There are resources available: Army Wellness (tests body fat and provides each Soldier with nutrition guide/advice and plan), the Brigade Physical Therapist also provides good classes and you can request that they come talk to your NCOs at least. Lower-body injuries are prevalent in the Army. The system has changed. Before, a PA’s profile was a recommendation that needed to be signed by the CDR or 1SG; now its set in stone. However, the CDR has greater control over who is deployable/non-deployable. At some point, over a Brigade-worth of Soldiers in the Army were non-deployable and its a figure that continues to affect our readiness. Non-deployable get briefed to the Deputy Chief of Staff by name; there’s greater emphasis than ever on the “deadweight” as some see it. Now, we have NCOs with combat-related injuries from multiple-deployments but we also have many young IET Soldiers who came in unfit or heard from other medically-retired specialists, that they can work the system over. Maybe for a couple of years that was true (2011-2013). Now, you are either recovering or getting out – no more 45 day profiles followed by 90 day recovery window and a new 45 day profile on day 89 of recovery to stay basically PT-test free for a year.

Be the honest-broker. PRT is designed when executed as meant, to be intense and build fitness. Don’t run in full kit (longer than 1/4 of mile), don’t run down hills, don’t do anything too intense, that maybe at USMA would be camaraderie-inspiring PT. At many units, the junior Soldiers don’t have the same level of motivation, so you need to gradually build it up and remember priority #1 is readiness. You can raise PT averages in time with rewards and incentives and keep Soldiers deployable. I went from 14 APFT failures to 0, thanks to my no-nonsense 1SG who was an honest-broker for the Army.