New rules at Fort Lewis mandate daily PT

As the sun begins to rise over Fort Lewis, Wash., soldiers stretch following their early morning run and calisthenics routine Jan. 31. The base's commanding general recently banned organized sports from the morning routine.


New rules at Fort Lewis mandate daily PT
By Michael Gilbert - The News Tribune via AP
Posted : Monday Feb 11, 2008 5:45:51 EST

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — They don’t have anything against a game of volleyball or basketball. It’s good exercise, builds teamwork and camaraderie. But as far as Fort Lewis’ senior commanders are concerned, it’s just not right for “PT.”

The post has gone back to basics for physical fitness training. A bright red line has been drawn around the magic hour of 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. each day, Monday through Friday, and set aside for soldiers to do push-ups and sit-ups, calisthenics, combatives and, of course, running with and without body armor and rucksacks.

And no team sports.

“Softball, flag football, whatever. There is some aerobic activity to that,” acknowledged Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe, the post’s senior enlisted soldier and an architect of the revised PT policy. “But for that one-hour snapshot, five times a week, and being a nation at war, and the combat-focused installation that we are, we need to get the most bang for the buck out of that hour.”

The changes, published last November in revisions to “The Basic Standards of I Corps and Fort Lewis,” passed without much grousing in the ranks, at least none for the record for this story.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_lewispt_080210/

Man o man did people HATE doing PT. Since I have ran for a long time I never really had a problem with it.

I think a lot of bases started getting away from PT (at least to some extent) in the early 90's (when I was in) when the single-soldiers-initiative came into effect. We no longer had room inspection at 5AM and soldiers who lovied off base no longer were responsible for part of the barracks. We got to basically LIVE in our rooms. Oh and cars were no longer outlawed. They also moved PT to the afternoon and the results were predictable-after lunch no one wanted to do running or anything like that, the NCO's who could manage very well anyway couldn't possibly get it together enough to NOT skip PT in order to stand around in the trackpark, and everyone started getting bumpy and esprit went out the window.

I agree about the team sports thing but it is just FUN sometimes to play hoops or football.

I never saw anyone PTing in body armour but then the wall had just fallen so we were pretty sure we weren't going to be seeing any action in Western Europe.

Team Sports is the lazy way out for members of the armed services. Of course do those activities but organized PRT is a condition of employment and when done rights its good for the body.