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Sailor who doubled in size wins disability benefits

  • Thread starter jollyjacktar
  • Start date
milnews.ca said:
Dumb-ass never-been-to-sea question here:  how easily can a 300 lb man do any job on a ship? 

I was wondering how easily he could be lifted and carried out of it?
 
Thanks for painting more of the bigger picture, Navy_Pete - much appreciated!
 
SupersonicMax, yes you should lol.

They should have abolished that board years ago.
 
milnews.ca said:
Thanks for painting more of the bigger picture, Navy_Pete - much appreciated!

I see what you did there.....
 
I was reading some additional details about this story and apparently he's now lost 70 lbs. He also blamed the over consumption of alcohol. He also was awarded the princely sum of $3,440 or a one fifth award.
 
sooo - how do they explain the fact that there are body builders in the Navy that are able to maintain while with the ships?

 
CountDC said:
sooo - how do they explain the fact that there are body builders in the Navy that are able to maintain while with the ships?

That's true but they are usually the ones hogging the limited gym gear on board. Some people don't realize that some ships or boats either have no gym gear or very little. Working out at sea at times can be tricky, especially on a treadmill and detrimental to the equipment and bad on the hips and knees.
 
Chief Stoker said:
Some people don't realize that some ships or boats either have no gym gear or very little.

That was an interesting discussion,

Gyms on Ships 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/38761.50
 
I am working in the procurement end of things for the navy.  They will be replacing the deep fat fryers with different, healthier ways of preparing meals on ship. 

I have seen in my time a shift in attitudes towards fitness on ship.  There are more now who try to do something than ever before.  This is a , cultural sea change (no pun intended) which won't take hold overnight, and won't take hold with everyone either for that matter.  But as time goes on, I believe the navy will adopt a more healthy lifestyle and it will be for the betterment of the troops in the long run.  Besides, the bastards took away the beer.  Might as well do something else with the time...


I still won't touch Tofu with a 20 foot pole or with a gun to my head either for that matter.  Blue menu be damned.
 
So this guy embarassed himself and the Navy for $3500 bucks? Wow. :facepalm:
 
Personally I have always joked that becoming fat was a self defence mechanism on the ships. It allows you to float better, keeps you from being forced into the bilge, and allows you to keep warm when the boilers aren't working. As far as I see it, there really is no downside, as having been the skinny guy, you get forced to go into all the nooks and crannies well the fat guys sit there and watch.
 
mariomike said:
That was an interesting discussion,

Gyms on Ships 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/38761.50

Yes CPF's do and so does the 280. I'm pretty sure subs don't and MCDV's have 1 bike, elliptical and 1 treadmill for 40 people. If your lucky its not too rough to actually use the gear and when everyone is using the gear sometimes you may have to go 2 in the morning to get your run in. Its far from ideal and we have to be flexible. Being on a ship does not promote a healthy lifestyle, its slowly changing but we're not there yet.
 
PuckChaser said:
So this guy embarassed himself and the Navy for $3500 bucks? Wow. :facepalm:

Probably thought he would get a bigger payout. From what the news was saying he injured himself on ship a number of times, probably claiming that as well I would imagine.
 
Chief Stoker said:
Yes CPF's do and so does the 280. I'm pretty sure subs don't and MCDV's have 1 bike, elliptical and 1 treadmill for 40 people. If your lucky its not too rough to actually use the gear and when everyone is using the gear sometimes you may have to go 2 in the morning to get your run in. Its far from ideal and we have to be flexible. Being on a ship does not promote a healthy lifestyle, its slowly changing but we're not there yet.

Definitely seems like a tough go. But unless this person was on ship 24/7/365 for 20 years, at some point on shore duty you have to say to yourself "Man, I'm gaining weight on ship. I better muckle down and go hard on fitness before I sail again to sort this out."
 
PuckChaser said:
Definitely seems like a tough go. But unless this person was on ship 24/7/365 for 20 years, at some point on shore duty you have to say to yourself "Man, I'm gaining weight on ship. I better muckle down and go hard on fitness before I sail again to sort this out."

For sure, its certainly tough deploying on some classes of ships and try to stay fit. Alongside there should be no excuse, lots of programs to get you fit at the PSP.
 
IMO, this also speaks volumes to the level of fitness and health our 'minimum standard' really is if someone can stay in, pass the PT test and the periodic health assessments.  Something is wrong if you are double your bodyweight and can still pass 'the minimums'; the minimums are way to frickin' low!!! 

Do the minimums cut it in combat or sustained ops?  Not charmin' likely.
 
The double hanger on 280s certainly helped with the exercise equipment issue, there was always room as long as we only carried one helo.  On ALG during Op APOLLO we had no helairdet, even had to get the SWOAD cert for the flight deck via a RN Sea King after we chopped in.

The result was we had a kick ass double size gym that would, even 13 years later, put most fitness centres to shame.  Didn't particulaly rub off on the crew though.....the same faces using the gym at the beginning of the deployment where the same ones using it 6 months later.

I think the bigger issue is that the RCN, overall, has only ever paid lip service to physical fitness.  Remember when BMI was pushed in the early 90s?  There was talk of mandatory PT at the time but that seemed to die a quick death, along with the PERIs.

Has the FORCE test been more effective in promoting fitness than the express test?  I released just before it came into use.
 
In my humbleish opinion, the when he had a PHE done and was found to need Vaseline applied to get through a hatch, he should have been landed as a safety risk to himself and the remainder of the crew that might have to extricate him from the bowels of the ship.  At that point, he'd have more than ample time to demonstrate that there is some insight into "their problem" and show themselves to be working to remedy the situation.  I'm so tired of people that can't accept responsibility for their own illnesses/issues and then watching them essentially getting rewarded for it.  I remember in the early 90's when the challenges that we weren't allowed to tell service personnel that they were too fat and sort themselves out or release were accepted as Charter violations.  This makes me shake my head.

MM
 
jollyjacktar said:
I am working in the procurement end of things for the navy.  They will be replacing the deep fat fryers with different, healthier ways of preparing meals on ship. 

I certainly hope this doesn't mean no deep fat fryers at all!  Deep fat fryers are not the antichrist.  Should they be used for every meal?  No.  Should everything that can possibly be deep fried be deep fried.  No.  Should there be other choices as well?  Of course!  But deep frying is a legitimate cooking method and when used appropriately and in moderation will have no ill effect on overall health.  You can provide the healthiest choices in the world, but you cannot actually force people to eat and choose wisely.  Education works far better than deprivation and bans.

Remember when they banned ALL tobacco sales on board?  That worked well, didn't it?
 
Yes, it does mean it.  The new gear that is coming down the pipes will still enable the cooks to serve fries etc as part of their meals, just a healthier method of getting there.  Think of a commercial kitchen capable Actifry type of system.  (At least as I understand that's a fair comparison.  It's not our project, but it does impact the fitted K-guard system fitted for protecting the deep fat fryers, they're going away with the fryers)
 
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