Why are so many young Soldiers getting Med Boarded/in the Integrated Disability Evaluation System?

It's hard to game the MEB. The exams and the system are pretty well put together now. I think a big increase from historic numbers is the mental attitude of people. I am 41 and I hurt all the time. My knees hurt, my shoulder hurts, I have to take 5 minutes to stretch my arms in the morning because my elbows are stiff, I can't turn my head without shooting pain, my feet kill me most of the time and my lower back can take about 5 min of full gear before screaming like a stuck pig. I've never been to the aid station for any of it, but we've got guys trowing in the towel with back pain and other crap. There is hurt and then there is injured. We have enabled the pink-panty wearing weak-sauce hurt people to weasel their way into a system meant for the injured. They're taking advantage of it, when what they really need is a bottle of motrin and boot full of pride.

I have a CPT that works next to me in the BDE S3 shop and we currently have three Soldiers getting out on their initial assignment for this reason. They were allowed to graduate basic and AIT to come to a unit having not passed the APFT. One has NEVER passed the run and on profile who will never run in the Army. The CPT was a company commander at AIT and said he had about 20% get injured or medical discharges with benefits while he was in command. I found this crazy and did not realize such things occurred. I would have thought you would have to had served a minimum of a year to get such benefits the rest of your life.

Not a hater mind you, but a concerned taxpayer and future retiree who may not even get 10%. :-)

I deployed on a SFAAT mission.We left back some Soldiers because we had the luxury of hand picking the people we wanted to deploy with. When we got back I had two soldiers that abused the system and got 70% for so called back and shoulder problems. These soldiers were not able to hack it from the day they got out of basic. Every part of my body hurts most mornings but I have too much pride and heart to let these stop me from completing any mission that has been given to me. It makes me sick at the people that abuse the system. I believe the system is being ruined by leaches that abuse the system. we need a better way of getting soldiers out that can't perform.