Stars and Stripes: "The Army is ordering its hardened combat veterans to wear fake breasts and empathy bellies so they can better understand how pregnant soldiers feel during physical training.This week, 14 noncommissioned officers at Camp Zama took turns wearing the “pregnancy simulators” as they stretched, twisted and exercised during a three-day class that teaches them to serve as fitness instructors for pregnant soldiers and new mothers.Army enlisted leaders all over the world are being ordered to take the Pregnancy Postpartum Physical Training Exercise Leaders Course, or PPPT, according to U.S. Army Medical Activity Japan health promotion educator Jana York."
When we begin the next war with a real opponent and wonder why our ground forces are continuously less effective then those of decades past, we will need to closely examine the effect of making our soldiers feel like pregnant women for the sake of keeping pregnant women in a combat zone.
For those of you looking for causation to assail the current president, take note this began under the W administration.
Posts
3 comments:
The pregnant soldiers aren't on the battlefield...
Nor should they be.
I am not sure who wrote this article but I am a nurse in the Army and I am currently 33 weeks into my pregnancy. There is no circumstance that the military will place a woman in a combat or field situation. Pregnant soldiers are given pregnancy profiles according to regulation AR 405-01 7-9.
However, expecting soldiers are encouraged to remain as active as possible and there are PT programs designed for pregnancy as long as the woman has a pregnancy void of complications and she has consulted her OBGYN. My pregnancy, for instance has been very healthy so far and I have not stopped my workouts. I have altered them to make them safer but I am feeling very energetic with all things considered :-)
Every pregnancy is different for every woman and generalized assumptions are never effective or appropriate. This program is news to me however and I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea for one person to try to empathize with another. At the very least, we could get a few chuckles from watching it. I hope this information clears up any misconceptions.
Post a Comment