Those who write doctrine at the United States Army Physical Fitness School describe functional fitness as the physical fitness required to perform day to day tasks. For our Armed Forces, it means that they must prepare themselves for completing their mission under a wide variety of physical demands. The doctrine writers will tell you that the Army places too much emphasis on preparing for the Army Physical Fitness Test and not enough emphasis on Battle Focused Physical Fitness Training. Likewise, they say that American physical culture has replaced core physical fitness development with sports and games. The Civil Air Patrol is in a position to reverse this ugly trend by setting the standard for our youth, focusing on mission oriented physical training, and by progressively improving core strength, precision, and variety of exercise.

In order to set the standard for our cadets, we must develop a total Civil Air Patrol physical training plan. This includes both Cadets and Senior Members. Leadership by example has been a cornerstone of our program. To lead by example, Senior Members will have to get in shape. Seniors will have to train the trainer, and Seniors will also have to lead the way in physical training. Germans have the Volksmarch where everyone goes for a walk one day. When I go home this Summer, I am going to get Minnesota Wing together and do one. But there is so much more in the Civil Air Patrol than just walking together in a straight line through the woods. We fly together, work on the flight line together, and rescue people together.

Mission focused physical fitness training then becomes key to our Operational success. Pilots must reduce the effects of fatigue by improving Cardiorespiratory endurance. Ground team members must gain strength to be able to carry a litter patient out of rugged terrain under harsh conditions. Our members must be conditioned to operate in extremely hot conditions on the airport tarmac and in the cold arctic environment. By introducing physical fitness training in the first phases of Cadet and Senior Member training we can set the framework for success.

Already, the Cadets have a good base to work with, but we can do more with them and the Senior Members. Cadets have to maintain or improve cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, and muscular endurance to pass the Cadet Physical Fitness Test. The physical fitness test is just one challenge facing Cadets on their Odyssey of the Cadet Program. They will have to toughen their feet to wear combat boots before encampments and rescue missions. They will have to learn precise body posture to perform drill and ceremonies and reshape their bodies for proper mechanics during rigorous exercise. In order to reach this operational level of fitness, we must progress steadily on an individual level of core exercises which are too many to name on this forum. We must also regain our full range of motion through precise calisthenics, stretching, and posture control. We must also do a variety of exercise currently unheard of in our current physical culture with the exception of the Armed Forces and a handful of physical educators.

For more ideas on physical training, consult Army Field Manual FM 21-20, Physical Training. Please visit the United States Army Physical Fitness School web site at http://www-benning.army.mil/usapfs. The school educates and provides Master Fitness Trainers for every branch of the Armed Forces through a cadre that travels to installations throughout the United States. The latest project developed the Combat Focused Physical Training for the Army Rangers. The school is interested in helping groups like the Civil Air Patrol develop good fitness programs.