Retired Generals Meet with Harry Reid, Urge Vote on Child Nutrition Bill

Childhood obesity endangers national security; Pending child nutrition bill will help reduce obesity, get junk food out of schools

WASHINGTON, July 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Three retired generals, including the former Nevada adjutant general, met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late yesterday, asking him to help bring child nutrition reauthorization legislation to a vote in the U.S. Senate to help combat child obesity and improve America's military readiness. Participating in the meeting were Major General Drennan Anthony Clark (U.S. Air Force, Ret.), Major General James A. Kelley (U.S. Army, Ret.) and Brigadier General Lawrence E. Gillespie (U.S. Army, Ret.). Major General Clark is the former Nevada adjutant general, the commanding officer of the state's National Guard.

"Today, we're seeing a growing number of young Americans who are ready, willing but unable to serve in the military, and being overweight or obese is the Number One medical reason that these young adults can't join," Major General Clark said. "The health and nutrition of our nation's young people will determine our ability to ensure our continued national security. We need to make sure more kids have access to healthy and nutritious food in school."

More than 9 million young adults – 27 percent of all Americans age 17 to 24 – are too overweight to join the military, according to the report Too Fat to Fight by MISSION: READINESS, a non-profit group of more than 150 retired admirals, generals and other military leaders. In the last decade, the number of states with 40 percent or more of young adults considered to be overweight has risen from one state to 39. In Reid's home state of Nevada, 41.2 percent of youth between the ages of 18-24 are overweight or obese, which represents a 37 percent increase in the past decade alone.

Research shows that up to 40 percent of children's daily calorie intake occurs at school and that 80 percent of children who were overweight between the ages of 10 to 15 were obese by age 25. Improving school nutrition is therefore a crucial area for reducing or preventing child obesity, the retired generals said.

The Agriculture Committee, the panel responsible for managing child nutrition issues in the Senate, passed the child nutrition bill in March with unanimous bipartisan support. As Majority Leader, Senator Reid has the opportunity to usher the child nutrition reauthorization bill to the floor for a vote. The retired generals urged Senator Reid to schedule time for the Senate to consider the legislation and bring it to a vote.

The retired military leaders of MISSION: READINESS are supporting child nutrition legislation that will:

• Get the junk food and remaining high-calorie beverages out of the nation's schools
• Support increased resources for child nutrition programs that would improve nutrition standards, upgrade the quality of meals served in schools and enable more children to have access to these programs, and
• Help develop new school-based strategies, based on research, that help parents and children adopt healthier life-long eating and exercise habits.

"The nation's waistline is bulging, and the pool of healthy and qualified recruits is shrinking. We need to pass this child nutrition bill in order to get out in front of this problem before it further damages our nation's security," Brigadier General Gillespie said.

"National security is a top priority for Senator Reid, and retired generals and admirals will strongly support his decision if he is able to schedule time for the Senate to vote on the child nutrition bill," Major General Kelley said.

SOURCE MISSION: READINESS