Last week, the American Security Project published a study that showed that two thirds of the National Guard and Reserve troops are overweight. This is a number that has not changed since COVID.
MG Joseph Ricciardi, a 1990 West Point graduate, assumed command of the 88th Readiness Division on July 20, 2024. The 88th Readiness Division, according to its own official government website at https://www.usar.army.mil/Commands/Support/88th-RSC/About-Us/ states:
“Mission: The Readiness Division integrates capabilities with Reserve Commands to provide geographic programs and services that enhance individual and unit readiness, mobilization and deployment of Army Reserve forces.”
Ricciardi’s 88th Readiness Division has quite a footprint. In their own words on the same website:
“The 88th Readiness Division, headquartered at Fort Snelling, Minn., and Fort McCoy, Wis., is a two-star command which provides facilities, direct support services, and BASOPS to more than 53,000 Army Reserve Soldiers, 3,945 Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) Soldiers and 3,733 Civilians serving in 641 units at 277 sites with 579 facilities totaling 10,341,955 square feet of facility space on 18,113 acres of land throughout 19 states in the northwestern U.S. from the Ohio River Valley to the Pacific Coast. In addition, the 88th RD Commanding General is the senior commander of Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.”
The 88th’s Organizational Overview boasts the following also on the same webpage:
“Individual and Unit Readiness: This is the delivery of Soldier, Civilian, and Family Member programs and services that build resilience, develop People, and improve readiness. Outcome: Personal Accountability, Professional Development and workforce management programs effectively implemented to achieve and sustain individual readiness standards and unit preparedness requirements.”
The 88th, with responsibility for over 53,000 reserve soldiers and many more active guard and reserve soldiers, clearly is failing at individual soldier readiness. Soldier fitness is an imperative in any Army. The fact that the obesity percentage has not changed in 4 years and in almost one year on MG Ricciardi’s watch is telling that the organization under his leadership doesn’t care about leadership and readiness. Ricciardi’s own official photograph shows an officer that does not appear to be physically fit and in compliance with the Army’s fitness guidelines.
Lack of fitness indicates a degraded level of not only fitness but also discipline in the 88th. Clearly MG Ricciardi’s military and civilian superiors have a simple fix for the problem- fire MG Ricciardi and find a fit general who actually cares about fitness, readiness, standards and discipline. The Army reserve soldiers and America deserve better.
Can the fat bastard
While discipline is a factor-We also need a serious effort to get better quality food/water available to all servicemen(and society). The US has far more chemicals in standard food and water than any other nation. Some of these chemicals (aka obesicals) make it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight(and overall health). Our bodies are machines- the wrong fuel makes our engines far less efficient/capable.
I agree and appreciate your input. However, this would require leadership, another reason for MG Ricciardi and other general officers' failures. At the same time, even as a physician, I cannot blame obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, etc all on the food supply that I agree should be improved. Plenty of soldiers that eat the Army food are not overweight and they choose what they want to eat. Smaller portions, salads, fresh fruit, etc are available.
Further, with discretion in portions and food choices of what is available and the discipline and leadership climate that encourages exercise, obesity can be avoided. As a LT I ate horribly - fast food, Army cafeteria food, etc. But...I did 2-3 workouts a day and honestly was losing weight because I could not eat enough. Weight is a calories game. It is impossible to weight 300 pounds if you eat for a 150 pound person.