CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune
Lance Cpl. Mark Ashley carried Lance Cpl. Brendon Law as part
of the obstacle course portion of yesterday's combat fitness test
at Camp Pendleton.
Posted on 08/28/2008 9:58:53 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Put down that bag of chips, maggot, and give me 50! Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, didn't say those exact words when he issued a shape-up-or-ship-out message to all Marines, but he might as well have.
The nation's top Marine has created a rigorous fitness test to gauge combat readiness and has ordered strict enforcement of body-fat standards that he said have become lax in recent years.
“Tendencies toward increased weight have become a dangerous trend over the last decade in our American society. But Marines are different,” Conway wrote in an Aug. 8 message.
About 100 Camp Pendleton Marines got their first look at the new test during a demonstration yesterday. They repeatedly lifted 30-pound ammunition boxes above their heads, crawled on their bellies through a mock battlefield, lobbed fake grenades and, of course, did push-ups.
“Every single part of my body is hurting. It's a lot harder than I thought,” Lance Cpl. Jesus Corella of Nogales, Ariz., said after finishing the obstacle course portion of the test in less than three minutes.
It took nearly 10 minutes for him to catch his breath.
Starting Oct. 1, the nation's 190,000 active-duty Marines must pass the combat fitness test twice each year. The regular physical fitness test will continue to be given at least twice a year.
Another major change by Conway is his mandate to separate tests that measure physical abilities from requirements for personal appearance. Marines who post excellent scores on physical tests will no longer be allowed to exceed the Corps' body-fat standards by a few pounds.
Male Marines ages 17 to 26 will be allowed a maximum of 18 percent body fat, while the figure for young women is 26 percent. (The percentages are slightly higher for older Marines.) In the past, those with strong results on the physical fitness test were allowed to slightly exceed those standards.
Conway granted one exception: Officers can pass Marines who don't fulfill the body-fat requirement if they believe those troops still look trim in uniform.
Conway said Marines with excess body fat threaten combat efficiency and effectiveness “and, unfortunately, (are) a clear indicator of some commanders' failure to enforce standards.”
Out-of-shape Marines will be warned informally and have 120 days to get lean. If they don't, they will be enrolled in the more formalized Body Composition program.
If Marines fail to make progress, they likely would not be promoted and could be discharged.
That's the way it should be, some former Marines said.
“They know exactly what they're there for. . . . This is not the Vienna Boys' Choir. If they wanted something less or an easier way to do it, they could sign up for something else,” said retired Lt. Col. George Murray of Carlsbad.
Physical fitness is a responsibility that every Marine should take seriously, said retired Brig. Gen. David Brahms of Carlsbad, a lawyer who specializes in representing military defendants. Still, he sees nothing but Marines in tip-top shape wherever he goes.
“The bottom line is that when (Conway) issues this program, he's saying there is a problem in the Marine Corps. Personal pride, striving for excellence – apparently they aren't doing it. That's sad,” Brahms said.
Other veterans said Marines need to be ready for the rigors of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many troops wear form-fitting body armor, Kevlar helmets and other equipment that previous generations didn't lug around.
The combat fitness test consists of three events.
Marines first run 880 yards – two lengths of an Olympic-sized racetrack – while wearing boots and camouflage utilities. Men ages 17 to 26 must complete the run in three minutes, 48 seconds. Women in the same age category are allowed an additional 46 seconds.
Second, they need to lift a 30-pound ammunition box from below their chin to above their head as many times as possible in two minutes. Men must complete 45 reps, while women must do 20.
The final event is an obstacle course reminiscent of any boot camp scene ever put on film: crawling, dragging fellow Marines, running while holding 30-pound cans, lobbing fake grenades and doing push-ups.
All of the participants yesterday exceeded the requirements for each portion of the test. One Marine lifted the ammunition box more than 100 times, and three finished the obstacle course in less than three minutes.
Several said the combat fitness test was far more difficult than the physical fitness test, which consists of pull-ups, crunches and running.
Col. Brian McGuire of the Marine Corps' Training and Education Command in Quantico, Va., which developed the combat fitness test, visited Camp Pendleton yesterday to explain the benchmarks.
He said the goal is to gauge and improve the “short bursts” of energy that Marines need in combat situations.
Without giving specifics, McGuire acknowledged there is a “growing” number of overweight Marines. But he said the latest fitness and appearance requirements are based on Conway's observations instead of a particular study or set of statistics.
After watching yesterday's demonstration, Lance Cpl. Haley Faris of Atlanta said she thinks the combat fitness test will force her and many other Marines to focus more on all-around conditioning.
“It has been kind of a problem seeing overweight Marines lately,” Faris said.
This isn't the first time the Marine Corps has overhauled its physical fitness requirements.
In 2002, after three years of study, it permitted female Marines to be a bit heavier than the previous standard and made the body-fat exception for service members with high test scores.
Two years ago, commanders were authorized to exempt Marines from complying with the body-fat scale until they returned from their combat tours in Iraq.
The Marine Corps continually adjusts its programs and thresholds to maximize the potential of its force, said retired Master Sgt. Vic Ditchkoff, president of the United States Marine Corps Drill Instructors Association.
