I am being told to go to PT by the command on only 4-5 hours of sleep. As a junior enlisted, how do I solve this problem?

How do you solve this? Go do the 1600 PT and then go back to sleep. I bet you'd hit the club after your shift. We didn't have a choice of PT sessions when I was in. On Thursday night we would go to the club in Tucson, which was 70 miles away from Ft Huachuca. For some reason, Thursday was the busiest clubbing night for the college kids in Tucson. Why not Friday, I don't know. We would then haul our butts back to Ft Huachuca just in time to run in to our rooms, get changed and barley make it to PT formation at 0600. We then had to work all day. At least you can go back to sleep for a while after your PT. How did you make it through Basic? Did you complain to the DS's about not having enough sleep? I can just imagine the PT training you would have gotten if you did. I guess you should bide your time and then get out and look for another, more accommodating career. I am 51yrs old and I am working 7-10's in construction. Suck It Up, Buttercup! Oh, I see you are promotable. Say good bye to some more sleep if you make E5.

war is a dirty business and sleep looses sadly

Come on now guy or gal. You work 8 hours in a single day. Yes your hours suck. At same time that is a normal day for office personnel. As a junior soldier you have no ways of fixing this or that. If you worked 08-16 you would be expected at pt. Also it is about accountability

First Step is to use your Chain of Command. If that is not effective then request to see your 1SG using the open door policy. Come in humble and ensure you and your team has been attending the afternoon PT session. Address safety concerns for both your personnel and patient care. If you guys have been blowing off PT you do not have a leg to stand on. Assume your Commander has positive intent for the unit and there may more ti that you do not know. As a brand New MP LT I was confused at my first PT formation when I had 3 Soldiers in formation because the platoon was on Swing shift (1500-2400 which really means 0130). PT was done as part of the shift schedule.

First, I want to say, most of us understand your frustration; at one point in our military career, we have gone through something similar if not the same. But instead of asking why is this happening? Try asking what’s the lesson behind this situation? Obviously, the military does not cater to a 9-5, weekends off job; therefore, military work-life is adapting to everchanging schedules. This includes working any day of the week, any hour of the day, and as long as you are needed. We all signed the same contract where our needs do not come first; remember, service to Country is your new first. Also, instead of asking for advice about regulations to support your grievance; ask for counsel or guidance on how to adjust and fit PT into your schedule. For military members of any branch, PT is part of our regimen, part of our way of life. I would have never wanted to be deployed, especially into a hot zone, with anyone who was out of shape. PT does not only promote physical health but better sleep and effective psychological response. During 911 “Enduring Freedom,” most nights I got two hours of sleep if that. The longest I had to stay awake (work-related) was over 72 hours, close to four days. It wasn’t a choice, but the circumstances of my unit demanded it, and I wasn’t going to say no. I was deployed a few times, you are lucky if you get any sleep; and when you do, you sleep with one eye open. It was tough but is the life I choose. And I will do again, no regrets. At least those were my experiences. I made it through, and I have faith you will too.

The solution is simple: Say, "Yes, sir," and get your ass to PT. Problem solved

You pass your PT test on the extened scale, you show up on time everytime no matter where or when, you do like the other in this post mentioned and sleep and set a schedule, and when Top sees a change the he wants the situation will change as well. The other thing that happens is you are gonna get noticed for your discipline and adherence to standards and you're gonna get promoted. It's not fair or easy but that's why it ain't for everyone, Good luck and God Bless I will see you on the Green solider.

You’re probably a fat fuck

You resolve this issue by going to morning PT. You are in the military not the Boy Scouts.

If they wanted you to have more sleep they would issue it to you.
In all seriousness, there is a chain of command for a reason, use it.

Your best option is to learn your installations policies. Fort Carson and 4th ID i had a similar situation happen to me well 4ID policy stated that no formations were to be held in garrison before 0630. Hope you were able to get the help you needed. But you can never go wrong with going to IG and at least asking questions. There are open door policies all the way up the chain of command.

Suck it up buttercup!

I was wondering if you went to combat, what Army regulations could you site to keep the enemy from cutting your head off? Embrace the Suck!!!!!!!

BTW, how long have you been in and how did you make it through bootcamp? I was a hospital man until 1966 when I went to FMF school and became a Marine Corpsman. I spent a year in VietNam with the 1st Marine Division, then I was stationed with the 2nd Marines until I got out. I am sorry you can't do PT because of lack of sleep, so as a Marine I do not understand the problem. I am sure that your Sargent will inspire you to "Be all you can be".

Get up, go to PT then go back to bed, or go to bed AFTER PT. I know when I was in and had the late shift, I didn't go home or to my rack and go to bed right after shift. I stayed up to wind down, just like those on day shift did. When getting off at 0000, bed time for me was usually around 0300 or 0400, and I am pretty sure it is for you as well. So, change your sleep patterns so you go to bed after PT which will still give you ample time (7-8 hours) to sleep before reporting for your duty shift.

For those who are concerned about him being sleep deprived....he isn't complaining about going to work without sleep...just going to PT with "not enough sleep". I wonder what he is doing for the 8 hours or so AFTER PT. And I doubt very much that he is going to bed as soon as he gets off duty, I knew very few, if any, personnel who went directly to the rack after getting off work.....unless they partied all night the night before shift, which I think most of us did at one time or another.

Whether a JR enlisted or not, You are Stuck, deal with it. You joined the military not a civilian club or fraternity. If you are ever deployed in combat, as many have mentioned, you would be glad to have even a couple of hours between "shifts".

Suck it up and go to PT. Things will work out.

Suck it up and go to PT

Man there sure are a bunch of clowns on this page. First of all, functioning on a maximum of 6 hours of sleep is medically unhealthy, which a leader in a hospital should know. ("I function on way less sleep and do just fine" -stop it. There are scientific studies on this, and your anomalous, anecdotal data is unhelpful.)
Second, comparing a deployed schedule to that of in-garrison work days is nonsense. There's a reason you don't spend a career deployed. When you're in garrison, you have more to take care of than work duties. Family, household responsibilities, simply needing to disconnect from military life for a few hours are all critical components of having a healthy force. I would argue just as important as PT.
Finally, for all of you saying, "I had it worse in my day," you're part of the problem. We've had a history of not caring for our service members' mental health, and look where that has gotten us. Quit acting like everything has always worked perfectly and try to affect some positive change every once in a while.

OP: I doubt very much that your 1st Sgt is out to make your life unbearable. Odds are that he identified a problem, and found the quickest fit for the it. He probably isn't aware of how this is affecting your shift, and needs to be educated. Your responsibility in supporting your leaders is to show them when they are making a decision that negatively impacts their troops. You do this respectfully, and by using your chain of command. If the personnel above you will not address your concerns, when laid out in a respectful manner, you have other avenues, like the line above them in the CoC, going directly to your shirt, or, in extreme cases, the IG. Also, I find that it helps to present the problem in terms of a problem for the Army, not a personal issue ("Not getting enough sleep will prevent me from being effective at my job in the medical field, possibly leading to injuries, even death of other soldiers" vs "I'm sleepy and want a nap,") and to come ready with a proposed solution ("my shift could do a unified PT session as a shift at 1430, x-days per week, led by so-and-so.")

Again, for those of you trying to shut down the OP, try asking yourself if you'd rather get blood drawn or have a procedure done on you by someone sleep-deprived, or well rested.

Shut up and go pt

you go