Cornell Study says 35 percent of American’s (sic) too overweight to serve

Two embarrassments: how fat we are and how the UW writer and editorial staff do not know how to use an apostrophe properly.

Over a third of the United States potential female military recruits are ineligible to enlist because they are overweight or obese, according to a report issued by Cornell University and the Center for Disease Control.

Since 1969, the CDC has annually surveyed age-eligible US civilians and asked their approximate height and weight, according to Cornell graduate Catherine MacLean.

Along with other economists from the university, MacLean took all the available surveys from 1969-2008 and looked at the percentage of civilians meeting current military weight standards. In the 2007-2008 year, 35 percent of women and 12 percent of men were not eligible due to obesity...

University of Wisconsin professor of military history John Hall said he was not surprised by these statistics, but sees the military as an organization that can counter obesity effectively.

“Despite the increased obesity rates, the military has the power to compel people to attend programs and to spend their afternoons and weekends in training to help them combat [obesity],” Hall said. “Lots of resources are available within the military to whip them into shape.”

Which is a reason for universal conscription.