Ditchkoff, who trained more than his fair share of Marines during his 26-year career, views the combat fitness test and renewed emphasis on body-fat standards as an attempt to “nip it in the bud” before too many Marines get comfortable with an expanded waistline.
In the end, though, he said it's not like Marines are going to turn into couch potatoes.
“I don't think there has ever been a time when our physical fitness program hasn't challenged every Marine,” Ditchkoff said.
I went in straight out of high school, had been a runner in track so fitness wasn't an issue with me. The initial group I assembled with in boot camp was a hodge podge of young and old, quite a few obese. Most of them washed out as they couldn't handle the exercise and the diet wasn't that great either, there is no Jenny Craig plan or a buffet bar and ice cream machine.
I'm a little heavier then my fighting weight these days... but I could still wheeze thru an obstacle course, I reckun.
Good luck to all the new recruits!
We had an Army NCOIC we called “listerbag” because he was so fat and sweaty all the time.
CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune
Lance Cpl. Mark Ashley carried Lance Cpl. Brendon Law as part
of the obstacle course portion of yesterday's combat fitness test
at Camp Pendleton.
....[snip]Conway granted one exception: Officers can pass Marines who don't fulfill the body-fat requirement if they believe those troops still look trim in uniform. .."
They should eliminate the pretty boy factor above.
I attended a wedding recently where the groom was a Marine.
About a dozen Marines attended.
They all looked in great physical shape to me (boys and girls)
Never knew about that whacking the bride on the rear with the sword tradition....... :- )
I guess it would have been to simple just to say "a half-mile".
And this is coming from someone who took full advantage of the Army body fat program. I never was built lean like a runner, and a few times I tipped the scales over the recommended US Army weight standards, but I always passed my pt tests, never I fell out of a run. After I weighed in over the recommended weight, I always passed the tape test.
While I wasn't huge like a professional weightlifter, I had the same body build. Even though I passed the tape test though, I still could have benefitted from a conditioning program designed to lower body fat. As it was, once I would pass the tape test they sent me on my way and said see you next weigh in.
I don’t recall anything but PTing until the brink of vomiting and constant running all over creation when I was in. There were no fitness problems I was aware of with anyone I served with.
‘Conway granted one exception: Officers can pass Marines who don't fulfill the body-fat requirement if they believe those troops still look trim in uniform.’
‘Marines who post excellent scores on physical tests will no longer be allowed to exceed the Corps’ body-fat standards by a few pounds.’
I dunno if they use the outdated body weight measurements like we do in the Army. But this is a joke.
If you can perform, aka on the Physical Fitness Test, there has to be exceptions. Simply having a higher body fat percentage is not a reason to get rid of someone. This is simply putting lipstick on a pig.
“....“They know exactly what they’re there for. . . . This is not the Vienna Boys’ Choir. If they wanted something less or an easier way to do it, they could sign up for something else,” said retired Lt. Col. George Murray of Carlsbad. “
I couldn’t agree more Colonel. Only in our society now, you will have a few idiots insisting on inclusiveness and sensitivity training as well.
Absolutely untrue. If they can make the physical fitness standards then they make the standards.
The world has had armies for thousands of years without needing them to be starved greyhound half-marathon runners.
Golly, Sgt. Carter
We had a guy, came in 300 and left 198 in 14 weeks. He could have been Platoon Guide but he couldn’t climb a rope or do more than a chin-up or two. I admired his grit but didn’t envy all the lettuce&roughage and cottage cheese he had to eat while we slopped on the regular grub... and PT was a b*tch. This was the early 70s.
Keep in mind, it was the age of the draft when I was in .. they weaned a lot of the less fit out in boot but once ya hit the fleet, it really was a matter of the unit and commanders you had and how hard they pushed ‘em.
Nothing like a little PT to get the load off. ;-)
If they want to be a marine they should meet the exact same standard unless they want to be there just for entertainment value.
I also lament that there was no real coordinated fitness program, just regular PT. There was nothing for you except your own knowledge and volition if you needed more (average going for better, or already great going for perfection). I guess that should be accomplished if a unit had a high-speed first sergeant and training NCO who worked to make sure every individual soldier was in top shape, but I was never in a unit like that.
Apparently you don't know the Corps very well. We could all run FULL marathons if we needed to. With gear.
“They know exactly what they’re there for. . . . This is not the Vienna Boys’ Choir. If they wanted something less or an easier way to do it, they could sign up for something else,” said retired Lt. Col. George Murray of Carlsbad.
I would not put down that group of high-trained young men. Their physical skills, although a bit specialized, are just as difficult to acquire as what Marine Corps does.
I doubt if many of these tough Marines could sing the solo part from a Bach Cantata on pitch in front of a large audience.
Just for amusement, I worked on improving my own performance on the PT. I was up to 9 pull-ups when I had an accident at work that injured my left shoulder to the point that I couldn't raise my arm even level with my shoulder. Six months of physical therapy recovered most of the range of motion. My new "toy" at home is Russian kettlebells. Hoisting an 88 lb bell from floor to shoulder height for 5 sets of 20 reps is a pretty decent workout. Snatching a pair of 53 lb bells from floor to overhead for 10+ reps will get your heart running as well. I turned 52 this week, so those KB workouts are a necessary effort to keep from turning to mush.
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