“I'm going to fail height-weight on purpose and get booted” – how would you handle this?

I have always told my troops that the quickest and easiest way to get out of the military is to do your enlistment and be done. That way you don't have the stigma of having a possible dishonorable discharge. The military is not for everyone but don't be a b!tch and quit when things get tough. Sorry for the word choice but this irritates me to no end.

I would make sure he gets out of the Army. At the very least I would let him know the ramifications of his actions. But if a soldier is doing this and thinks it is a smart move then the Army really doesn't need him. That doesn't align with the Army values.

Step one is wanting to help yourself.. If that step can not be taken, on thier own or with education, encouragement, support.
Then far as Im concerned they are a lost cause, not an asset to the unit and I would process them most expediently so a SM that IS an asset may be part of the unit. I would also caution (warn) them, it would be expected they live up to the contract they signed and committed to, that Duty was honorbound until the last day of service, failure of that and it would not be acceptable, UCMJ, and or other then separation under Chap 18 is likley.

1) Investigate. If possible, find out what the root cause is. He says he doesn't want to be there. There's got to be "a reason." That reason may or may not be valid from our perspective, but it's obviously valid from his, and it's big enough that he's willing to talk about it openly. Investigate fully.

2) Remedy if possible. Sometimes a new perspective can fix the underlying cause or at least get him to ride it out til ETS/EAS. He won't be a "Star performer" but but he won't be interfering with others as well.

3) Educate. Remind them that simply failing height/weight isn't a get out of jail instantly card. It's a "process" which can take 3-12 months, and now that you are aware of intent, you will take as long as possible to process it. Additionally, because it is "premeditated" we have inserted LEGAL elements into the equation like "failure to follow a legal order" (PT is performance of duties) and "malingering" (PT is Health). This gets real complex very quickly.

Commanders have some discretion in the chaptering process, but they need contextual information (see 1 & 2) to make that work. A troop destroying their body and future career "just to get out" doesn't make sense. There's more to the story.

I know a Veteran who would gladly serve again...me.

I had this or APFT failure happen a couple of times. They were good Soldiers and I told them that they should keep their options open but I wasn't going to baby them and the choice was theirs and they would have to live with them. They took my advise and didn't fail on purpose.

I had this situation as an AVIM Commander when two of my Apache Longbow Armament technicians wanted to get out in order to work for a contractor (probably right back in my hangar). I refused to flag them and assigned additional PT every day after work.....profile?....I had them watch PT.......this went on for about 6-8 months and eventually they gave up........every situation is different......you have to consider the individual involved....maybe its better to send him on his way. In my case, these two were my only armament techs who could work on the new Apache radar and owed the Army 5 years........I acted in the best interest of the Army.

Been reading through some of the posts...
I get I'm a young Soldier, and others have been doing this a lot longer than me. I also get that I am in charge of very little to nothing outside of what I'm given.

I will say this though...

Article 92 and possibly Article 115 for Malingering pending investigation. If he wants out like this though, there's a reason even if it isn't a good one. That needs to be looked into, he could be salvageable and retained if some questions could be answered. Perhaps he needs help and doesn't know how to respond to it.

Of course we could make it hurt or kick him to the curb as some of said...

"Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind. Accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers.... All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership...."

I get it, some Soldiers are going to get Separated and some are going to get a Court-Martial some are just not a good fit. That doesn't negate your responsibility as an NCO to look out for those under you. If you're Soldiers are having problems whether it be PT or wanting out then it's your job to look into that.

That's not just an NCO or Officer responsibility, we're all supposed to look out for each other. If someone is having a problem we try and fix it. Punishment and Separation should be our final option. Going straight to it is just being lazy and irresponsible.

Counsel, bar and send home. No need to keep someone in the service if they do not want to stay in, specially if they are firm in their commitment to get out. That ruins morale, brings the unit down in many ways and it's a detractor and bad example for other soldiers to see. Just my opinion.

The more time you put into rehabilitating bad soldiers, the more time you take away from supporting good soldiers. I believe that I would not have released him for being overweight, but would have worked with JAG to find out if I could get him out on other than Honorable conditions because He TOLD me he was intentionally going to be overweight