US Navy Grants 48,000 Sailors a Fitness Pardon...

[Ooh-Rah]

That's ok, you can disagree because that doesn't make it false. I saw it a couple of times and knew some dudes that failed because of so-called body fat causing them to need waivers.

Yep. One of my buddies and I were doing Cybergenics together (All the rage in the 90's) and he turned into a freeking beast. Built like a brick shit house, and constantly catching shit for his weight....even though the dude could PT his ass off....he literally pulled me up the last quarter mile of Mt. Motherfucker after we partied too hard the night before and I was looking like I was going to get tossed on the Truck. Nope, Bobby told me to grab his pack, threatened an ass-whupping to beat all ass-whupping's if I let go, and pulled me up that mountain. I love that dude.

<edited for grammar>

 

[Grunt]

Yep. Me and one of my buddies were doing Cybergenics together (All the rage in the 90's) and he turned into a freeking beast. Built like a brick shit house, and constantly catching shit for his weight....even though the dude could PT his ass off....and he literally pulled me up the last quarter mile of Mt. Motherfucker after we partied too hard the night before and I was looking like I was going to get tossed on the Truck. Nope, Bobby told me to grab his pack, threatened as ass-whupping to beat all ass-whupping's if I let go, and pulled me up that mountain. I love that dude.

It was a common thing in the Marine Corps. I find it odd for someone to say they disagree with it because they never saw it. Oh well....

 

[Devildoc]

How many ships at one time are out to sea? 40ish? So let's say out of the 326k active Sailors, roughly 17k are at sea, or roughly 5%. Most sailors are on shore duty anyways, or they catch the right cycle and never complete a tour at sea. The lack of pt is a cultural issue, not a duty issue.

I agree, and I disagree. I think regardless of your job it is largely a cultural issue. But for some people for that particular PRT cycle can be a bust, and I think for those people it should not be held against them for that reason.

But I absolutely agree that it is foremost a cultural issue. I had an OIC who wanted us to play tennis and badminton for PT.

 

[ThunderHorse]

It was a common thing in the Marine Corps. I find it odd for someone to say they disagree with it because they never saw it. Oh well....

We have multiple tests in the Army now to do deal with this. If a guy is actually fit and fails tape he can go to the hospital for an immersion pool test. Get Printout, submit in MedPros and bring back to your command.

I've heard plenty of stories from the 80s Army and Marine Corps where thick studs were kicked out and fat slobs remained because of the tape test. I've just never seen it. But as I said, if a 1SG is starting paperwork on a stud who's 12% bodyfat, but the 1SG has a gut we have a problem.

 

[Grunt]

We have multiple tests in the Army now to do deal with this. If a guy is actually fit and fails tape he can go to the hospital for an immersion pool test. Get Printout, submit in MedPros and bring back to your command.

I've heard plenty of stories from the 80s Army and Marine Corps where thick studs were kicked out and fat slobs remained because of the tape test. I've just never seen it. But as I said, if a 1SG is starting paperwork on a stud who's 12% bodyfat, but the 1SG has a gut we have a problem.

I can agree with that. I do hate the fact that there are First Sergeants out there that are willing to do that very thing.

 

[DA SWO]

PT Tests are a force shaping tool and nothing else.

You can either do your job or not.

We had a fat-body in the SCIF at ARSOUTH who was gleefully thrown at ETS, best analyst we had. The look on the Company Commanders face when he walked in Monday wearing civilian clothes was awesome.

When OIF/OEF were in full swing the Army had no issues bring fat-bodies in from the IRR and deploying their asses.

You can do your job or not, that's what should count,

Full disclosure, I never passed the AF cycle test, they did fuck up my left knee trying to administer the test to me though.
While not passing the cycle test I did manage to pass the ST Test; 3 mile run, pushups, pullups/chin ups, sit ups and and a Ruck March.

 

[Marauder06]

After reading about the sailor's actions in the wake of the recent ship collisions (plus other damage control efforts on Navy ships), I think fitness and waist size matters for those folks. Across the branches (can't speak for the Marines) there are a lot of jobs that don't need track and field stars. The weight (pun gratefully accepted by not intended) placed on PT scores in the Army is ridiculous. You can be an absolute turd with a 300 PT score and go a long, long way in the Army.

I agree. That's one of the problems with our system, a PT test is one of the few quantifiable, easy-to-understand things that factors into an evaluation. "Oh here is a number, I can compare numbers." This is another reason why the Army needs to do away with gender-segregated PT test scales. One standard for every body. Grade into bands for age if necessary, but don't sex-segregate. Men and women compete against each other for evaluations, promotions, and assignments. We need apples-to-apples comparisons if we're going to factor PT into the equation.

 

[reed11b]

I disagree, I've never had a "bodybuilder type" fail the tape test. Only the rolly pollies. And to be honest, if they do, and their 1SG puts them on the program, their 1SG needs to be hit over the head with a frying pan. (If you can see abs, you're definitely within standards)

I have seen many. Perhaps CAV doesn't have monsters like the infantry does. Regardless, if they can meet the physical standard, I don't care if they look pretty in formation. Period.

We have multiple tests in the Army now to do deal with this. If a guy is actually fit and fails tape he can go to the hospital for an immersion pool test. Get Printout, submit in MedPros and bring back to your command.

I've heard plenty of stories from the 80s Army and Marine Corps where thick studs were kicked out and fat slobs remained because of the tape test. I've just never seen it. But as I said, if a 1SG is starting paperwork on a stud who's 12% bodyfat, but the 1SG has a gut we have a problem.

