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Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Erin Hooley\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Some Texas National Guard soldiers deployed to Chicago have been sent home for failing to meet fitness standards after an\u00a0ABC News photo<\/a> of heavyset troops went viral<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA small group\u201d of the 200 National Guard soldiers sent to Illinois last week have been replaced for not being \u201cin compliance\u201d with its validation process, the Texas Military Department confirmed to military news site Task & Purpose<\/a> over the weekend.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n BACKGROUND:\u00a0Texas Guardsmen photo mocked online after Hegseth’s ‘fat troops’ speech<\/a><\/p>\n The switch comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he was tired of seeing \u201cfat troops\u201d who give the military \u201ca bad look\u201d in a speech to hundreds of military commanders on Sept. 30.<\/p>\n After the speech,\u00a0Hegseth mandated that active-duty troops take two physical fitness tests each year and work out every day. Hegseth praised the Texas National Guard replacements in a social media post.<\/p>\n \u201cStandards are back at The @DeptofWar<\/a>,\u201d Hegseth captioned a screenshot<\/a> of the Task & Purpose report on Monday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Some social media users<\/a> had pointed out the irony of Hegseth\u2019s comments in viral posts of the photos.<\/p>\n A member of the Texas National Guard, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hurried nature of the deployment to Illinois allowed a handful of soldiers to be included even though they did not meet fitness standards.<\/p>\n The standard screening process includes dental, physical, mental health and financial exams and can take days to complete. But the Illinois deployment was so rushed that readiness screenings were being conducted as soldiers were preparing to fly to Chicago, the Guard member said.<\/p>\n The Texas Guard deployed within 24 hours of receiving orders from the Trump administration, the Guard member said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Three or four soldiers failed to meet fitness standards and were replaced as the screening process continued, not in response to the viral photo of seemingly overweight Texas Guard troops arriving in Illinois, the Guard member said.<\/p>\n \u201cFew if any states have the kind of training and readiness that Texas has, which is why they could be on the ground in Chicago within 24 hours,\u201d the Guard member said. \u201cAnd no doubt that\u2019s one of the reasons why Texas was called up.\u201d<\/p>\n Almost all National Guard soldiers are reservists who have full-time civilian jobs.<\/p>\n A Chicago federal appeals court on Saturday allowed troops to remain federalized in Illinois, but temporarily blocked their active deployment. President Donald Trump had ordered the troops there to protect federal officials at a suburban Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that has seen protests and some acts of violence from demonstrators in recent weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n On Thursday, U.S. District Judge April Perry issued a two-week restraining order against the mobilization, saying she saw no credible evidence that there is a danger of a rebellion in the state of Illinois and finding that the show of force likely violated the 10th and 14th Amendments.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has said it will continue to fight a lawsuit filed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the city of Chicago. The legal battle will likely lead to the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n