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.
What do the women carry? A representative 75 lb dummy to keep in proportion?
And we liked it, too !!
In less than 7 weeks the USMC put 17 pounds on me, all solid muscle.
I was on double rations, and just a bit of 'extra' conditioning. I did pushups till I was sure I was going to die....
But having been there, I'm sure you know how that is.
Semper Fi!
L
Yep, it's called the Dennis Kuchinich Doll.
That's about the time I went through basic. We called it the Fat Boy Platoon. If you were overweight, you went there until you lost the weight and could be cycled into a regular platoon. I was well under the weight standard so I didn't have to go through that.
All I know is my Marine buddies said they were eating upwards of three 4000 calorie meals a day while deployed in Iraq. Which was necessary when they were active, but during down times they were taking in massive amounts of extra calories. I could not believe that one buddy came back from a tour with (significantly) more body fat than when he left. Especially since the other buddy came back much thinner and ripped. And they were in the same platoon the entire tour.
Most of what the women do is the same as the men. There are a few weight adjustments, but in something like MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) the women fight against the men. My daughter (Sgt, USMC) is in one of the higher MCMAP ranks, and between that, being qualified in M-16’s, M-9’s, M-1014’s and a few other things she doesn’t tell me about, you probably would not want to get on her bad side.
A separate combat fitness test? Thirty-eight years ago the quarterly fitness test was pull-ups, sit-ups, bend-and-thrusts, rope climb and three-mile run (I can’t remember if push-ups were included). To regularly pass that you had to stay in continually good shape, good enough to stand up to combat conditions. As far as the trim look regular maintence to keep up those standards would pretty much keep you trim unless you were swilling burgers and beer every single night of the week. We had weight lifters who were broad at the neck and chest who looked like they might be a little fat but when their body fat was checked they were more lean than the fitness instructors. Of course then we also had Gen. Cushman as commandant.
I ran into a couple folk like you, skinny as a rail, had one guy put on 25 pounds of muscle. PT wasn’t all punishment, it was just one more challenge to meet.
The midrats is what got me.. and the food in the barracks dispensers.. 1st MAW .. 1st fed .. 8-]
That test line-up sounds about right, I went thru San Diego in the summer of ‘72. I hated the damn rope climb and chin-ups most, the run was dessert having ran cross country in HS.
I like the web site they have showing current new Marines.
current commanding general San Diego
http://www.mcrdsd.usmc.mil/bios/CG_bio.htm
Apparently you don't know the Corps very well. We could all run FULL marathons if we needed to. With gear.
Funny, but I think my DD-214 says otherwise ;)
Run? Nope. Fast walk them? Hell yes.
I still remember (and hate) Mount Muther to this DAY.
I actually went and ran the MC Marathon in DC so I could say I did it.
DI's are some sick mofo's, that's for sure. They pinned me to a guy who was 30 pounds overweight. I was on double rats, he was on half rats.
I thought I was going to have to fight him once to keep him away from my chow. LOL!
He did it, though. He lost the weight and by the time we headed off for AIT we were lean, mean fighting machines.
After I got through Scout School the instructor told me "It's always you skinny, quiet f****** we gotta watch out for. The big weightlifter types drop out in the first couple of weeks, usually."
For some odd reason I was pretty proud of myself that day.
L
Sempr Fi :)
“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.”
Probably not... but then again that’s not likely to ever be part of the training schedule.
The average man with MCMAP skills would likely kick the crap out of the average woman with the same skill set.
I wouldn't want to get on your daughters bad side, but I'm not a 20 year old kid any longer.
Uhm, make that THREE miles ... not 30. Oops.
I think you meant 3 miles, but your point is well taken. I could do it easy in standard PT gear, but put that battle-rattle on me and oh boy...
I think the nightmares about Mt. MoFo have just about ceased, so that's a good thing.
L
It may seem ludicrous, but you’re wrong. MCMAP only partially involves bald strength. Oh, and she quite regularly puts the men down. (Of course, she isn’t going to carry a 250lb man around, but as an (allegedly) non-combat Marine, she has all she needs for GSF.)
Oh, and she’s not 20 either. She went through Parris Island when she was 30.
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