Never give up

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

“I was demoted from senior airman to airman first class,” said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Dale Riehl, 31st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 56th Helicopter Maintenance Unit, helicopter tilt rotor maintainer.

Riehl had struggled maintaining the Air Force physical training standards for a majority of his career.

“Coming out of basic and technical school I was fine, but not where I wanted to be,” said Riehl. “My first fail was at my first base at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. After that fail, I was fortunate to have a physical training leader who helped me get to a passing score before I moved to Aviano Air Base, Italy.”

Majority of Riehl’s issues began when he changed permanent duty stations. Riehl said due to lack of preparation and not addressing a medical condition, he failed two physical training assessments in a row.

The consequences of failing a physical training assessment can be severe. In fact, administrative and personnel actions range from a letter of counseling to administrative separation depending on how many physical training fails occur.

“Being demoted came as a big hit because I was new to the unit and I was trying my best to prove myself as a quality member of the team,” said Riehl. “Losing the stripe made it hard, I was trying to prove my worth as someone who could operate at the level and knowledge of a senior airman, but was only seen as an airman first class.”

Airmen lives are constantly changing which requires them to constantly prioritize. Unfortunately, Rhiel was not prepared for what was to come and it took a toll on his life.

“At my first base I had it very easy,” said Riehl. “I was in the dorms, working in the phase dock and I was only a seven hour drive from my parents place. This gave me a lot of spare time and energy to give towards my health and fitness.”

Riehl explained that after he changed duty stations, he was hit with a lot of responsibilities that he was not mentally prepared for. He put his fitness and health on the back burner in an attempt to make a good first impression on his leadership and peers.

Riehl’s failed physical training assessments not only set a predisposed reputation of the type of Airman he was, but it also caused personal setbacks.

“I ended up on a referral enlisted performance report due to physical training failures and I was not able to take any college classes for an entire year,” said Riehl.

Riehl felt as if no one cared about him trying to better himself, but only cared about the numbers changing on his physical training assessment. 

Nonetheless, Riehl didn’t give up. He realized he had people in his corner ready to help him along the way.

“A lot of my motivation came from the physical training leaders on shift with me,” said Riehl. “Airman 1st Class Moran, Airman 1st Class Seidowsky, and Senior Airman Brashear were the people that were grinding in the gym with me and helping me through my problem.”

Running at least three times per week jump started his love for fitness. However, Riehl didn’t just improve his overall fitness abilities, but he also focused on his overall health.

“I learned that actually working out is only about 20 percent of staying healthy,” said Riehl. “My diet was completely unregulated and would vary in both quality and quantity. I started really focusing on what was going into my body and I started looking at food as fuel rather than pleasure.”

He also dedicated his time to helping others who were facing the same challenges he was.

“The same week that I had passed a test after losing rank was the same week that I was scheduled for the class to get certified as a physical training leader,” said Riehl. “I saw the work that my physical training leaders put in and I appreciated it so much. The last thing anybody wants to do in the gym is somebody else’s workout, but when it comes to helping someone that was in the same situation as me I couldn’t help but jump in and do whatever I could.”

Riehl remains strict and focused on his physical training assessments, knowing firsthand the repercussions of having failed multiple physical training assessments.

“Don’t let yourself slip, especially with physical training,” said Riehl. “I went through a lot of mental issues during my first year in Aviano because of physical training. So much can compound off of a physical training fail so don’t ever fall off the wagon, stay on top of your physical training and don’t ever stop pushing yourself to be better.”

He encourages others to find the workout routine or activity that they find most enjoyable.

“Make it fun, said Riehl. “It might as well be impossible to go from not caring at all about your health to hitting the gym six times a week for two hours. Do something that you enjoy to get into the rhythm of working out again. Go and join the base soccer team or find a group of people to play basketball with after work. If you start off with something you enjoy you are much more likely to stick with an active lifestyle.”