Retired military leaders and public health officials have something in common.

News today from Mission: Readiness, 75% of American youth are too out of shape [read: obese] to serve in the military.

From their press release:

"Declaring that escalating rates of child obesity pose a serious threat to national security, retired military leaders joined Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today in support of new child nutrition legislation to help reduce the obesity epidemic and expand the pool of healthy young adults available for military service."

I agree.  Our nation needs soldiers fit to defend our borders and our interests.  We also need a healthy enough population that we will be able to compete in the global marketplace, create art, serve on juries, and raise families.

If what speaks to policy makers and the average American is that we need better food policy in order to get better soldiers, then I am all over it.  Because they aren't wrong and the policies and cultural changes necessary to create healthier 17-24 year olds will also create healthier <17 and >24 year olds too.

Prepared foods need to be healthier, we need to be able to eat fast and convenient food without getting 300% the RDI of sodium.  Poor communities need access to fresh food.  School lunches need to be healthier.  Fast food joints should put calorie counts up with the prices.  We need physical education in schools and bike paths in cities.

These things will make more American's fit to serve in our armed forces (shout out to my little brother the vet!).  And if we are fit enough to serve in the military, then we'll be fit enough to stand up for ourselves in democracy as well.

Wow, has it really been almost a month since I posted last?  Spring breaks were tough on my professional productivity and things are just starting to creep back into controlled chaos.  Plus, I need to stop thinking that I need to write novels and term papers for my blog.  I'm a blogger who doesn't know how to whip out a post, which makes me either a lousy blogger or a very green one.  Time will tell...