Introduction

The Washington Post reports that large numbers of obese soldiers are being fired for failing fitness tests. To the extent that soldiers are expected to maintain a high level of conditioning for physically demanding tasks, this policy does not seem unreasonable. However, it raises questions and some objections, including how were the soldiers who were fired in the first place allowed to get fat? Presumably, the obese people in the Army kept getting one more chance, time and time again, after failing the annual testing protocols.

I’m going to summarize the facts of the matter and then offer a REAL wellness alternative. I think there’s a better way to deal with obese soldiers than to fire them and let them go out in the cold, with no special opportunity of a positive nature. My solution avoids humiliation and financial hardship. All service personnel deemed unfit for duty must be given a special opportunity to meet Army performance standards. An effective program that makes this possible will be more humane than layoffs and will save the considerable cost to taxpayers associated with recruiting and training replacements. I am going to outline a positive REAL welfare boot camp idea that could allow departing troops to re-qualify for service.

Why the looting?

One of the reasons obese soldiers are fired is economic. The Army has to cut, reduce its budget by reducing it from 570,000 today to 490,000 by 2017. If cuts have to be made, what better place to start than with the weakest links, the heart attacks that are about to happen? Did you know that of all the reasons for rejecting recruits, the number one factor is obesity? In the Washington Post story, overweight troops are seen as a national security problem. The severity of the problem is increasing. In a two year period, the number of obese soldiers tripled! Two years ago, more than five percent of the Army, 86,183 members of our fighting force, was obese.

How are we going to police the whole world if so many of our invaders are so out of shape? As of November this year, “1,625 soldiers were fired for being out of shape.” This is almost 16 times the number of discharges for that reason in 2007. (Source: Ernesto Londoño, Rising number of militarysbedingforfallingfitnesstests, Washington Post, December 10, 2012).

The first large reductions in morbidly obese soldiers occurred after Desert Storm. In 1991, just over 3,000 troops were laid off. It’s worth noting that it’s not just uniformed personnel affected by the obesity factor: no fewer than seventy-five percent of civilians who wanted to join the force were weight-related ineligible. Additionally, a quarter of those who qualified on the BMI assessments were unable to pass the physical fitness requirements, according to the Post report.

How pathetic is that?

ROYAL WELLNESS STARTER CAMP

The design of the REAL wellness curriculum would require a period of research and evaluation by the military involving a variety of health promotion consultants. My hope is that, unlike workplace wellness programs at the corporate level, there is little to no risk reduction or medical management; there are VA and other resources available for these services. REAL Wellness Boot Camp would focus on all four foundational areas, tackling all sorts of life-enriching topics such as value studies, meaning and purpose, change theory and practice, resilience, mindfulness, relationship and communication skills and the like.

Even if the obese army folks facing the boot don’t lose enough weight to return to the service or simply decide not to return after graduating from welfare boot camp, the experience will still be invaluable. It will help troops deal with the usual transition issues. These include problems associated with depression, post-traumatic stress, and a variety of life changes that occur during long periods of separation from family, the job market, and civil society. If the idea caught on with the military, why stop there? How about modified versions of the REAL Wellness Boot Camp for juvenile delinquents, drunk drivers, couples in crisis, etc.?

As for the military version created to deal with outgoing obese soldiers in the enhanced and highly civilized boot camps, I will volunteer to design the initial program and participate in all physical endurance training activities. But with some conditions: no jumping out of planes or required obstacle courses with explosions and real bullets flying overhead. Let’s keep the fitness focus on swimming, biking, running and other sensible and peaceful things.

Good wishes and be well.