# Is there any US military rank where you can be as fat & out of shape as you wish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718 "2013-06-23T19:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/21 "2013-06-25T05:22:36Z")
[Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves](http://images.google.com/hosted/life/59fbb48e3f5e4acd.html) of Manhattan Project fame wasn’t what you would call svelte. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/22 "2013-06-25T09:31:45Z")
In my time you basically never saw anyone truly get pushed out just for being obese. I’m not saying it didn’t happen, just not to anyone I knew personally and it never happened in any command I held. A lot of people who were outside the height/weight norms could pass a body fat test using myo-tape, and/or they could pass PT standards and there were ways you could prolong forever the “corrective” anti-obesity program. Now, what I’ve heard from people still in service is that a few years ago the military recognized something that’s not news to anyone who was ever in service–we have an obesity problem not generally that different from American society at large. So what I’ve heard, and I hate to post this kind of thing in GQ as it’s not really a cite, is that in the past where there were lots of ways around being out of regulation weight now there is not. So now it doesn’t matter if you can pass the PT but are still over weight, you have to get your height/weight ratio in proper regulations or you actually get moved out. My understanding is they put you on a two year remediation plan where you must show continual improvement throughout, and at the end of that period some people are apparently actually being pushed out of the service if they’ve failed to make significant progress toward goal weight. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/23 "2013-06-25T09:40:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Colonel relieved of command for failing PT test > > The Air Force has relieved a full colonel with an impeccable resume for failing his physical fitness test. [http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130320/CAREERS03/303200026/Colonel-relieved-command-failing-PT-test](http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130320/CAREERS03/303200026/Colonel-relieved-command-failing-PT-test) Note that this officer only “failed” the part of the PT test which consisted of measuring his waist circumference. Other than that, he is a physically fit, middle-aged man. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/24 "2013-06-25T11:11:40Z")
Stormin’ Norman didn’t look like a sprinter. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/25 "2013-06-25T19:21:10Z")
> [@newme](#): > > [Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves](http://images.google.com/hosted/life/59fbb48e3f5e4acd.html) of Manhattan Project fame wasn’t what you would call svelte. Yeah, they named one of the first bombs after him. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/26 "2013-06-25T19:24:18Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Stormin’ Norman didn’t look like a sprinter. Except in the Mess Hall. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718/27 "2013-06-25T19:27:00Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Not current, but… General [William Rufus Shafter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rufus_Shafter)who led the invasion of Cuba in 1898 (Spanish-American War) was a 300+ pounder who had to have a special set of steps erected so he could mount his horse (and one can feel a certain sympathy for the poor bloody horse that had to carry that particular tub of guts around in the Cuban summer heat)… The story goes that, when the aforementioned William Howard Taft was Governor-General of the Philippines, he sent a telegram to President Theodore Roosevelt reporting on the day’s events and adding, “Took a long ride this morning and I feel wonderful.” To which the President immediately replied, “How is the horse?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-us-military-rank-where-you-can-be-as-fat-out-of-shape-as-you-wish/661718.md?page=1)