

-Blast, who may have to rethink his saying "If you want a bridge call and engineer. If you DON'T want a bridge, call a chemist..."

The tree in the background of the pic looks like it met a similar fate...

Stump Blasting
You're doing it wrong.

So any updates?

Well, I personally know a few guys that were combat engineers, and I hear mixed reviews. It seems to be a love it or hate it kind of thing. From what I hear, the training with live demo is not very extensive, and fairly rare. You mostly get a basic intro, and go in depth on very few aspects of it. I don't know about storing or using demo as a civilian for you, but in the states you can't. You do get some good training. How to fortify structures, and how to employ roadblocks, and other barriers. I'm sure those could be potentially good skills to have.

yeh thats what i thought also


as for updates, they just sent me another round of letters saying ive gotta have a couple of eye tests and keep the results for them.
ive also booked in my second set of tests (theres special tests for combat engineer to make sure you dont actually think that the above pictured tree required that much explosives to fell it.) and a proper medical check up which is on the 14th of december.



sigh, as for the training well thats what i was expecting but certainly not hoping. and im pretty sure i get something along the lines of a certificate of safe handling of explosive which allows me to store and use explosives for a business or work related venture (eg some farmers use explosives to clear fencelines when they change their paddocks because digging up 500 fence posts is a dick of a job)

I'm in the process of joining the US Army and I would like to share some good info that has been passed to me. Again I am not a soldier so take what I say for what's worth. As far as your job assignment goes (we call them MOS) you picked a fairly broad one, engineers do a wide range of things, you may love some and you might absolutely hate some of those task. As an enlisted man you might not exactly get what you want, you might doing something boring. For example I know someone who joined as an MP, because he wanted to work with a K9 unit, he didn't draw that assignment. So I would look into the range of missions your Australian engineers do, find the shittiest most awful boring thing they do and assume you'll do that the majority of time, if you still want to join go ahead.

WB edited to specific:


That's the absolutely best summary for almost any MOS/Mil Job that you could get.

I was a Medic - I got to do some absolutely great fun stuff.

HOWEVER with that came washing out and re-sanitizing bed pans. You'd be amazed at the $hit that can come out of some people's A$$e$.

So I thought it was time I updated you guys on how it's going.
Things didn't move at all over christmas time, then I spent january trying to get my citizenship sorted out.
On Monday I had, and passed, my full medical (yes a creepy old indian lady tickled my testicles to check for... well I'm not exactly sure), psychological testing (to the apparent surprise of most of my friends, smartarses! haha) and then finally an interview with a current officer.

All went wonderfully and I got recommended for Combat Engineer (ECN 096), I've been filling out some more forms today and reading through various privacy/anti-espionage paperwork but it all seems fairly common sense. I should be doing my initial training June/July in my midyear break from University.