Too Fat to Fight
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- Date Submitted: 01/29/2016 04:00 AM
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Too Fat to Fight
Retired Military Leaders Want
Junk Food Out of America’s Schools
A Report by
Too Fat to Fight
A Message from America’s Retired Generals, Admirals and Civilian Military Leaders:
As retired Generals, Admirals, and other senior leaders of the United States Armed Forces, we know
firsthand that national security must be America’s top priority.
Our organization recently released a report citing Department of Defense data indicating that an alarming
75 percent of all young Americans 17 to 24 years of age are unable to join the military because they failed
to graduate from high school, have criminal records, or are physically unfit.
Being overweight or obese turns out to be the leading medical reason why applicants fail to qualify for
military service. Today, otherwise excellent recruit prospects, some of them with generations of sterling
military service in their family history, are being turned away because they are just too overweight.
We have witnessed countless acts of bravery and courage during our time in the Armed Forces. We are
deeply proud of the talent and commitment of the young men and women in uniform. Our standards are
high because we clearly cannot have people in our command who are not up to the job. Too many lives
depend on it.
To reduce America’s obesity rates we must start with the basics. In addition to exercise, we know that
maintaining a balanced diet is key to long-term health and fitness. We also know that the childhood years
are critical to the formation of sound eating habits. Millions of children buy breakfast, lunch and snacks
in school every day. Properly managed, the school environment can be instrumental in fostering healthful
eating habits that will last a lifetime.
We are calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation that would (a) get the junk food out of
our schools; (b) support increased funding to improve nutritional standards and the quality of meals served
in schools; and...
Retired Military Leaders Want
Junk Food Out of America’s Schools
A Report by
Too Fat to Fight
A Message from America’s Retired Generals, Admirals and Civilian Military Leaders:
As retired Generals, Admirals, and other senior leaders of the United States Armed Forces, we know
firsthand that national security must be America’s top priority.
Our organization recently released a report citing Department of Defense data indicating that an alarming
75 percent of all young Americans 17 to 24 years of age are unable to join the military because they failed
to graduate from high school, have criminal records, or are physically unfit.
Being overweight or obese turns out to be the leading medical reason why applicants fail to qualify for
military service. Today, otherwise excellent recruit prospects, some of them with generations of sterling
military service in their family history, are being turned away because they are just too overweight.
We have witnessed countless acts of bravery and courage during our time in the Armed Forces. We are
deeply proud of the talent and commitment of the young men and women in uniform. Our standards are
high because we clearly cannot have people in our command who are not up to the job. Too many lives
depend on it.
To reduce America’s obesity rates we must start with the basics. In addition to exercise, we know that
maintaining a balanced diet is key to long-term health and fitness. We also know that the childhood years
are critical to the formation of sound eating habits. Millions of children buy breakfast, lunch and snacks
in school every day. Properly managed, the school environment can be instrumental in fostering healthful
eating habits that will last a lifetime.
We are calling on Congress to pass new child nutrition legislation that would (a) get the junk food out of
our schools; (b) support increased funding to improve nutritional standards and the quality of meals served
in schools; and...