Potential military recruits too obese to enlist

As many as 70 percent of young Coloradans who want to sign up for the military are being turned away.

A new report released this week says obesity is the leading problem.

Retired military leaders said they first heard about the problem from recruitment officers, who were being forced to say no to many young men and women.

“Mission: Readiness hears that a lot. That’s in fact one of the ways the issue came to us. There’s a worry that we can’t get the young people in that we need,” said Thad Wolfe, a retired military general and member of Mission: Readiness.

“The military cannot overnight fix a physical condition, it has to be a lifetime effort here,” said John Barry, another retired military leader.

Nationally, one in three young Americans are too overweight to serve in the military.

Many are surprised that Colorado is no exception.

Mission: Readiness is urging legislators to fund better biking and walking infrastructure and strengthen district-level physical education standards.