They had a similar program for the Army and Marines during the Vietnam-era draft, so nothing new. If recruits were overweight, injured, or couldn't meet certain standards they would cycle them through special training regiments before integrating them into a regular training unit.

However, there weren't as many obese people in the 1960s-70s, as there are today.

Public education can’t do anything for people who refuse to utilize the resources available to them. In 10 years, 80% of my current students will be on Reddit whining how they were never taught anything in school and it’s so unfair and education is so shitty. None of them will actually take responsibility for the decisions and choices that led them to actively disrupt their own education and the educations of everyone around them on a daily basis.

Public education works great, for children whose parents have taught them to value learning, curiosity, and reading. It can’t do anything for children whose parents gave them a tablet at age 2, and then stuck them in the corner to play games, in order to avoid the actual work of parenting.