I'm finding that my months of preparation for returning to the Army were well spent. Not only am I able to out perform a lot of the younger guys during physical training (PT), but there are a number of National Guard guys in their mid 20s to mid 30s that are already having physical problems - knee and foot injuries being the most common.

So far (knock on wood) I've been free of injury. My back does occasionally hurt a bit (especially after marching any appreciable distance), but even during our 4 days of field exercises that featured only a few hours of sleep per night (actually only a half hour one night) and constant walking/running I was able to keep up.

My point is that I am now a firm believer in maintaining fitness no matter what your age or occupation. You never know when you will need to put your body to the test, and when you call upon your body to work, you want it to be able to do so.

LKS,

Exactly right, I couldn't agree with you more. I know that you put some effort into getting in shape before you reported, so you are reaping the benefits now.

I personally know a lot of guys who get out of the military and quit doing anykind of a workout. Our office hired a guy who retired from the Army in 1998 and if you happen to spot a civilian waddling around Ft. Gordon who is pushing 450 Lbs, it is probably him.