talk about 'battle of the bulge' Too Fat to Fight? Obesity Threatens Military Recruiting http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/04/too_fat_to_fight_obesity_and_n.html During World War II, at least 40 percent of potential military recruits were undernourished. So after the war, military leaders helped convince Congress to pass the National School Lunch Program to make subsidized meals part of kids' nutritional curriculum. And, maybe partly as a result, today's soldiers are an inch-and-a-half taller on average. But now the military has the opposite problem, young people are getting too much nutrition. A growing number of potential recruits are "too fat to fight." More than 9 million Americans of prime recruiting age are too heavy to join up, says the group, called Mission: Readiness. "Overall only 1 in 4 of our young adults between the ages of 17 and 24 is eligible for military service," says Rear Adm. Jamie Barnett (ret.). Obesity is one of the main reasons, he says. The proportion of recruits rejected for being overweight jumped from 12 percent in 1995 to 21 percent in 2008. Other categories for rejection include failure to graduate from high school and having a criminal record. The group cites federal health statistics that show more than 40 percent of adults from 17 to 24 are overweight or obese in 39 states -- up from only one state a decade ago. In Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi, more than half of young adults are too heavy, according to the definition used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new report says the military discharges more than 1,200 first-term enlistees each year because of weight problems. That costs the armed services about $50,000. per person -- or $60 million -- to recruit and train replacements. The average overweight 17-to-24-year-old would have to lose 34 pounds to achieve "normal" weight, the CDC says. Mission: Readiness unveiled its report at a Capitol Hill press conference designed to nudge Congress toward reauthorization of a school nutrition program that would restrict junk food and high-calorie beverages, improve the quality of menus, expand eligibility for free school meals, and improve nutrition education. Last year, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine recommended an upgrade for school meals that would limit calories and boost the amounts of fruits and vegetables served.
I went through boot camp in 2005. I know this all too well. It just amazed me how out of shape, and fat most of the recruits where. I was older than most of them too, and still ran circles around them. Our lives have simply become too sedentary. When I was growing up, we hated staying inside. We where always running around doing something. Now with video games, TV, and Computers, kids are not getting as much physical activity. And the US is just getting fatter by the year. **Side note- as I sit here writing this, I am eating a doughnut with some milk.
Wait. People still sign up for the military? I thought with all the guns, hummers, etc. we civilians are allowed to have that Americans were ready for war on our front porch.
i'm waiting for the day when wars are fought from the comfort of the bedroom. (via a remote control pad)
There's an app for that. In all seriousness, considering the number of unmanned weapons that are being used already, seeing that come to fruition isn't going to be a long wait.
and say 'hi' to, o. bin laffen when/if you *see* him... :hahaha: this reminds me of that star trek episode where the two planets fought all their wars via computer and the citizens walked into a disintegration chamber. war became so neat and tidy that there was no reason to stop it...
In WWII due the Great Depression 30% of the drafted conscripts did not meet the physical requirements due to the malnourishment that stunted their growth. The National School Lunch Program was begun to ensure poor class students were fed enough beef fattened with the weight gain preservative Sodium Benzoate (also in Chocolate, Soda, Chips) to ensure these kids were strong enough for war. As you know, the Dept of Agriculture is a division of the Dept of Science and Energy which is a division of the National Department of Defense. Wow.
You know, looking at it from that point... it's almost as if schools are a sick kind of fattening program for the military. kind of like how they build up cows to get them ready for the slaughter, the military uses schools to make sure kids grow up ready for the military.
if you actually read the article you would know that the military has to cut recruits every year because they are too fat causing loss of $60 million. So much for your "solution".
I'm 32 & about 34 over my ideal weight.... Give these fucks another 10 years & they will be hippos LOL
Thats just a sign of good life, theres nothing anyone can do about it. Kindda like those people on wall e
I'd prefer to die slowly from eating big macs than getting blown to bits by something out of my control. Atleast being fat is a personal choice for people and if they want to die that way so be it.
Nope. But lots of people get a "$50 gift coupon bait" from the "recruitment force" in the next bigger shopping mall near you so that they can buy their new XBox...and they just go for it...it's never been so easy to decoy human beings to serve as "cannon fodder"...
The US Congress is bought and paid for by huge international corporations with ties to banking. The US was the greatest nation on earth. People had their freedom. And this country became strong and prosperous. UNTIL, the banks got their way in 1913 (the Federal Reserve Act) which instituted controlled depression/recessions to force people into socialism, encouraged the US government to administer the Income tax as if it were a direct tax not requiring apportionment (one of the planks of Communism), and controlled education curriculum to exclude training in the law and knowledge of our rights and how (legal procedure) to defend them. Now what do people do? They do as they are told to get their greedy little free handouts like good little sheep. It is hard to find anyone willing to work hard anymore. And those that do and understand their rights have a government on their back wanting "their fair share" and willing to take whatever they, the government, wants without due process of law. And they get away with it because the people who would be in a jury have no clue as to due process/personal jurisdiction of courts and just let the gov't and the courts get away with it. And if the courts think that juries will be made wise, judges simply permit summary judgment requests thereby denying due process even further. So, why work hard when you have no rights to property anymore? And now the USD is losing world reserve status and with supply of USDs exceeding demand, the USD will fall and fall and fall. What once was a great country will be no more -- destroyed from within by a government that has no honor and a people who have no clue. Just my 2 cents. DW
I disagree, when 47% of Americans do not pay federal taxes and the other 53% of the country has to carry them along it makes for a weak country. When the federal government spends trillions of dollars on junk like this healthcare garbage by borrowing from China and taking more money from people that bust their ass it makes for a weak country. When we give Brazil 2 billion dollars of our money to explore for Oil and we known there is Oil all over the US and we do not drill for it and buy it from foreign nations, THAT makes for a weak country. I can go on and on... its not the American people that are weak or our country that is lacking in reserves and natural resources its the stupid ass government that spends our money like theres no tomorrow. Mock Bush all you want, but this Bozo will have spent more money then George W through George Washington combined. now thats my two cents EAT IT! :beach2:
