I was checking my site stuff today and saw that a couple of people found their way here by asking about what happens if you have to leave the Army DURING basic training. And the answer – like most things – is: it depends.

Firstly, you can’t just decide you don’t like it and leave. If they allowed that, we wouldn’t have an Army! I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have stayed if I had the chance to just walk away.

But some of the questions obviously related to injuries. Basically, if you leave Kapooka by being discharged from the Army, that’s really about the end of it. You might be required to join the Inactive Army Reserve, but generally, if you are discharged medically, then it’s like Defence deciding they can’t get you back to full health.

If you get hurt at Kapooka, they have a hospital there where you can spend time. If you break or tear something, you can stay there and recover and then build your fitness back up and pick up where you left off – maybe dropping back a week or two, depending on what stage you were at.

So the bottom line is that if you get hurt, and they decide they can fix you, then you will stay and eventually finish your training. If they decide they can’t fix you, they will get you to a suitable standard, discharge you and then PROBABLY take care of the bills for that injury once you’re out.