Photo By Capt. Marcie Mascaro | USSOUTHCOM awarded 15 Service members the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge...... read more read more
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MIAMI - The United States Southern Command awarded 15 service members the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB) during a ceremony March 16 at its headquarters in Doral, Florida. Participants represented the diversity and athleticism of this combatant command during a two-day physically-challenging evaluation of military proficiency and physical skills.
The GAFPB challenges participants through multiple timed events administered by a Senior German Commissioned or Non-commissioned Officer. It's a prestigious designation for German troops that they must earn to become an NCO or earn a commission and is one of the few badges open to foreign forces.
"All these events remind us that we are all Soldiers and we have to fulfill some requirements," said German Liaison Officer Sgt. Maj. Schiller. He said evaluating USSOUTHCOM was a unique experience.
"Normally when I go to units, they're very similar with age, rank, primary duty and fitness level," said Schiller, "So seeing ages range from 21 to 51 years old was really great, it was a specialty of this command."
Participants must have current training in first aid and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (CBRN), as well as remain eligible for military duty. The challenge is open for service members, veterans, special agents, and German allied forces, which brings together people who wouldn’t normally work together.
"We are allies, we have to work together, we have to fight together, and this is the first step. Sometimes I come to units and I'm the first German they've seen and now they know how the Germans are working and thinking, and they know what we have to do each year,” said Schiller
This is the first time USSOUTHCOM hosted the GAFPB and 23 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and a retiree signed up. After the first event, a 100-meter swim in uniform, only 19 candidates advanced to the next round.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Nicholas Romero, 34, said the uniform added a lot of weight, “But more than that, it adds resistance, which kills you in swimming.”
Romero set the record for this event with a time of 1:41.
“It feels pretty nice and certainly makes this experience very memorable," said Romero. "This is a really neat opportunity and I hope it becomes regular for future members here.”
He credits his experience as a competitive collegiate swimmer and adapting his technique to the constraints of his uniform. He offered tips and motivation for other participants, “Keep your hips up and rotate your arms to reduce drag as much as possible,” said Romero
Mentorship was a common theme during the events. "You see an O-6 talking with an E-5 on how they can do it better having that experience,” said Schiller.
While Romero excelled at swimming, he admitted apprehension with the shooting requirements and looked towards the group’s elite shooters for advice.
"At the shooting range, this team building was incredible,” said Schiller, observing the live-fire M9 pistol qualification event where shooters must strike the target from prone, kneeling and standing within time constraints. Four participants were disqualified during the shooting phase.
The basic fitness component includes three areas: a sprint shuttle run, flexed-arm hang, and 1000-meter run. There are minimum time requirements to pass and points are awarded based on time to complete each task, with additional points for gender and age.
Schiller’s advice: "Try to do your best and you will earn a badge, no special needs or requirements.”
The final event was a foot march in uniform while wearing a 33-pound rucksack for a distance of 6 km, 9 km, or 12 km, depending on award level. The oldest participant retired Army Ranger veteran Blaine Reeves, 51, finished in the fastest time of 83 minutes and well ahead of the gold level requirement of two hours.
“We nicknamed Blaine 'The Beast’ and he really showed the young guys that getting old doesn’t mean getting lazy,” said Schiller as he addressed the ceremony attendees.
Rear Adm. Scott B. Jerabek said, "From leadership perspective, it’s the teamwork and camaraderie developed through this group going through it.”
“Your support is what got all of these through this challenging event, without Sergeant Major Schiller and Captain Stong making this happen, none of this would be possible. And now we got to keep this going,” said Jerabek.
Military intelligence officer Capt. Anthony Stong, assigned to USSOUTHCOM, earned a gold badge in the GAFPB and volunteered to organize the event locally.
"It took almost a year to get all the support and approvals and we're extremely grateful to invite our German liaison to administer this course for our command. It's been my pleasure to coordinate with our local leaders and allies to ensure a smooth first-time experience,” said Stong.
Stong reached out to Miami-Dade County resources for hosting the events in nearby venues in including the Fire Rescue Training Facility, Public Safety Training Institute, and Doral Central Park.
"The support from upper levels and location of events has been excellent. We would appreciate when we could set up this event on a regular basis,” said Schiller
For information about hosting the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency (GAFPB), contact the German Liaison Office at Fort Lee, VA at (804) 734-2421.
List of Participants who completed all the GAFPB events and their award:
Gold
U.S. Air Force Col. Daniel T. Wolf, 50
U.S. Army Col. Richard R. Navarro, 46
Canadian Army Lt. Col. Daniel J. Theriault, 48
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Trevor Brinton, 34
Blain A. Reeves, 51
Silver
U.S. Army Col. Robert J. Molinari, 45
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Robert H. Karm, 36
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Keith A. Killgren Jr., 35
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class David W. Terpstra, 21
Bronze
U.S. Army Capt. John J. Padera, 30
U.S. Air Force Capt. Nicholas C. Romero, 33
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Marcie Mascaro, 36
U.S. Army Sgt. Naysha M. Ramos, 23
U.S. Army Sgt. Andrew R. Foerschiler, 27
U.S. Army Sgt. William J. Jeffrey, 23
Finisher
U.S. Army Maj. Vijay M. Gallardo, 36
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2016 16:23 |
| Story ID: | 192740 |
| Location: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,399 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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