Too Fat To Fight: Military Threatened By Childhood Obesity

It is true there is an issue but candidly the military does not do a good job policing it's own. Once people are in and they are overweight, where is the remedial PT, the pork chop platoon etc. until they get into shape? I get that they may recruit some plump ones but the armed forces own it once they are in to get them in shape and keep them in shape.

I've said this before on RP. I am in the airports all the time and see many overweight service members traveling in their utilities. Most are Army due to the size of the service. Marines cannot travel in utilities so they are in a dress uniform or civilian attire. It appears that the camouflage utilities have become the sweat outfit of the armed forces. It covers up some real obesity, it never gets ironed (wash and wear) and everyone seems to wear it everywhere they go.

Honestly, in seventeen years and seven deployments, I've never seen someone too fat to do their job... I've seen scrawny people do well and poorly, I've seen athletic people do well and poorly, and I've seen obese people do well and poorly... the most important variable to success is located between the ears, not around the waist line....