European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 05, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse A so it is a fact that Only through regular and brisk exercise is fitness fill Vishino up How Long will the fitness push last physical fitness is an elusive objective. Many in the ranks talk the Good game of fitness but studiously avoid the steady work that is needed to slav in shape. Yet it is fact that Only through regular and brisk exercise is fitness maintained in the military fitness is one of those tradition Al values associated with Esprit and decorum his tory is filled with decisions that were determined by physical conditioning. But despite the obvious merits of fitness past emphasis too often has been limited to lip Back a dozen years the headlines Chart a course of periodic exhortations against flab in the ranks. But the inertia of military life always seemed to Short circuit the promised results. Now through a fresh set of initiatives by service chiefs new approaches Are being made to a subject that is As old As the services themselves. Field reports on the effectiveness of these approaches contain a mixture of opinion. Maj. Jonathan a. Dixon. Chief of Rheuma ology. 97lh general Hospital. Frankfurt is enthusiastic about the Way troops have responded to the l Sahkul two mile run. "1 think the two mile run is he said people who Haven t taken any exercise in years Are out there doing be just never seen the St entry army population respond to anything As they Are responding to col. Jerry n. Welch commander of the 86lh combat support group hams in Germany is convinced that the air Force aerobics program is the right Road to fit s a fair test of said Welch who sets an example by running with his men. La. Col. Curtis g Parker commander of Hie 1st in 48th inf. Favors the present thrust on fitness but he has fears about the future. Page a8 the stars and stripes in the past the army has Given lip service to physical fitness. It was always one of those things they could put on the Back Burner. It was something you really did not need to Advance in the army Parker said. As a result of this attitude there Are a lot of people still out of shape in the present requirements for the two mile run aside Parker would feel More comfortable if it became a permanent requirement. To reach the fitness objective the two mile run will have to become a part of army life he said. A Strong runner himself Parker would like to see the army adopt the Marine corps it test which consists of a three mile run and specified setups and pull ups. Depend ing on the age of Marine lest is beautifully simple and it s effective he said. Our goal in the battalion is to run three Miles in 24 about the future of the two mile run. Now that the april 1 deadline has been met is the most frequently expressed worry about the army program. Dixon says the run ought to be done four to six times a year and that combat outfits should be ready to meet the two mile requirement during any Alert. Maj. Mark Goldman cardiologist at the 97th general. New approaches Are being made to a subject that is As old As the services themselves. Thursday May 5. 1977 would like to see the two mile test Given a minimum of three times a year to insure that troops maintain running standards. In Heidelberg Germany a Usa eur staff personnel officer pointed out the two mile run is an ongoing re it s going to be an around the Calendar thing said maj. Andrew g. Tinker. Welch has an ambivalent View of the once a year requirement for the aerobics test. Maybe the test should be Given twice a year he said. But that might cause administrative problems. Of course there would be no need to give the test More than once a year if we could get everybody to work out on a regular basis and stay in falsifying fitness reports is condemned by those commanders who insist that fitness standards be met and maintained. I m not going to mention any names but there Are units reporting results that Are Parker said. Some units Are guilty of Pencil whipping putting Down false figures Welch said. This is done to cover up for friends who Haven t taken the cheating on the test requirements is subject to in review but the need for such action defeats the spirit of fitness programs. In the end the effectiveness of fitness efforts will depend on the persistence of commanders and the ability of the rank and file to change eating and exercise habits to insure fitness. It is obvious from the past that programs designed As window dressing Seldom last Long enough to achieve their stated objectives. If it is announced at some time in the future that 90 per cent of the personnel have passed the two mile test then the test is dropped that won t make sense Dixon said to to effective any program has to be a