I have NEVER seen units make it that easy. The soldier always has to jump through flaming hoops to make it happen and then it's only good until they change units and have start the BS all over again.

I agree. That's one of the problems with our system, a PT test is one of the few quantifiable, easy-to-understand things that factors into an evaluation. "Oh here is a number, I can compare numbers." This is another reason why the Army needs to do away with gender-segregated PT test scales. One standard for every body. Grade into bands for age if necessary, but don't sex-segregate. Men and women compete against each other for evaluations, promotions, and assignments. We need apples-to-apples comparisons if we're going to factor PT into the equation.

Why age bands? Do I have to work less physically as a 42 year old squad leader then a 24 year old squad leader does? I mean don't get me wrong, as an old NG fat bastard, the age bands make life less stressful, but that doesn't make it right.

 

[ThunderHorse]

I have NEVER seen units make it that easy. The soldier always has to jump through flaming hoops to make it happen and then it's only good until they change units and have start the BS all over again.

In my troop...hell in both squadrons I was in, we didn't have studs ever pop on tape. So, the filthy bodybuilders who were 6-4, 240, they passed tape. The 5-6 240s however we fat slobs. Studs look good in formation, slobs do not.

But yes, you are correct that units make it a PITA. Got it. I've seen plenty of 1SGs who are also the problem. The amount of hoops that you have to jump through to get rid of a fat slob, if you don't do it right, well you have to start over.

 

[Gunz]

We have multiple tests in the Army now to do deal with this. If a guy is actually fit and fails tape he can go to the hospital for an immersion pool test. Get Printout, submit in MedPros and bring back to your command.

I've heard plenty of stories from the 80s Army and Marine Corps where thick studs were kicked out and fat slobs remained because of the tape test. I've just never seen it. But as I said, if a 1SG is starting paperwork on a stud who's 12% bodyfat, but the 1SG has a gut we have a problem.

Not in Marine Infantry. Maybe some old Gunny's with beer bellies but not the rank and file. We were lean and fit but nobody was ripped by today's standard because we didn't have access to weights.

 

[Devildoc]

Not in Marine Infantry. Maybe some old Gunny's with beer bellies but not the rank and file. We were lean and fit but nobody was ripped by today's standard because we didn't have access to weights.

The dilemma we had in medical is the Marine leadership would send the Marines to us to be taped...along with a back-channel-off-the-books communication with what Marines would be helpful to the unit to have in standard versus not. They were fully Ok using the old-boy network to make sure their friends passed as well as blackball someone they simply didn't like.

 

[Grunt]

The dilemma we had in medical is the Marine leadership would send the Marines to us to be taped...along with a back-channel-off-the-books communication with what Marines would be helpful to the unit to have in standard versus not. They were fully Ok using the old-boy network to make sure their friends passed as well as blackball someone they simply didn't like.

Trash like that is what aggravated me the most. Those people needed a well-aimed throat punch!

There were a lot of good Marines that had to jump through hoops to keep their jobs because they were power lifters. They were war horses, but had to play the game in order to keep their job.

 

[Gunz]

I've seen about a 300lb Ensign. How does that happen? Whatever happened to PT being good for unit cohesion, discipline, and morale?

Bro, there were some fat slob sailors back in the day, long hair, beards, slack discipline...courtesy of Zumwalt. Thankfully those days at least are gone.

 

[Devildoc]

Bro, there were some fat slob sailors back in the day, long hair, beards, slack discipline...courtesy of Zumwalt. Thankfully those days at least are gone.

Don't be busting on the beards. Fat slobs, yes...beards, no. That's a naval tradition I'd like to see again.

 

[Gunz]

When your a fat out-of-shape slob who looks like 400 pounds of shit in a 200 pound bag, a beard doesn't help.

 

[Red Flag 1]

Don't be busting on the beards. Fat slobs, yes...beards, no. That's a naval tradition I'd like to

 

[SpitfireV]

Being a bit fat, long hair and beards but being a strong bastard are navy traditions that go back to at least the 1600s.

 

[Gunz]

All right, call off the dogs. The point I'm trying to make is that the sailors my fellow Marines and I encountered on our various shipboard adventures--which included a 3 month Carib MEU--were not exactly what we'd call "tough." They weren't exactly the bearded warrior types we all admire today. Admiral Zumwalt had relaxed grooming regs and discipline and many enlisted types were stretching those relaxed standards to the max in order to appear the least military-like. This was at a time when military guys weren't cool in the eyes of much of the public, especially their age-group peers. In other words, they couldn't get fucking laid when they went home unless they looked like hippies. The Navy I witnessed, with the notable exclusion of green-side combat Corpsmen and UDT/SEALs, at least among the sailor ranks, was a slovenly mess.

I have nothing against beards and respect a nurtured growth on any man's (or woman's) face...but it takes more than facial hair to make a man competent in his duties. And in my biased view, it offends my sense of correct military alignment and combat readiness to see any serving military person look like an out-of-shape turd. I'm not saying everybody needs to be ripped, just fit enough to have respect for the uniform and the service they represent.

 

[Devildoc]

@Ocoka , Zumwalt was an embarrassment to the Navy with his desire to "reform" a war-footing, combat-oriented Navy. Most of his social engineering policies we're eventually reversed.

 

[ThunderHorse]

Not the USN, but a bit related: Spanish army's elite La Legión regiment put on diet over obesity fears