One of your soldiers fails out of PME. What actions do you take as a leader?

My first thought was, "Why on Earth were they sent there without their Leadership knowing what they were capable of?"

Yes, my second thought was of a Spec-4 heading off to PLDC as a last minute addition to the Battalion OML.

...but my current thought was all of the ANCOC candidates facing their first "Re-Test" after failing Land Navigation due to either time or that damned swamp the compass headings took them through.

Speaking as someone that my Leadership made sure was ready... someone who fought tooth and nail for everything thrown at me... and someone who graduated top 10% of each class... you sometimes get what you deserve and the US Military is all the better for it afterwards....

But I'm not sure it should be "career-ending" because it is after all a School.... where some excel, some coast by, and some learn to be better.... and if they do graduate eventually we are still all the better for it.

this is a great thread, super relevant issue here!

You know what I think is kinda funny. I read through this thread and most of the comments were along the same lines: "Why did they fail?" Mentor Them." "Look at the circumstances..." Their career isn't over." "Help them out." How many people would say the same thing about a weight failure, or a failed fitness test. Anytime that subject comes up its always, "Put them out!" "Deny Benefits." "Run them till they puke." It just demonstrates the terrible stigma that military people attach to weight problems. Arguably, good leadership skills are WAY more important than perfect fitness, but you would never know it looking at this scenario. Why loathe and punish a soldier for fitness problems, say he/she doesn't care, isn't professional, isn't worthy of the uniform --and then comfort and mentor a PME failure? Are standards not standards period? Should they not receive the same treatment? Arguably it is way more expensive to the army to fail a PME course --that is TDY money wasted, along with man-hours.

Goodbye! Sorry pal but that's a negative status indicator. No reenlistment.

Every leader must "Teach, Train and Coach" his subordinates through leading by example, proper counselling and education.
Having a bad day don't make a soldier get fat, it's constant leadership that help prevent a soldier from getting fat. Providing that same soldier the resources to lose the weight and following up with a persistent weigh-in requirement for those behind the curve in the weight department. The leader cannot lose the weight but he can show enough concern to the SM to encourage and enable him/her to accomplish the weight loss. A Bar to Reenlistment can be overcome and should be the concern of the chain of command from the team/squad leader, platoon sergeant and 1SG of the Company (and the CSM). The Mess Sergeant is a key individual in the role of weight loss, often overlooked but he/she has been trained and educated in nutrition the next person involved in this process is the "Master Fitness Trainer" also trained in nutrition with the additional training in personal fitness.
This is just a few moments in the daily mission of the leader in the Military (Army in my case...)

PME can only be failed by height and weight or apft failure.

"It's a reflection of your leadership!"
"Teach, Train, and Coach..."

I THINK IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET PROMTED YOU SHOULD HAVE EDUCATION TO BACK IT UP.
I HAD TO PASS MY MOS TEST WHICH IS GONE NOW AND THEN MY SQT TEST AND NOW I DONT KNOW WHAT YOU DO NOW. I MYSELF TOOK AS MANY SCHOOLS AS I COULD TO BETTER MYSELF AND BEABLE TO TRAIN MY SOLDIERS IN THE WAY THEY COULD LEARN.
SSG MARK FRANZEN

Its not really in the leader's hands anymore...unless the regs have changed (let up) since i left, NCOES failure is a trigger for BAR and initiation of seperation.
Can those be overcome? perhaps,,, but it better be due to some tragedy beyond the SM's ability to deal with, ... daughter was kidnaped, husband in an accident and limited time to live....something horrible like that.

Academically fail just because its "hard", administratively released for negitive behaviour or other reasons...
Sure, Id still find out why first..find out what happened, but it's not likley to change the direction of the action.

Leaders that are afraid to say" this life is not for you, you're just not good enough" are a problem in of itself and I commonly found those leaders were letting others slide by, because they them self were less than stellar and sliding by

I'm certain some of the leadership will have to toe-the-line to explain what happened. But, with a shrinking force, failing PME could mean career ender.

Now there are ways to ensure training NCOs at Company or Higher levels in Regular Army and Reserve to ensure no Soldier gets sent back for failing PME.
As an XO, I was fortunate enough to have been a part of a Company that made it a point to go beyond "sponsorship". They partnered new Soldier based on MOS/Rank with a mentor. Before attending PME, the Soldier would work with a recent graduate of that PME course to share and discuss what to expect when they get there. I remember all the accolades received while attending graduation ceremonies from the 88K or 88L instructors on FT Eustis.
No failed PME during my three years on station.