What should the physical requirements for 68 W be?

LTC (Join to see) - they all have the same physical requirements. No such thing as a MEDAC Medic. That is a 68C. Nurse, not a medic.

as a prior 68W, if you have on all the typical gear IOTV, etc., and a fully stocked aidbag, which in my unit included 4 IV kits, and your ruck,(MOLLE) you have more than your 98 lbs right there.

I served, as a medic, with the infantry(mech), the military police, the engineers, a medical center, a CSH, and an ambulance company. Never, in all that time, in all those units, did I need to carry 98 lbs worth of gear on my person. Even when the infantry performed dismounted maneuvers, and that was often, I did not carry that much gear.

The argument can be made that the light infantry would need to carry that much, and I would not disagree(mostly because I have no experience there), but I cannot understand how an Army wide standard can be set based on such a small section of the overall strength of the Army.

This 98 pounds is possibly coming for the new body armor...that alone is like 25-30lbs...

They must be ready to interchange.

LTC Paul Labrador but there is(should be) no difference between the two. A whiskey should have the knowledge and physical ability to flip back and forth at the drop of a hat.

Why would you choose to test the weaker requirement, when they can be sent forward and expected to perform the harder task? It is called "readiness."

good answer

SFC Matthew Norman - I can understand that. I was never planning to find myself in the shoes of a senior NCO, so honestly I'd never thought of it that way before.