Thursday, March 31, 2011

Not adding up

A young prospect (applicant?) in Ohio died from an electrolyte imbalance brought on by a binge diet. The man's mother is, understandably, distraught by this. She is now fighting for changes to how the Army recruits. No specifics, just changes.

Tragic. I have little doubt that in the thousands of recruiters in hundreds of recruiting stations across the country there are some who have given some very dangerous advice. In my own experience I suggested a processor look into one of those body wraps offered at spas. It didn't work out. The cost was higher than they were able to pay. And after a bit more research I figured that it wasn't going to be worth it. The gains were too fleeting to be worth the effort.

But our station would put in some serious effort with those interested. It was a very good indicator who was going to be willing to join and who wasn't. If they were willing to come in early, or stay late, and work out, they were going to be willing to commit to the Army.

A weight loss of 85 pounds in 3 months is extreme though. If this young man was coming in to the station routinely and was making such significant weight losses in such a short period at the direction and encouragement of the local recruiters, I really hope someone was suggesting he take it easy.