Spot on Deliverance,
Nobody would take seriously a SWO if he was a sack of **** with long sideburns and scuffed shoes would they? so what's the difference?
Some people need to change their mindset about fitness in the armed forces, many are only too happy to boast of their secondary duties as the chair of the some obscure station club or as a helper at the Village scout troop and love to mention them in their ACR comments.
Many get promoted on the back of these "duties" whilst at the same time moaning about having to do what is part of every serviceman and womans Primary duty (keeping fit)
Unless my memory serves me wrong fitness isn't a newly introduced concept in the forces so it shouldn't come as a shock that perhaps you should keep it up throughout your career and not just during training!
The argument about "being fit for your job" holds no water, yes the infantry need to be fitter than the adjutant corps but they all need a reasonable minimum standard, if you can't meet that standard then the rules should apply equally irrespective of age/rank/service/trade or talent.
It's not just a once a year inconvienience it's part of our job and always has been.