Hegseth renews high standards for troops

 Newsmax:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon to review the military's standards on body composition, grooming, and physical fitness that were loosened under former President Joe Biden.

"High standards are what made the United States military the greatest fighting force on the planet," Hegseth wrote Wednesday in a memo to senior Pentagon leaders, field activity directors, and leaders of the combatant commands, reported The New York Post.

"The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose," he added. "We are made stronger and more disciplined with high, uncompromising, and clear standards."

The Biden administration loosened body fat percentage requirements for recruits as well as grooming and hairstyle rules for military service members.

The review is to be conducted by the Pentagon's undersecretary for personnel and readiness on the existing standards concerning "physical fitness, body composition, and grooming, which includes but is not limited to beards," as well as how those standards have been changing dating back to 2015, Hegseth said.

"The review will also provide insight on why those standards changed and the impact of those changes," he said."We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world's most lethal and effective fighting force. Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging."

Each branch in the military sets standards on physical fitness and body composition, as well as instructions on haircuts and facial hair.
...

I went to Marine Corps OCS after graduating from the University of Texas in three years.  While I put on a lot of muscle in OCS and Basic School, the candidates who did not succeed were often overweight or just not very athletic. 

The Marine Corps initially decided I should be a communications officer and I spent the first six months in Vietnam as assistant Commander of the Third Marine Division Communication Center.  While it was somewhat interesting to edit messages and forward them to the appropriate commanders It was not really what I had envisioned when is signed up as a Marine officer candidate.  

I later became Executive Office of Mike Company 3/3.  I enjoyed being with the Marine troops but was wounded in combat after a few months.  It turned out to be a wound that was more serious than first thought sending me to the Naval Hospital in Bethesda Maryland where I spent several months before being medically discharged.  

Once discharged I attended the UT Law School getting a degree in two years instead of three.

I signed up for the Marine Corps because of their high standards and was never disappointed in that decision.

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