Otherwise known as Saving Private Bleachy.
From MSNBC.
Besides terrorists, germ warfare and nuclear weapons, military officials increasingly worry about a different kind of threat ” troops too fat to fight.
Weight issues plague all branches of the military, from elite Marines to the Air Force, often lampooned as the œchair force because of its many sedentary jobs.
Thousands of troops are struggling to lose weight, and thousands have been booted out of the service in recent years because they couldn™t.
However, one of the biggest worries concerns those not even in uniform yet: Nearly 2 out of 10 men and 4 out of 10 women of recruiting age weigh too much to be eligible, a record number for that age group.
œThis is quickly becoming a national security issue for us. The pool of recruits is becoming smaller, said Col. Gaston Bathalon, an Army nutrition expert.
Unless weight rules are relaxed, œwe™re going to have a harder time fielding an Army, he said.
Today™s soldiers are supersized, averaging 37 pounds heavier than their Civil War counterparts. Military officials say that™s not all bad, because most of it is muscle, not fat, and the result of better nutrition. œLarge and in charge makes soldiers look more formidable to the enemy, they note.