Posted on Jul 16, 2015
Pool of potential enlistees is shrinking - due to obesity - any suggestions?
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Almost 1/3 of young adults are too overweight to even be considered for military service. This hampers our readiness, puts even more pressure on recruiters, and has over the years has caused our leaders to modify some entrance standards. How can we address this so that our military continues to have a plentiful pool of candidates?
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/07/15/report-nearly-1-in-3-young-adults-too-fat-for-military/30178023/
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2015/07/15/report-nearly-1-in-3-young-adults-too-fat-for-military/30178023/
Posted in these groups: 
Recruiting
Readiness
Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS)
79R: Recruiter
8411: Basic Recruiter
Recruiting Readiness Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) 79R: Recruiter 8411: Basic Recruiter
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 94
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LTC Jason Strickland
As SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. stated, return PE to schools and maybe even "Healthy Eating" classes if they aren't already taught. I seem to remember my own school days always being taught to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and limit my consumption of red meat and junk food.
Make healthy eating more affordable. I sometimes buy groceries from the natural/green type stores and it's VERY expensive.
I'm not sure about current recruiter practices, but maybe have recruiters schedule regular PT sessions with their DEPpers/poolees.
As SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. stated, return PE to schools and maybe even "Healthy Eating" classes if they aren't already taught. I seem to remember my own school days always being taught to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and limit my consumption of red meat and junk food.
Make healthy eating more affordable. I sometimes buy groceries from the natural/green type stores and it's VERY expensive.
I'm not sure about current recruiter practices, but maybe have recruiters schedule regular PT sessions with their DEPpers/poolees.
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MAJ Bill Maynard
SGT Sean Wike Mine was in Panama in a little room off the day room, which also had vending machines for cigarettes, sodas, and junk food :)
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MAJ Bill Maynard
Yep, too bad. Although Cuban cigars are WAY overrated. I smoke cigars and have had many Cubans and non Cubans and the non Cubans are superior. Soon Cuban cigars will be sold in the USA.
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CSM Charles Hayden
MAJ Bill Maynard - Cubans are best for their wrappers, those green tobacco leaves impart a different flavor!
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It's always pretty fucking hilarious how is all "If they really wanted to, they'd lose the weight, we don't need to give anything for them." But in reality, the military isn't made up of a bunch of hung ho Patriots with freedom boners. They don't look at it as an opportunity, they look at it as a sacrifice of their intended future. 90% of the military signed up for the benefits and stayed for the fun... Or the benefits. Then maybe one day down the line you popped your first freedom boner. All this pretense that maintaining​ one of the largest militaries in the world while keeping it all volunteer is easy, you're out of your mind. Kids are generally getting fatter. YES we need to adapt to that. Give them more time in basic, or reimplement fat camp before basic. This gets those troops in quicker and gets the army those guys with more dedication than you think. But for a lot of them they have no idea how to work out or lose weight or just don't have many of the resources.
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CPL (Join to see)
This is along the same lines as what my thoughts were. Some make it sound so easy but depending on how you were raised (to eat healthy or not) and if there are any hereditary health or weight issues, losing weight is very difficult. Not knowing what to do. People say go to the gym well 1. you have to be able to afford it 2. you have to know what to do when you walk in, how many reps, how much weight, correct body form etc etc. These things are very overwhelming for MANY people and not just young people. I know first hand how it feels to walk into a gym, not knowing anyone or the proper way of working out or feeling intimated. People with weight issues need someone to care enough to show them the way, not just bark insults or orders which is what typically happens, then you look at our NCO's and they are also overweight. You never see them take a PT test and you feel sure they would fail ht/wt but miraculously they pass everytime, and they take their test when none of us are there. Dont tell me they are not being pencil whipped in. Not all but many. I'm not blaming it all on Leadership but there is alot to be said about that. I was overweight, I joined overweight, I lost weight at basic/AIT, I deployed and lost more weight, passed my PT test like 4 times and all of that is thanks to my Leadership. In Iraq, i spent my gym time with LT's. Our 1LT would make out our PT time (obstacle type stuff, which we enjoyed) and would guide us on what to eat or not eat. There needs to be a nutrionist at every unit or atleast in every area. The difference between a Leader and a Boss is a Boss says "go do this," a Leader says "lets go do this."
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A stronger focus on physical fitness and education in school wouldn't hurt. I'm not saying we should be trying to whip every single kid into shape for the military's sake but it wouldn't hurt in general to put a focus on PE programs. I know my PE program in school was pretty much a joke. If you didn't want to hardly participate you didn't have to and me being the lazy kid I was didn't. On the yearly presidential fitness test I put no effort in. In fact, on the one mile run me and my two buddies would literally just walk and visit the whole time. It bit me in the ass too. I started trying to get into shape before basic and couldn't hardly run a half mile. Luckily, AF basic is long enough that by the end I was in decent enough shape to pass but I still struggle to this day with running especially. Not being very active and God bless my parents but living in a house with smokers I think did me in to an extent. I wish I would have participated more.
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LTC Jason Strickland
You're an example of overcoming this obstacle, SrA Matthew Knight. Good on you!
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I think that there are a couple things at play here.... 1. Those that want to join will do what they need to do (I recently read an article about someone loosing 130 pounds in order to join). 2. As time and diets have changed, the overall stature of humans has become larger....not always fat wise.... taller, and overall just bigger. The more our technology has improved along with our knowledge, why do we still use the old tape and height or height and weight determination? There are better ways. While I understand that above a 25 or 28% BMI may have long term impact, I have seen some of our military members that are at/above that size do impressive things on PT test. I am not saying to let everyone in, but maybe revisit the parameters that are currently established. If found ok, leave it alone...if change may be warranted, make the change.
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LTC Jason Strickland
Well said, Maj Chris Nelson - and without any humor (or sarcasm) for a change! Are you feeling okay?
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Maj Chris Nelson
LTC Jason Strickland I feel tired... I am slowly counting down the days to retirement. Idiots run rampant throughout all levels of the military/DoD and government....while I know this will never change, "I" need a change! I DO try to bring a degree of humor to most posts, but I CAN bring a degree of levity and well thought out answers if I desire to! (or if my humor button is broken for a minute!). Good catch! I will try to improve my replies in future posts! ;-)
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CPL (Join to see)
My thing about weight/BMI charts is this....Per what the Doctor charts read with what we should weigh or our BMI should be, this is ridiculous. If i weighed what I "should" weigh I would look unhealthy and anorexic.
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We don't need to change anything, the civilians need to change the way they eat and raise there children. As well as to stop subsidizing crops, since that is an attribute to obesity.
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We as a military force need to stop looking for quantity and look for quality if you are a "SLUG" than you don't need to be accepted into the military. "SLUG"="Slow Lazy Useless Guy, or Gal" I strongly disagree with the military conforming to the civilian population when it comes to standards. I understand readiness and understand the numbers game but damn, we cant have a force full of "SLUGS" who cant even move their own body weight.
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SPC Sheila Lewis
LTC Jason Strickland - The civilian population needs to change on many levels, and the first is to own it's wrong on many levels, as well.
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LTC Jason Strickland
You're right, SPC Sheila Lewis, with rising rates of children and adults being overweight and obese, it's a problem in the U.S.
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LTC Jason Strickland, the move towards high-technology warfighting moves the continuum from muscle to noodle. However, good health is necessary in any instance… and health is threatened by obesity.
Contrary to what SSgt (Join to see) and SGT Kristin Wiley have started, however, a time could arise where conscription is necessary. If the pool of potential enlistees is insufficient, that could be considered a threat to national security.
SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S.’s suggestion to increase PE is a start. However, the poor excuse for “food” that children eat is a problem. From high fructose corn syrup to genetically modified produce, the youth in this country are being set up for poor health… and all for the sake of corporate profits.
Thus, I stand alongside CPT (Join to see) and 1SG (Join to see) who suggested similar... in addition to more physical activity for youths, starting at the earliest ages.
For an example of how school lunches should be done, look at France as a great example. See: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/frances-gourmet-school-lunches/
Contrary to what SSgt (Join to see) and SGT Kristin Wiley have started, however, a time could arise where conscription is necessary. If the pool of potential enlistees is insufficient, that could be considered a threat to national security.
SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S.’s suggestion to increase PE is a start. However, the poor excuse for “food” that children eat is a problem. From high fructose corn syrup to genetically modified produce, the youth in this country are being set up for poor health… and all for the sake of corporate profits.
Thus, I stand alongside CPT (Join to see) and 1SG (Join to see) who suggested similar... in addition to more physical activity for youths, starting at the earliest ages.
For an example of how school lunches should be done, look at France as a great example. See: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/frances-gourmet-school-lunches/
France's Gourmet School Lunches
Sunday Morning's Man in Paris David Turecamo explores France's strict diet regimen within the school system's gourmet lunch menu.
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LTC Jason Strickland
Great commentary, Capt Dwayne Conyers. I appreciate your perspective. This is a problem we have to overcome!
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SGT Kristin Wiley
That's not contrary to my perspective at all. The question implies change at the military level to enlarge the pool of recruits. What you are talking about far exceeds that. We have a very ineffective public school system in most communities and federal regulations are not helping. However, using the argument of conscription is not going to convince the current state of society to create a necessary change. If anything it might scare many young Americans to not be eligible to meet recruitment standards. It is a threat to national security, but draw attention to the possibility of another draft and you might send the public into a panic. I would definitely seek out alternative means too entice change.
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You have to solve this in High school and middle school. Make gym a mandatory class again and instead of playing sports and goofing have these kids hit the weights and run.
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LTC Jason Strickland
Agreed, CPL Jay Strickland. Both of my kids are in middle school and physical education is an elective (an elective according to the school, but mandatory according to this Dad).
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During the Delayed Entry Program, (If that still exists.) I suggest that all potential recruits be put on a diet, (Or that they go on a diet.) and that they exercise; up to military standards.
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