Photo By Ashley Roy | A Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet takes aim in the shot put, part of the German...... read more read more
EDINBURGH, Ind. - Overhead lights gleam off bronze, silver and gold badges as Sgt. Maj. Frank Zindel, German Army liaison staff, Fort Benning, Ga., firmly pins Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and National Guardsmen with the highly sought after German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency, Feb. 24, at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Edinburgh, Ind.
Given by the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, the badge is one of the few foreign awards a U.S. soldier can earn.
It is not awarded lightly. From Feb. 22- 24, 318 ROTC cadets and National Guardsmen from more than 20 universities and five states converged on Atterbury and Indiana University to compete for the right to wear the badge.
The German Army began awarding the badge in 1971 to test all soldiers from the German armed forces in their military proficiency.
“It’s an event to show the physical and mental strength, and it’s open to all foreign armies,” said Zindel.
Soldiers underwent a 200-meter swim, sprint, 3k or 5k run, first aid test, pistol competition, shot put, stone throw, high and long-jump and road march to qualify.
Lt. Col. Michael Ogden, Professor of Military Science and Director of the Army ROTC at Indiana University, believes the road march is the most difficult event because it comes at the end of the third day, and requires walking a long distance with a lot of weight.
“I imagine that it’s quite a challenge to hang in there because if you fail any event along the way, you can’t proceed and progress to the subsequent events so those that make it to the final event know that it could all be lost if they rest or relax just a little too early, instead of putting the best foot forward.”
This was Indiana University ROTC’s seventh year hosting the event for the Midwest area.
“Our senior cadets who within a year will commission as Army officers and go out and serve in active duty, National Guard and reserves, get a chance to develop those skills necessary to plan and execute training of this magnitude and quality,” said Ogden.
Cadet Milo Justin Estrello, University of Southern Indiana ROTC, said his team trained hard for the competition. “As soon as the semester started our command sergeant major at the University of Southern Indiana brought our team together, and every morning we’d start off with a 5k run and after that we’d do the 200-meter sprint.”
The team underwent training for track and field events as well.
The competition benefits soldiers by giving them something to do besides their usual physical training and it is very complex, said Zindel.
“It requires different kinds of skills, and to go through such a big experience for them, I think after the competition they know what they have done.”
The badge provides the opportunity for more than just physical training to cadets. It’s about seeing how they measure up to a NATO ally, and recognizing that they have the scholastic, athletic and leadership abilities that the American people expect Army officers to possess, said Ogden.
“The German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge tryout is definitely one of the most challenging things that I’ve ever undertaken,” said Estrello. “The competition helped me as a soldier because it forces you to pay attention to detail and it inspires you to want to be successful in whatever endeavor that you undertake.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2013 14:21 |
| Story ID: | 104320 |
| Location: | EDINBURGH, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 361 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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