“The skeleton of the Nintendo Generation soldier does not harden from activity”: Army major says Gen Z recruits are at greater risk of injury at the training camp due to their “sedentary lifestyle”
- In a press release earlier this month, the department said that the inactive lifestyle of Gen Z will lead to more difficulties during training at bootcamp
- “The skeleton of the Nintendo Generation soldier does not harden from activity before arrival, so some of them break more easily,” said Major John-Mark Thibodeau.
- The press release added that “recruits come from a much more sedentary lifestyle and their skeletons are more susceptible to injury.”
- In the last few years, the military has faced challenges in recruiting Americans to join the force, prompting more efforts to attract potential recruits.
- Last year, the army reserve recruited 11,690 candidates from the initial target of 15,875. This year, the force has 1,000 fewer army recruits.
The American Generation Z is more fragile and at greater risk of injury if it decides to pursue a military career, an army major said in a shocking interview.
In a press release earlier this month, the Pentagon said Generation Z’s inactive lifestyle could lead to more challenges during training at the camp.
The article, published on the website of the Defense Visual Information Dissemination Service, also refers to potential recruits aged 18-25 as the “Nintendo generation” – although the popular video game console is more closely linked to Millennials and Generation X.
“The skeleton of the Nintendo Generation soldier does not harden from activity before arrival, so some of them break more easily,” said Army Major John-Mark Thibodeau, clinical coordinator in charge of medical readiness at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
The statement added that nowadays “recruits come from a much more sedentary lifestyle than previous generations” and that their skeletons are more susceptible to injury because they are not used to this type of activity.
The Pentagon says Gen Z is more at risk of injury because it leads an inactive lifestyle.
A press release earlier this month said that “recruits now come from a much more sedentary lifestyle than previous generations.”
“We see injuries ranging from acute fractures and falls to ACL tears, muscle strains and stress fractures, with the vast majority of injuries being overuse,” said Captain Lydia Blondin, assistant chief of physical therapy at Leonard Community Hospital. Wood Army added.
The press release continued to provide advice that would help Gen Z move from a civilian lifestyle to a military career.
Army Major John-Mark Thibodeau, clinical coordinator in charge of medical readiness at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, called Gen Z “the generation of Nintendo.”
“A few weeks of deliberate fitness training before being sent to a training camp or basic training can significantly increase a rookie’s chances of success by avoiding the most common injuries,” the article said.
Over the past few years, the U.S. military has faced challenges in recruiting Americans to join the force, prompting more efforts to attract potential recruits.
Last year, the Army Reserve recruited 11,690 candidates from the original target of 15,875, according to the Army Times.
This year, the force has 1,000 fewer army recruits, said Sergeant Michael Greenston.
The military announced in January that it would offer a maximum bonus of $ 50,000 to high-skilled recruits who join in six years as the service struggles to lure troops into certain critical jobs during the ongoing pandemic.
In the last few years, the U.S. military has faced challenges in recruiting Americans to join the force. This year, the U.S. military has 1,000 fewer recruits, raising concerns
Major General Kevin Verin, head of the army’s recruitment command, said closed schools and a competitive labor market had posed significant challenges for recruits over the past year.
So, focusing on the most difficult months of the recruitment year, the military hopes that a little more money and a few other changes will entice qualified young people to enroll.
“We are still living with the effects of 2020 and the beginning of COVID, when school systems were largely closed,” Verin said. “We lost a whole class of young men and women with whom we had no contact, face to face.”
The two years of the pandemic have made it difficult to recruit in schools and public events, and competition for quality workers has intensified as young people weigh their opportunities.
Some, Verin said, accept what he calls a year of omissions and “decide they don’t have to work right now.”
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