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?

You can do it! If your shift is 1600-0000 sleep for a few hours and go to PT, and sleep some more before your shift. You’re in the Army that’s your job. Work it out!

Go to PT. What makes you feel like you don't have to do what everyone else in the military has to do?

Aw...bless yer heart!
Over 13 months in RVN I got 1-2 hours a night. I slept when I could, including in the gypsy rack of a moving tank doing road sweeps.
Additional 22 years as govt employee working 10-12 hour night shifts, with 3 hours of travel time, 6 days a week. Just refuse, go to the brig, perhaps you'll get more sleep there. I have little sympathy. You didnt research and picked the wrong job.

Is that really a question? Has the military changed so much over the past 40 years that a junior enlisted would even think this is a problem. You are a fighting force that should be physically fit. 4 to 5 hours of is equal or less time then I got in the Grunts or in Iraq. Stop your whining and suck it up.
Former Ssgt. USMC.

So, what do you do from the time you get off PT and when your shift starts? Seems like you have plenty of time to sleep.

Seriously? And I quote “ ..don’t want to sound like I’m whining but…….”
You’re whining!
It’s the US Military! Do what your told
Maybe you should’ve joined the peace corp. You should be embarrassed for publicly posting this and should rescind the post and carry on. You’ll be all right.

First of all, I would like to apologize to the men and women of the Armed Forces that work everyday with similar schedules that don’t complain and do their duty unencumbered by such a ridiculous question. We are the men and women who train to protect this great nation. We live and train with pride and dignity on very little. We walk taller because we know our purpose and we know that no matter what is demanded of us, we will never let our people or this nation down due to our inabilities to adapt and overcome. I am 68 years old retired Master Gunnery Sargent. When I retired they said goodbye to an old dinosaur. An old dinosaur that remembers those who came before me and an old WWII poem that says:
“Take up our quarrel with the foe. To you from failing hands we throw
The torch.
Be yours to bear it high!
But if ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep tho poppies blow
In Flanders Field.”
Men and women have fought and died for all of you. If you signed up for service of this great country, hold that torch high so the fallen can see it shining from their their place of rest. We have the best here and every enemy wants what we have and will do their best to take it from us, then turn around and punished us for being Americans. Train for the worst so it doesn’t come to that.

Don’t be a puss!! Just do it!!!

Even a medical profile won't get you out of PT. I still had to show upto formation. The stand there till calisthenics finished and while the ran I had to walk around the track. If your in the military you have to follow the rules no exceptions.

Is there an NCO in the same situation?
Here is a solution.
1. Talk with the NCO
2. Approach the 1SG with this solution
3. The NCO will take charge running a later PT and give the 1SG a daily SITREP, accounting of who is in the secondary PT formation.
1SG can be a hardass, but respect his/her decision but explain as a medical person the importance of being alert to take care of patients in your care.
Be diplomatic and say it's not that you don't want to do PT and want comply, but your duty position hours does cause a hardship to those patients needing care.

Remember, include that NCO is this conversation.

CSM Edward Litherland (USA RET)

If that fails, then suck it do the PT

I got tired of being screw over. I became violent. Don't do this!! Chain of command.

Looks like you need to make some rank and maybe get your section to shift hours. How can you be the only one with this issue? After PT take a shower and a nap, as a junior enlistee what else have you to do but make sure your uniform is presentable? Yes it sucks. You need to suck it up until you suck lemonade. As a junior enlisted Navy corpsman near the end of Nam we had Port and Starboard Duty. 12 hour shift, 12 hour on call and it was a fluke if you didn't work those 12 hours, then your 12 hour shift and finally 12 hours off to sleep, poop, do laundry and get the next 3 or 4 uniforms ready. We wore working whites and it was expected for you to be shaved and in a neat uniform no matter who barfed or bleed on you. Two of us took care of 64 full care, like in traction, patients and had to time strip our IV bottles because there were no pumps. You could set your watch by my IVs. It got done and we were proud of it.

Poor baby! Glad I'm not deploying with you. Dies your

it sounds like you should not have joined the military and that your command is a mess for not making everyone pt already ..

Only 5 & 1/2 hours off duty before needing to report again is pretty rough. I’d suggest engaging with your section chief to come up with alternative plans that can be presented to your Commander/1SG that will accommodate you/your section as well as complete the mission.

Until your chain of command changes guidance by either being convinced or otherwise I’d suggest being at that formation even if it sucks. You’ll likely only get counseling statements & or UCMJ thrown at you for missing formation.

Do you have a family? That would hamper time getting a nap during the day.

Ask what time is best and show up and suck it up. Stop being a barracks room lawyer. When you are getting shot at and w/o much or little sleep then you can complain. Ask a question and you'll get a straight answer.

Sounds like my days working as a paramedic in New York Tennessee and Texas. Long hours sometimes no sleep 24/48 schedule we made it work. I'm not saying that the rules on PT are right, but they're not illegal and it won't kill you

Uh, you could go to bed earlier.

I don't know if this is still the case, but at one time leaders were required to allow a minimum of four hours of sleep for their soldiers. Some held it to just that amount in some instances. I've been told that studies show that soldiers perform better with a decent amount of sleep (8 hours) but some old-school leaders still like to keep things miserable. My suggestion would be to propose through your chain of command a mid-day PT time or if the 1SG says no then wake up, go to PT then go back to sleep. It sucks, but you did volunteer to join the army. I can assure you that if you go downrange your sleep schedule will be even more F'ed up than it is now.