Airman loses 100 pounds to join Air Force

Published Nov. 28, 2012
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- After Airman 1st Class Mitchell Imlah graduated high school he woke up one morning and wondered, "What am I going to do with myself?" It was then he decided he wanted to enlist in the military. There was one drawback though; he carried 300 pounds on his 6-foot frame.

When he visited a recruiter, he discovered that his weight would be a major impediment.

The recruiters "laughed me out of the office when they saw I was 300 pounds," Imlah said.

Undeterred, Imlah, from Bevent, Wisc., took the initiative to shed about 50 pounds before stopping by the Air Force recruiter in nearby Rhinelander.

"Although I still needed to lose more weight to reach the 197-pound maximum, the recruiter was confident enough I'd meet my goal that he placed me in the Delayed Entry Program. I stopped by often to show him I was losing weight."

Once he reached the 197-pound mark, Imlah reported to the Milwaukee Military Entrance Processing Station on Feb. 2, 2012, and on March 20 was at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to begin basic military training. After his May 7 graduation, the new, streamlined Airman attended phase I medical technician technical training at the Fort Sam Houston Medical Education and Training Campus in San Antonio, graduating Sept. 5. Remaining in San Antonio, he completed his phase II training Oct. 22.

After taking leave at home, Imlah arrived at Keesler Nov. 2 to begin his new role as a member of the 81st Medical Operations Squadron.

Imlah said he lost the weight without following a formal program. "I changed my diet, ran and worked out. That was the only way for me to lose it." As a reminder of his remarkable achievement, he carries a tattered photo of himself tipping the scales at 300 pounds.

He noted he now weighs 205 pounds. "I gained some weight due to increased muscle. I continue to work out a lot and plan to stay at my current weight."

Raised by his mother and grandparents, Imlah, now 19, said, "My mom and grandparents are really proud of me for losing all that weight and for being a member of the Air Force."