What army regulation covers how a soldier is supposed to take care of themselves? (Personal hygiene, eating, etc).?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:11:12 -0400

Personal hygiene is not the issue. I have a soldier who is not eating for the most part. Eats maybe once a day and we've been in the field since the 9th.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Jul 23 at 2020 1:29 PM

MAJ Byron Oyler — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:29:21 -0400

What is the problem arising from the soldier not eating to your satisfaction?

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 23 at 2020 1:31 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:31:28 -0400

The Soldier is starving themselves of proper nutrition and minerals. They are about to take themselves out of the fight and negatively impact mission accomplishment.

Response by GySgt Kenneth Pepper made Jul 23 at 2020 1:41 PM

GySgt Kenneth Pepper — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:41:58 -0400

Be direct and ask the Soldier. If the answer doesn't make sense, mention it to your next level supervisor/team leader. It could be a sign of depression or separation anxiety. Or maybe the field rations just really suck and he is living off of a stash of beef jerky.

Response by SSG Steven Borders made Jul 23 at 2020 2:14 PM

SSG Steven Borders — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:14:25 -0400

SPC Private RallyPoint Member Look under AR 600-9 Appendix C. There is to much to type out on this thread but it should give you the answers you seek. Make sure your FLL is tracking as well.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 23 at 2020 2:33 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 14:33:28 -0400

I actually had an issue with this. I had a Soldier try to go on a hunger strike. I tried to get him mentally evaluated due to this lack of not eating being harmful to his well being. They basically said he was entitled to not eat. I was actually surprised by this. Legal wasn't going to touch it. The only thing you can really do is counsel them and send them to your post's wellness center. Some Soldier don't need to eat that much. Some also fast and eat once a day. Just think about Ranger School. We purposely feed Soldiers less than they need and expect them to perform. If he can perform well then let it be but you should encourage him to eat or find him options that will maintain him.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 23 at 2020 3:39 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:39:49 -0400

Some people have special diets and they can’t stand MREs and many think they can survive short term without them and just pick and choose what they eat out of them. Also I don’t think many younger soldiers realize how strenuous the field can be and realize only after they have a serious event such as heat casualty or falling out during an exercise.

I would pull the soldier aside and ask him the reason why he is not eating properly and then explain to him you and others are noting his change in performance and its negative impact on not only his career but also on the unit to achieve the mission. And then see if there is someone you can do to work with him to get him food he will eat for enough energy. Whether that’s other joes switching out MREs if he wants a certain one (if they are ok with it) or collecting excess rations and letting him take some of the extras.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jul 23 at 2020 4:17 PM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:17:12 -0400

No offense SPC. Cantu, you both have an NCO, if it is as bad as you indicate this should be taken to your Supervisor and involve the PLT Leadership. It is a health and safety issue. You don’t need a regulation when someone is not taking care of themselves. But that is a determination for leadership to make.

Response by SFC Michael D. made Jul 23 at 2020 4:21 PM

SFC Michael D. — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:21:53 -0400

If it’s an MRE, he’s definitely fine.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2020 9:46 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 09:46:04 -0400

None....Taking care of oneself is a responsibility that was taught as a child. If there is a question about the Soldiers mental health and his/her health is physically declining (weakness, lack of energy, etc) then report to your leadership. Realistically it’s not up to you to determine how much or less food is necessary for another person, I myself eat once a day when I’m in the field.

As long as his/her health isn’t noticeable affected, just keep an eye on the Soldier, talk with them, find out if everything is okay and make sure to let him/her know you’re available if they ever need to talk with someone, you never know what a person is going through....