Are Soldiers coming from IET not meeting the standard, or is leadership forgetting the very roots that started their career?

Well I remember sitting in a briefing with LTG Hertling when he was the USAREUR commander. He had just came from being the TRADOC CG. A soldier asked him the exact question of why we get so many Soldiers from training that fail either height and weight or PT. He tossed out some percentage numbers that would make us shut our mouths quickly. I don't remember the exact numbers but it was something like this: 5% of IET Soldiers will be sent to their first units with mildly sub standard PT or HT/WT failure however the force is sending 25% sub standard achievers to TRADOC to be instructors. Makes us really need to take a look at what we are doing and worry less about what "they" are doing.

NO!!!! A large percentage of Soldiers coming out of IET are NOT meeting the standard or they are skirting the fence when it comes to passing or failing.
The problem in my opinion has nothing to do with leadership today. I don't blame the Drill Sergeants or TRADOC Leadership for the fact that a Soldier shows up at my unit soggy around the mid section or unable to take and pass an APFT.
I blame that Soldiers' parents or guardians who raised them. They failed the Soldier in the earlier stages of life by not kicking them out of the house and making them play outside with friends as opposed to letting them sit on their asses playing Call of Duty on their PS or Xbox.
They didn't teach their Soldier that shoveling chips and twinkies into their gullets was NOT ok. Basic life disciplines are NOT being taught by parents / guardians and the result is that we have young men and women who join our ranks and cannot meet the standards we set. The sad part is that our standards today are not very tough to meet. Push ups, sit ups and a 2 mile run are not difficult if a Soldier new to the military was semi-active prior to coming in. Unfortunately that's not the case, but that is not the fault of any DS or 1st line leader or 1SG or Commander.
Even if as an NCO I could go back to the old way of dropping a Soldier for 50 push ups, that won't help if the Soldier lacks discipline and is unmotivated or unwilling to meet the standards. We can mentor and we can train, but if the Soldier wasn't taught life skills and disciplines by their parents then it's a battle we won't win and a discharge is in order. There are young adults who want to join who CAN meet the standards. Why not discharge the ones who can't and make room for the ones who can?

They are absolutely NOT meeting the standard. My response to this may seem a bit to aggressive, but I've recently had a lot of new soldiers join the section that I run, and I'm not happy. What would make a new soldier think that it's OK to send me a text message with a smiley face? What would make a new soldier, meeting their new NCO for the first time, ask about how to get a profile? What, in the name of all that is holy, would make a brand new soldier think that they could bring their spouse and child to off-site, team building training? I remember getting to my first duty station, nervous as hell, and making sure not to do ANYTHING that might even be construed as remotely wrong. You're not wearing your ID tags because it makes your chest break out? Well by all means then... Anyway, I take it all in stride. I react appropriately. I counsel, coach , and mentor. But inside....in my head...I want to hulk smash the life out of the next person to ask me a ridiculous question.