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?

Times have certainly changed. When I was given an order, although I might not have liked it, I followed through. As an enlisted Marine going through Infantry Training Regiment in January and February of 1965 at Camp Geiger, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina I got 2-3 hours of sack time every day for over 30 days straight. I was lucky to get that due to raids in our barracks by Force Recon 2 or 3 times a week. As far as I can tell these conditions are common at a FOB.

As a medic you need the physical fitness and probably even more stringent form of PT additionally at your own time. One hour just isn't enough. What are you going to do when you can't help your battle lift a injured soldier off the ground that can weigh as much as 250-300?? These guys exist and some are all muscle. You need more sleep? Put that phone away. Put that laptop away. Put away that TV. Put away that gaming console or gaming tower. Reserve fun time for Friday night and weekend and for God sakes don't go sleeping at 3 a.m. Monday morning because you need those sleep hours and the work week starts again on Monday morning. And also you're going to hate this but by regulation they only have to give you 4 hours sleep and it doesn't have to all be at one go. If you're a dirtbag soldier the leadership can actually split your 4 hours into one hour every 6 hours I've seen it done
. You don't want that to happen trust me. Like I said save the fun for the weekend.

If you're a medical you need PT more than everyone and even a more demanding PT regime even after PT an hour just isn't enough these days. I've been in the army and now national guard for a total of 18 years 6 months. Let me tell you something , in the guard we hardly do much PT and when it came time to take the physical fitness test it showed with not just the old timers (me being one) but also the young Gung ho soldiers who have aced the test in the past. Now with the ACFT on the horizon with 6 events NOT 3 it's even more demanding! With a minimum of 60 per event you need a 360 to pass with a max of 600 points and I got to tell you I see it kicking a lot of people's ass. Remember you signed the dotted line to be there and follow what your leadership appointed over you tell you to do so long as it's not breaking codes and regs you really can't do much. And I will tell you this also the military ONLY have to by regulation give you 4 hours of mandatory hours of sleep and they don't have to technically give it all to you at once be thankful you get the 4-5 just suck it up and adjust your hours you're not on any duty and sleep. Put down the remote and gaming console or computer and close those eyes. You get the weekend off anyways.

Having been in both the position as a private, a SFC and a Warrant Officer. When we join what ever service we joined we decided to follow the rules of the road. Over the years, twenty in fact, I lead PT, Ran around the Battalion with the flag and many times with only a very few hours of sleep. But that doesn't make everything right! If you are sick, if you absolutely cannot handle PT at the prescribed time. talk to your squad leader, your Platoon Sgt, your First Sgt, Your Commander. Why? Each will explain to you why you should attend the training at the times they have dictated. They are preparing you for "WAR" be it in peace time or in a combat zone! If you are not physically capable then possibly having a physical to identify possible medical issues and if nothing is found, ask for a transfer, a change in MOS, but beware that next move could be even more stressful. What you sow you will reap! Maybe not a promotion, or get the next training assignment. Why because you have not proved you are willing to master what is needed of you for the job that YOU selected!

However! If it is an issue be ause it could cause harm to patients by not receiving rest, be mindful on how you approach the issue. No matter how much we know and think something is right, if we dont approach the issue properly you could be asking for consequences you didnt want. Always us your chain of comand

Hate to break it to you. But if your looking for ethics you wont find much of it in the military unless your airforce. We used to go party until 5 am be back in time to have PT and then when PT ended take a shower and nap until the next formation. Honestly if you schedule things right you can find that you will get sleep while getting work done. However if you have kids, that's different. Being deployed, good luck with sleep. You wont get much of it. Theose 4 or 5 hours you get now, you will be gratefulf if you get deployed. Because you will eventually have to do 24hr duty where you can't sleep at all.

Embrace the suck

How do you solve this effectively and professionally? You go to PT on 5 hours of sleep! I haven't slept more than 3 or 4 hours in a single night since my daughter passed away in 2014.

If I can go 7+ years on less than 4 hours of sleep EVERY NIGHT, you can do it too. Quit being a princess. Suck it up and be a responsible soldier and adult.

You get your ass to formation unless you want an Article 15. Learn to manage your time. I used to go out and party and get back to the barracks at 2am and sleep until 0430 and in formation ready to do PT at 0500. Threw up all my alcohol during the run by being a road guard and running ahead of the formation to do so. Toughen up a bit. Its the military! NOT college.

