Quote:
Originally Posted by LordEden
Linky
Is this a step back in the fight with childhood/adult obesity? Seems counter-intuitive to me, "Well, our PS3 generation can't handle basic, so let's make it easier." All the friends/family I know that joined the military training BEFORE going to basic. They made sure they could run long distances and able to do most types of cardio (pushups and situps) prior to taking the physical fitness test.
Just seems like we need to be combating this problem not by cutting back on how hard we train our soldiers and the preliminary tests to get in.
Is this a good change for the military or a step in the wrong direction?
|
It doesn't sound like they are making things "easier", just more gradual. It seems to me that if you are getting more and more recruits who are significantly out of shape, the goal should be to get them INTO shape first.
I'm significantly overweight. I know that if I went out and tried to just run three miles straight, even though I'm still young I could die, or at the very least do some serious damage to myself. But if I went out and jogged a little, than increased that some every day eventually I would be able to make that three-mile run just fine.
I don't foresee a world where the term "doughboy" comes back as a term for soldier for all the wrong reasons. If anything, I see the military creating multiple "basic training" courses based on the health of recruits that allow those already in shape to move on to other things while allowing unhealthier recruits to do what they need to do at a more realistic pace.