U.S. service members, cadre and cadets from different schools and components competed in one out of four events for the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, Oct. 5, 2019 in Athens, Ohio at and around Ohio University’s campus.
Contestants that were involved in the final culminating event of the GAFPB were U.S. soldiers, cadets, Marines and Airmen. With 3 events finished days prior to the ruck march event, higher ranking cadets were in charge of coordinating with the German Sgt. Maj and running the final test.
“I was really intrigued by the events,” said Cadet Stephen Saxson, The Bobcat Battalion Officer In Charge and business management major at Ohio University. “I really started to fall in love with it, became the event NCOIC my junior year and the process was a lot more than I thought it was being the OIC now.” To some this event may mean more to one person then it does to others. However, Saxson feels like this event is a national alliance between the partner forces, he said. “It’s bigger than us cadets here and we have a grasp towards what that means to our countries,” Saxson said. “And we’re especially proud to have that honor here.”
The participants in the event were required to conduct a ruck march while carrying 33 pounds of gear and a required uniform to begin the march. Specific requirements had to be achieved in order to be awarded a gold, silver or bronze GAFPB. Requirements needed for gold GAFPB included a 7.4 mile ruck march completed under one hour and 20 minutes, 5.6 miles under an hour and 30 minutes for silver and 3.73 miles under one hour for bronze.
“It’s a huge honor for me to see how a partner nation like the U.S. Army are striving to get this,” said German Sgt. Maj. Walter Ising, the liaison for the GAFPB events. “You’re physically strained, you work hard and probably practice before you do it and you want to go get,” said Ising. To Ising, it’s important that the Germans and U.S. work together because the U.S. and Germany are pillars to the Western world, he said. “Just together with the European union we can win future battles.”
The ruck march had some competitors tired and exhausted from the sun’s heat, the loads they carried and the distance the contestants traveled to get their deserved GAFPB. However, there was one contestant who finished with the fastest time at the event. This cadet had marched a one hour and 18 second 7.4 mile ruck march while aiming to earn the gold GAFPB. The effort he displayed gave him an ovation from Sgt. Maj. Ising and the rest of the people working the event.
“I really wanted the gold GAFPB on my uniform before I commissioned, so I wanted to push myself mentally and physically,” said Cadet Luke Hamlcheque, a sophomore Biology major at Indiana Wesleyan University. “I am a big fan of challenges,” said Hamlcheque. “I always love pushing myself and one of my good friends did the GAFPB and followed in his footsteps.” Hamlcheque has gotten gold in all the events. While completing each event successfully, it was clear to Hamlcheque that the meaning behind the GAFPB was his main focus.
“It means everything to me,” Hamlcheque said. “Doing events like this or any event that I can compete alongside people I don’t know or have a different background then me it allows a diverse group to have one common goal and go out and achieve it.”
| Date Taken: | 10.05.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2019 10:58 |
| Story ID: | 350257 |
| Location: | WHITEHALL, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, GAFPB in Athens, by SGT Clevon Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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