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

Everyone has an agenda! My goal was always to take care of the troops! Firm, but Fair! At their age, they are not always thinking of the future! With our experience, we can show and light up the way for them. Getting in was not easy, but getting out is fairly easy. How does this impact your future? Best option is to finish the enlistment to the best of their abilities, get that honorable discharge and hang it on the wall proudly. Our Government is the largest employer in the World. Having Veterans preference points is huge! Veterans hire great veterans, just saying!

Slightly different viewpoint, ignoring the “I want to get out” aspect.

Let’s say you have a senior NCO, who looks OK and passes the fitness tests with very high scores. The problem is that the body-fat measurements say he’s overweight, and doesn’t lose any weight. He says he’s trying very hard, but nothing happens. He doesn’t want a discharge. Is he lying? Is he “in denial”? What do you do with him? He’s a definite asset.

The answer of what actually happened is that he was discharged as a weight-control rehabilitation failure “in denial” who was actively lying about his food consumption.

The actual problem was diagnosed, two years later, as a pituitary gland hormone imbalance that made it impossible to lose weight, even when on a starvation diet and spending 2-1/2 hours a day working his ass off, trying to lose weight.

He spent the next 25 years going through various treatment regimes, including removal of both adrenal glands, and maxed-out at 365lbs, until a new treatment reversed everything. In the first year, he lost 50 lbs, WITHOUT changing anything else, diet or exercise.

It took 30 years to slowly gain the weight, it will take several years to lose it, but at least it’s happening.

If you haven’t guessed already, it’s me.

Discharge for the good of the service.

My 1st response would be do let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya, but really there has got to be a reason. What changed his mind? What went wrong, how can you make it better? Something is going on other than just wanting out. Find that reason and see if you can fix it. A lot of training and money has been spent to train this soldier it would be a waste he departs without anyone trying to help him. You may not be able to do this along get help with he if you think there is a chance to reverse his problems. Good luck.

Do not do this. While on active duty (prior Army) I witnessed this happen and there is a term that was was applied - malingering. And like you he mentioned his intentions to someone and poor OPSEC resulted in a chapter out vice DEROS/ETS.

There is an interesting difference between the responses of Enlisted personnel and Commissioned. Seems like the officers are all to eager to throw the book at the Soldier in question and make their lives hell. Just my observation on the comments.

I would encourage the individual not to do it and give him/her reasons why. I would also inform them that the best they could hope for would be a General Discharge as opposed the anticipated Honorable Discharge. Also explaining the differences and how it may affect their future.

Counsel Soldier on paper. Get Commander inevolved with action and remove Soldier from the rolls...
This Soldiers repeated actions have a cancerous effect on the rest of the Battery, Company, Battalion etc...I want Soldiers with positive and sound mind and body....hooah!

Well, as a prior medic on Bragg, disregard the weight gain. He had a soft shoe profile, for? This plan could not just get him discharged. He could claim medical issues and request MEB. If so, less than 30% Army he gets a separation check, if 30% or more he's an overweight retiree, with also some VA disability or at least a pension whichever is more. So, as you all are looking at the weight issue. I'm looking at the possibility of him getting paid for the rest of his life. Just saying.

I learned a long time ago not to burn my bridges behind me. Assuming CPT Kletzing wasn't able to get the soldier to change his mind, I suspect at some point in the future, this soldier will regret the way he left the Army and the type of discharge he got. I agree with the comment left by TSgt Waide - do your time and then leave