Sounds like your previous chain of command was lax and failed to ensure Soldiers were doing PT. That was their fault, not yours. I would recommend being at morning PT every day and not bitching. The Commander and 1SG will notice you are doing PT. They will be much more likely to be open to being flexible in PT hours. Your Platoon Leader and Platoon Sergeant is responsible for raising this issue with the command team. Suck it up for now and demonstrate you are doing what is asked. When the time is right PSG and PL should approach CO and 1SG.

I’ve read a lot of answers here that say “suck it up.” Those are the wrong answers. The negative effect of sleep deprivation on human performance is well documented. It results in airplane crashes, Ship crashes, car accidents, etc. It’s simply not a thing you can “train for” by doing repeatedly. Our term in the Marine Corps was “training to bleed.” There’s no training or readiness benefit by asking soldiers to tolerate interrupted and abnormal sleep patterns. In an aviation unit, it wouldn’t be tolerated by anyone with flight duties.

I would personally want and extra extra sustained high performance from soldiers in a medical unit and I wouldn’t get it by depriving them of restful sleep. When we deploy, of course, things are still French different, but our junior members always step up and get the job done. Take it up the chain and see if you can get the policy adjusted so that you get your PT AND your rest.

This is difficult to offer advice on. I have been deployed to a combat zone and for 11 months never really had a night of sleep, You sleep when you can. On the other side safe and secure on an American military base this makes no sense to me. Now if the lack of sleep is due to club hopping shame on you. But if you were on duty, then this is nuts.

Is the HQ company separate from the Hospital operation? I assume you're in a Headquarters & Headquarters Company so even the HOSPITAL COMMANDER and all the doctors NOT working are making the PT, right - because ALL PERSONNEL irrespective of RANK are assigned to the HQ Company, so it only stands to reason the FSG's POLICY requires EVERYONE to make one of his sessions and if they're not, then you have an issue. Regardless, if you feel strongly about your issue, the challenge is to get your issue before the HQ Company Commander so they may have the opportunity to make a decision regarding the FSG's policy. Meanwhile I would also present my issue to my HOSPITAL chain of command starting with my immediate supervisor. I would put my issue with supporting FACTS and assumptions together and I certainly wouldn't be emotional about it.

I would find out how many personnel have the 1600-0000 shift and have a PT schedule of accommodate their work schedule.

It seems like an odd decision from your command. I was never in the med service, but my dad was for 20+ years and I never recall them having mandatory PT for hospital staff as long as they were keeping their PT scores up. Now, if those scores were going down or if Soldiers are failing it then I can understand the 1SG wanting to do something about it. Considering the nature of the work he could do a 1700 formation instead of a 1600 formation so the Soldiers can get more sleep, which is vital for those involved in patient care. My recommendation depends on what you do at the hospital. If you're not involved in patient care then I'd say suck it up. If you're handling patients or their files then accommodations should be made to avoid errors in care. I'm pretty sure there is no regulation you can go pointing to. At the end of the day you're Soldiers and are expected to suck it up and drive on. If you truly believe that it will affect the safety of the patients though then you're obligated to bring it up the chain of command, not to get out of PT, but to get a time for you and those on your shift to be able to do PT and not put patients at risk. As far as getting more sleep, my wife is a nurse and she works 12 hour shifts overnight as a civilian and she is expected to figure out her time management on her off time. You're a Soldier so do the same.

Are you serious?! How bout you stop crying like a little girl and suck it up soldier? SMH, you wouldn't have lasted 30 seconds in the Corps!

You may not like it and you may not think it's fair but it's a lawful order from a superior. That means you need to make the adjustments, not the 1ST Sergeant. It may not be the answer you want but it's the truth.

Sleep faster

Although the original post was awhile back, I'll comment.
I'd hate that too, but as an MP we had no choice most of the time. In your case, it seems you are a medic; specifically a lab technician. An argument could be made about a lack of sleep affecting the absolute necessity of quality work, depending on what kind of lab work you actually do.
Perhaps the 1SG/CO would be more in tune with your concerns, IF you're PT score is exceptional and your appearance is within height/weight standards. It's also possible that they might consider a time for PT for those in a similar shift situation, led by a SL or PSG - an hour or two BEFORE 1600.

You suck it up and go to PT. You sacrifice sleep when it's for something you want to do.