Mishap?

All due respect for the loss of this National Guard Specialist.

Mar 13, 2023 Army Times

Oklahoma Guard soldier dies following Army Combat Fitness Test

“A soldier in the Oklahoma National Guard died earlier this month during a training mishap, Army officials confirmed.”

“Spc. Jaykob R. Pruitt, 19, of Bennington, Oklahoma, a cavalry scout with the state Guard’s 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry Regiment, was found unresponsive the morning of March 4 after completing the two-mile run portion of the Army Combat Fitness Test, according to a preliminary loss report published by the service.”

Seems strange to call this a training mishap. A truck running off the road or a helicopter experiencing a hard landing might cause injuries and be called a mishap. Sounds like they don’t know what happened.

“The cause of Pruitt’s death is under investigation by the McAlester medical examiner, though the status of that process is unclear at this time, Lt. Col. LeeAnn R. Tumblson, another spokesperson from the Oklahoma National Guard, told Military Times.”

Maybe something can be learned from this loss.

This looks complicated:

Feb 15, 2023 Military.com | By Drew F. Lawrence

More Changes Brewing for Embattled Army Fitness Test

“Changes are coming to the Army Combat Fitness Test, as the service looks to comply with a law mandating it create a gender-neutral assessment by June, a continuation of the struggle over the test that was finally rolled out in October following years of delays.”

“…the service is weighing whether to use a gender-neutral version of the ACFT with a higher standard for combat arms soldiers, or repurpose physical tests currently required for expert badges.”

“The changes are still being formulated, with some of the uncertainty driven by two competing congressional requirements built into last year’s annual defense policy bill to “establish gender-neutral fitness standards for combat [jobs] that are higher than those for non-combat [jobs],” while also creating gender-neutral standards for all soldiers.”

Changing The Standard

“The ACFT was originally intended to be gender-neutral, but the Army reversed course after early test data, first reported by Military.com in 2021, showed that nearly half of all female soldiers were failing the test.”

Back during the Cold War era of the 1980s, the US Armed Forces seemed to be in good shape. Today, DOD struggles with recruiting difficulties. I have my own attitudes about all this.

May 13, 2022 Military.com

Military Throwing Cash at Recruiting Crisis as Troops Head for the Exits

“Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee personnel panel, says the military is on the cusp of a recruiting crisis.”

Questions we’d love to see newspeople ask:

Senator Tillis,

Has dressing women to look like men had any positive or negative impact on recruiting?

More here:

2022 – Armed Forces Recruiting Culture

Excuses for US Military Recruiting Crisis

Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over

America Deserves A Military Recruiting Crisis

Cultural Honesty