San Jose Mercury News (CA) — By Paul D. Monroe, Jr., Major General, US Army (Retired) – The high percentage of California children who are overweight (Page 6A, Nov. 10) is a concern to retired generals and admirals in California who see poor nutrition and lack of physical fitness among young people as a significant threat to our long-term national security. That’s why we have joined the national nonprofit Mission: Readiness and are calling on state officials to improve school nutrition and provide more time for vigorous physical activity in our schools.
According to the Defense Department, being overweight is the leading medical reason why young adults cannot enlist, with one in four too overweight to join. Among ninth-graders in Santa Clara County, 30 percent are overweight or obese and 24 percent lack basic aerobic capacity. And once young people are in the military, being physically fit is literally a matter of life and death.
We need more, and better, PE in our schools so we can prevent our current child obesity crisis from becoming a national security crisis.
See also: Obesity harms security, Sacramento Bee, November 12, 2011 (5th letter on page)
