Photo By Eric Pilgrim | Soldiers conduct a 1,000-meter run during a German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait — Over 100 U.S. Soldiers arrived at Camp Arifjan Nov. 8 to compete for the coveted German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge.
For the first time in five years, Soldiers deployed to the region had the opportunity to compete for the badge since the beginning of Covid-19. Officials said it was a welcome opportunity for everyone involved.
“I was told that the last time we did the GAFPB here was in 2019,” said Maj. Mark Ray, executive officer of 450th Movement Control Battalion, the unit that sponsored the competition. “This means a lot to me because I didn’t realize how much went into it when they did it for me. Now I’ve got the chance to give it back to the Soldiers.”
Ray said hosting the badge competition in Kuwait holds a special place for him.
“I originally took the GAFPB in 2017 when I was with the 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command,” said Ray. “I was a battle captain at the time, and I took gold. It was pretty special to me that we actually got to do it.”
The badge requires successful completion of seven tests broken down into four main events: swimming, a ruck march, physical fitness events, and pistol qualification.
Normally, a German officer must certify and coordinate the competition throughout. Because there was not a German officer on hand to do this, they allowed for approved American officers to proctor the event.
“In order for us to be certified proctors, we are required to have gold ourselves, and we get interviewed by the German liaison officer,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Henderson, officer in charge of Highway Traffic at 450th MCB. “If he feels comfortable with us, he will standardize all of us as one proctor.”
Henderson organized and managed each area throughout the testing, to include travel and lodging plans for Soldiers coming from other countries, coordinating a small army of volunteers to assist throughout, including timekeepers and medical personnel.
On Day one, Soldiers were required to swim 100 meters in their uniforms in under four minutes. As soon as they completed the swim, they had to move to the deep end, jump in and tread water while removing their shirts and pants, and then throw them onto the deck.
The swimming pool tests proved insurmountable for over half of the participants. Their numbers dwindled to 53.
“The pool event is the toughest event,” said Ray. “A lot of people aren’t used to swimming with their full uniform on, which slows them down quite a bit. Then when it comes to the deep end of the pool, a lot of people don’t know how to remain buoyant and not exert so much energy that they can’t get their uniform off.”
A female Soldier who successfully navigated the swim tests said afterward that since the deep end portion was not timed, she decided to float on her back until she could regain her composure before attempting to remove her clothes. Her plan worked.
Some Soldiers accidentally dropped their uniforms while trying to remove them and had to dive for them. Officials said this adds stress to the test because competitors will be disqualified if they remain underwater too long.
Henderson said that because of the difficulty of the swim tests, they deliberately put them on Day one.
“The reason we did the swim upfront is because the majority of the people end up failing it,” said Henderson. “I would hate for them to do all the other events and reach the swim, and unfortunately they don’t move onto the next event.”
Soldiers had to accomplish two main events on Day two: a ruck march, and three track-and-field tests.
The day started early as Soldiers had their rucks weighed before the march. Their rucks had to be at least 35 pounds. This is the event where Soldiers who eventually earned the badge decided which one to pursue. For gold, they had to ruck 7.4 miles within two hours – 5.5 miles in 1 ½ hours for silver, and 3.7 miles in one hour for bronze.
That afternoon, the Soldiers headed to the track to participate in track-and field. The event consisted of three tests: sprints that involved laying face-down on a mat and doing a behind-the-back hand clap before jumping back up and running a short distance around a cone; a flexed arm hang, in which the chin must remain above the bar for over a minute; and a 1,000-meter run within six minutes.
Each event tallied points that would later determine whether Soldiers who were successful were awarded a gold, silver or bronze badge. The badge is one of very few foreign awards that Soldiers are authorized to wear on their dress uniforms.
On Day three, the remaining competitors traveled to Udari Range Complex near Camp Buehring for the pistol qualification. They were given a 10-round magazine and required to put two rounds in the chest of the target at five meters, four rounds in the chest and one in the head at 10 meters, and two in the chest and one in the head at 15 meters for gold. For silver, they could miss the head shot only once, and twice for bronze.
When the dust finally settled over the Kuwaiti desert, all 52 competitors had successfully earned a badge.
Ray said he was proud of what they had accomplished.
“I’m pretty honored and blessed to have all these people here.”
| Date Taken: | 11.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.21.2024 03:12 |
| Story ID: | 485805 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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