Photo By Sgt. Nathaniel Orphey | Spc. Phillip A. Bernard, Staff Sgt. Jared H. Maze, Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Hodge, and...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Nathaniel P. Orphey
3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Eight Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Lake Charles, La., recently received the highly sought after German Federal Armed Forces Troop Duty Proficiency Badge.
The badge is one of a very few foreign awards that can be worn by American Soldiers. The Soldiers had to complete various tests which consisted of first aid, 100-meter sprints, 200-meter swim, 3-kilometer run, 9-mm pistol marksmanship, and a 30-km road march just to name a few.
"I didn't know what the German badge was, but when I saw that no one in my unit had it, I thought it would be a cool thing to do for myself and the unit," said Lake Charles, La., resident and McNeese State University football player Sgt. Kenrick P. Cormier.
The Soldiers completed the events in two parts. All events except the road march were done in Alexandria, La. The Soldiers then flew to D.C. to complete the road march with German military officers.
"It was cool to receive the award from the German officers," said Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Hodge of Lake Charles, La., "It showed how special this badge is for them to come all the way from Germany to award its newest recipients," he said.
The decoration has three levels: gold, silver, and bronze, with gold being the highest. Of the eight soldiers that participated from 3rd Battalion, six received gold and two received bronze.
"I think it's a real motivator for the battalion. This badge is not easy to get so it shows the high level of training that we maintain here at 3rd," said Staff Sgt. Jared H. Maze, a resident of Moss Bluff, La.
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2008 22:05 |
| Story ID: | 26608 |
| Location: | LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 198 |
| Downloads: | 128 |
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