I read an article a couple months ago that said the military is having problems recruiting because many teens these days flat out don’t meet the height and weight standards, and are in no shape to meet the physical demands of military life. Personally, I was in no shape to meet the physical demands of military life when I was a cadet. Yeah, my height and weight were peachy keen, but before becoming a cadet, I’d never done push-ups, sit-ups or run for any lengthy distance. I took a lot of dance classes in my early teens and was in the marching band in high school. But that, ladies and gentlemen, was the extent of my physical fitness preparation for becoming a cadet. Needless to say, I did a lot of puking at the end of company runs when I got to Virginia Tech, and I suffered all through college trying to do decent push-ups.
However, I made it through, and to this day, I still try to stay fit. I’ve started to get back into running after some time off, and I also do swimming, water aerobics and karate. The Hubster and I are testing for our 3rd degree black belts in August some time, so I must be doing something right. I try to do push-ups and sit-ups, but I’m not sure I could do enough to pass an APFT these days. Guess I better get to work on those!
Hope all you cadets who are reading this are having a great summer! And be sure to mention to these cartoons to next year’s rats. They’ll probably enjoy knowing they aren’t the only ones who have ever suffered through their rat year.
