USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
69
THE TROOPS
FIT TO SERVE
Recruits drop extra pounds to wear the uniform By Gina Harkins
W
HEN JACOB BEASLEY REACHED out to the Marine recruiter who visited his high school, the football player got some tough news: He needed to drop more than 100 pounds before he could enlist.
“I sat myself down and thought about how I was going to achieve what I wanted,” said Beasley, now a 20-year-old corporal with 9th Marine Corps District outside Chicago. At 5 feet 11 inches and 295 pounds, Beasley took a hard look at his diet, CO N T I N U E D
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