scoutpilot
10-Year Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2010
- Messages
- 4,479
Two questions Scout...
Just by looking at a person can you tell if a "fat piece of ****" is actually overweight or not?
Yes. I'm sure you have this ability as well, which involves the keen skill of looking at a person and seeing a bulbous gut and a butt far too large for the legs and body to which it is attached.
The reason I ask is that my son is considered overweight by the USMA weight/height chart but when his body fat percentage is measured he is around 7%. So he may look like a "fat piece of ****" to you but he really isn't.
Oh, you're taking it personally. Ok, no problem. I'd like you to re-read what you said before I go into it.
First, there is no USMA weight/height chart. The charts that are used are the U.S. Army Screening Weight charts, found in Army Regulation 600-9 (AR 600-9 Army Weight Control Program). They apply to all Army personnel. You'll note that they're called SCREENING weights. Why? Because for any given height, the listed weight is the weight above which you are more likely to be overweight, and thus require further inquiry. Not meeting the screening weight does not mean you are overweight. The weight is for SCREENING and is not a standard in and of itself. The standard soldiers must maintain is body fat.
I doubt you've ever been the recipient of a HT/WT screening yourself, but the function is a very complex equation involving the difference between neck and waist measurements. If I assume that your son is about 5'10" tall with an average neck of 16 inches, his waist would have to measure 30" for him to be 7% body fat. Ever seen someone that tall with a 30" waist look fat? Ever? Nope, me neither. You answered your own question, though perhaps you didn't notice. You know your son doesn't look remotely fat. I know that, and I've never seen him. But if he really taped out at 7% he can't possibly look fat to anyone, unless he's a 4' tall pygmy.
I would like to know if you always judge other soldiers to be "a piece of ****" just by their weight or if you wait to see if they can actually do their jobs and pass their APFT?
No, I don't wait to see if they can pass their APFT. If I saw a soldier with hair over his ears and a 3-day beard I wouldn't say "well, let's wait to see if he can pass his APFT and perform headspace/timing on .50-cal before I decide whether he's a dirtbag and skin him up." Why? Because the standard is the standard. Meeting the standard in one area is not an excuse to fail to meet the standard in another.
If you are overweight, you are a failure. Plain and simple. If you're an overweight leader you're a double failure. The regulation is simple and clear. To wit: "Self-discipline to maintain proper weight distribution and high standards of appearance is essential to every individual in the Army." (Section 2-1, AR 600-9)
Furthermore, from Section 3-1: "Policy - Commanders and supervisors will monitor all members of their command (officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel) to ensure that they maintain proper weight, body composition, and personal appearance. At minimum, personnel will be weighed when they take the APFT or at least every 6 months. Soldiers may be weighed immediately before or after they take the APFT. Personnel exceeding the screening table weight ( table 3-1 ) or identified by the commander or supervisor for a special evaluation will have a determination made of percent body fat. Identification and counseling of overweight personnel are required." (emphasis added).
That's pretty simple, right? Not only are you required to be under the allowable body fat limit, but you're required to look like a soldier. A regulation tells you that something is essential, you do it. This isn't Miss Suzy's School of Sewing and Good Manners. This isn't a hippie mushroom commune in Utah. It's the military. Regulations are established, and leaders enfore them. Anything less is unacceptable. Don't like it? We'll be happy to discharge you. This is a combat organization dedicated to national defense. This is not a jobs program.
AR 95-1 says that an aviator cannot consume alcohol within 12 hours of mission start time. Can we blow that off, too? No? Why? Is there a list of priority for which regulations we follow and which we do not? No, no there is not.
As GEN Henry Shelton famously said, "This is a volunteer Army and soldiers volunteer to meet our standards. If they fail to meet our standards we should thank them for trying and send them home."