Photo By Kathryn Summerhill | A Texas A&M cadet sprints the last leg of the 12-kilometer ruck march event of the...... read more read more
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The third day of a five-day physical competition is brutal. Your body is starting to feel the impact of the first two days, and you know you still have two days left. It takes a lot of mental gumption to stay in the game, especially when that third day is a 12-km ruck march, carrying a 15-kg ruck sack, in less than two hours.
The Texas A&M Corps of Cadets gathered at 5 a.m. on Veterans Day to complete the third task of the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge: A 12-km ruck march while carrying a 15-kg ruck sack. A 15-minute per mile pace is the active Army infantry standard, and even though the cadets aren’t active duty yet, they wanted to meet that standard. Though it was a tough one, the cadets showed the true Aggie spirit and kept their heads up and charged on.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Cadet Sgt. Maj. Zach Lanctot, a junior cadet and a native of Austin. “It was good to push yourself. These kinds of competitions bring out the best everybody, and it’s great to be around motivated people and do stuff like this.”
Lanctot knew about what pushing himself for this competition meant, as he finished the 12 km in 1 hour and 16 minutes. He decided that walking 12 km with 15 kg was just not good enough, so he ran it. That kind of attitude is not only what impresses the German Army lieutenants administering the GAFB, but also is what shows them the type of men and women the Texas A&M cadets are.
“They’re not kids,” stated German Army 2nd Lt. Robert Maier, a foreign exchange student from Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, Germany. “They are students. They are about to be soldiers and they are very motivated.”
When dealing with college students who range in age from 18 to 21, it’s sometimes hard to remember they aren’t just a kid. However, the cadets in charge of organizing the GAFB proved to their leadership that they are no longer just kids, and seeing them develop like this creates a high sense of pride.
“What makes me feel the best is seeing the cadets actually being able to do stuff we do every day in the Army,” boasted Col. Michael Bottiglieri, department head and a professor of Military Science at A&M. “Seeing them progress, especially the seniors, from cadet to lieutenant.”
As the cadet officer in charge of the GAFB, Cadet Maj. Ian Dorsa, a San Antonio native and senior cadet, said even though he’s not competing for his badge, seeing the success of the cadets and the competition give him all the satisfaction he needs.
“It’s just rewarding to come out here and see it's being executed well and running smoothly,” Dorsa said. “Above all, it makes me that much more confident that I am ready to commission in the Army at the end of this school year.”
Confidence is a key part to being a successful soldier and to completing the GAFB. With all the opportunities the Corps of Cadets gives to its cadets for building confidence and military skills, the GAFB was just up their alley.
“I loved it,” said Cadet Cpl. Aaron Steffan, an Animal Science Production major from San Antonio. “I’ve been doing the Ranger Challenge for two semesters, so this is the stuff I just love.”
Thursday will be day four of the five-day competition. Competitors will show proficiency in combat lifesaving skills and work through German Army protocol for a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) attack.
| Date Taken: | 11.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.11.2015 21:11 |
| Story ID: | 181720 |
| Location: | COLLEGE STATION, TX, US |
| Hometown: | AUSTIN, TX, US |
| Hometown: | COLLEGE STATION, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 280 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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