Photo By Tetsuya Morita | YOKOSUKA, Japan (July 16, 2021) From left to right, Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Gasper...... read more read more
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By Ryo Isobe, CFAY Public Affairs Office
YOKOSUKA, Japan (July 16, 2021) Three Sailors attached to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) earned the prestigious Norwegian Foot March badge from the Norwegian embassy, July 16. Chief Master-at-Arms Andrew Burnett, Master-at-Arms 1st Class Mionca Tomlinson and Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Gasper Pena, demonstrated their physical and mental toughness during a Marsjmerket (Norwegian foot march) hosted by the 374th Communications Squadron, stationed at Yokota Air Base.
Outfitted in full uniform, boots and a ruck sack weighing 25-pounds (11.3 kilograms), they marched 18.6 miles (30 kilometers), and were required to finish within 4.5 hours.
“My armory leading petty officer asked if I wanted to [participate],” said Chief Master-at-Arms Andrew Burnett, who spearheaded the CFAY team. “I really enjoyed this event and it definitely shows how strong we can be when we put our minds to it.”
“Our foot march team met up a few times on base with our 25-pound ruck packs to practice our strategy as a team and to gauge where we were at,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Mionca Tomlinson, referring to how the team prepared for the event. “We had about three weeks to prepare, so we needed to be efficient in our way of preparing.”
“When the foot march started, I was surprised at how well I felt,” she stated. “I was having a good time and it felt like we were walking/ jogging at a good a pace. Around 14-15 miles, was when I finally starting feeling the pressure and exhaustion from everything. It began to warm up and my legs began to feel heavier. Even through the exhaustion, my focus was on successfully completing the march.”
The event took place early in the morning May 28 with 34 service members representing Yokota Air Base, CFAY, Commander, U.S. Forces Japan and the U.S. Space Force. Of the original participants, only 15 members reached the finish line within the required time.
Normally, a Norwegian military official or defense attaché must preside over the march in order to certify the contestants’ completion. This year, however, the Norwegian army waived that requirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed Yokota Air Base to host the event with remote certification capability. This was the first time the Marsjmerket was held in Japan.
First introduced in 1915 in Norway, the march was designed to draft and expose new soldiers to conditions expected in the field. It eventually evolved into an international military service challenge which puts physical strength and mental toughness to the test. If completed, finishers earn one of the few foreign award decorations authorized for wear on their active duty uniforms.
“I never once thought I wasn’t going to finish, but finishing within the time limit seemed to be a distant truth,” said Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Gasper Pena. “The day of the march, I was focused, ready, and excited. I didn’t want to let my shipmates or myself down. I convinced myself to move faster while my body kept telling me to stop, and my thoughts proved to be stronger.”
“I’m glad I participated in the event,” Pena added. “I’m even more excited that most of the team did as well. It might be a while before my body is ready to do another long distance trek like that, but when the opportunity presents itself, I will gladly answer that call.”
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet’s forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2021 00:31 |
| Story ID: | 401765 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 1,274 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CFAY Sailors Earn Norwegian Military March Badges, by Ryo Isobe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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