German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge
by CDT Pete Tomczyk
By
March 8th marked the culminating event of a competition that has been ongoing the beginning of the semester. Cadets had the opportunity to compete for an award named the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB). The badge is an award distributed by the German Armed Forces that requires participants to complete several different events that test their mental and physical abilities. The events consist of distance running, track and field events, swimming, a written first aid test, pistol marksmanship, and a ruck march. Cadets are required to complete on of the events in all of the different areas and have opportunities to replace certain events they fail to pass with certain other ones. There is a gold, silver, and bronze badge and you have to meet the standards of the specific badges in each event in order to obtain a badge.
The distance running event consisted of a 5k run (just over 3 miles). This event is designed to test a soldier’s aerobic endurance. The cadets completed this event early on the morning of during regularly scheduled fitness training. Since running is considered a high priority in the army many of the cadets passed this event and were one step closer to achieving victory. Those that did not make the required time would have the opportunity to complete another aerobic event on a later date.
Another event that was completed by the different cadet classes on various dates was the written first aid test. This test is meant to test a soldier’s knowledge of how to treat and evaluate a casualty suffering from different symptoms. This is essential for cadets to be well versed in this category in case they might need to treat a casualty in the future as officers.
The first event that the Wildcat Battalion completed as a unit was the pistol marksmanship, held on February 2nd. Cadets were required to fire five rounds at a target outlining a life size person. The standards were five out of five in the target for gold, four out of five for silver, and three out of five for bronze. After an introduction on proper weapon handling by SFC White, the cadets lined up and began firing. Cadets that experienced trouble meeting the standards were coached by different cadre members as well as the senior cadets (MSIV’s). Thanks to proper management of the lane the event went smoothly and saw a very high success rate.
The following event was the swim testing, held on February 13th. This event tested anaerobic and aerobic endurance in the water and was held at the university rec center pool. The first two legs of the testing were a 100 meter swim followed by a 200 meter swim. After the short events were completed the cadets attempted to complete a 1000 meter swim. While some cadets were able to rely on swimming technique to accomplish the events many of the cadets met the standards simply through will power and determination. The distance swim could replace the distance run and the 100 meter swim could be replaced by a future track and field event.
The track and field events were held on two separate days. On the first day the cadets completed a 100 meter and 400 meter sprint followed by a 1000 meter run. Although the times to meet the standards were far from easy there were still several cadets that were able to meet the times necessary to obtain a badge. The field events consisted of throwing a shot put, doing a long jump, and completing a high jump. Thanks to a practice session held earlier in the week these events did not prevent many cadets from still being eligible for the badges.
The final event was a 30 kilometer ruck march. Cadets had to march (or run) over 18 miles with at least 23 lbs strapped to their back. The standards were different for males and females to achieve the different medals. The cadets began their trek at 0600 on the morning of March 8th and found the weather for the next 5 hours to be unusually cool for Tucson. The first male to cross the line was Cadet John Cahir with a time of 3 hours and 25 minutes. He was followed closely by Cadets Kyle Miller and John McGrath, both finishing under 3 and a half hours. The first female cadets to cross were Enwei Liber and Mindy Dodge. The two of them ran the entire 30K together and finished ahead of many of the male cadets. After everyone was done and safely brought to the finish line, the cadets gathered for a picnic to eat, relax, and mend their torn up feet. The recipients of the GAFPB medals will receive them on a later date from liaisons from the German Armed Forces in a public ceremony.
View the photographs for this event
by CDT Pete Tomczyk
By
March 8th marked the culminating event of a competition that has been ongoing the beginning of the semester. Cadets had the opportunity to compete for an award named the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB). The badge is an award distributed by the German Armed Forces that requires participants to complete several different events that test their mental and physical abilities. The events consist of distance running, track and field events, swimming, a written first aid test, pistol marksmanship, and a ruck march. Cadets are required to complete on of the events in all of the different areas and have opportunities to replace certain events they fail to pass with certain other ones. There is a gold, silver, and bronze badge and you have to meet the standards of the specific badges in each event in order to obtain a badge.
The distance running event consisted of a 5k run (just over 3 miles). This event is designed to test a soldier’s aerobic endurance. The cadets completed this event early on the morning of during regularly scheduled fitness training. Since running is considered a high priority in the army many of the cadets passed this event and were one step closer to achieving victory. Those that did not make the required time would have the opportunity to complete another aerobic event on a later date.
Another event that was completed by the different cadet classes on various dates was the written first aid test. This test is meant to test a soldier’s knowledge of how to treat and evaluate a casualty suffering from different symptoms. This is essential for cadets to be well versed in this category in case they might need to treat a casualty in the future as officers.
The first event that the Wildcat Battalion completed as a unit was the pistol marksmanship, held on February 2nd. Cadets were required to fire five rounds at a target outlining a life size person. The standards were five out of five in the target for gold, four out of five for silver, and three out of five for bronze. After an introduction on proper weapon handling by SFC White, the cadets lined up and began firing. Cadets that experienced trouble meeting the standards were coached by different cadre members as well as the senior cadets (MSIV’s). Thanks to proper management of the lane the event went smoothly and saw a very high success rate.
The following event was the swim testing, held on February 13th. This event tested anaerobic and aerobic endurance in the water and was held at the university rec center pool. The first two legs of the testing were a 100 meter swim followed by a 200 meter swim. After the short events were completed the cadets attempted to complete a 1000 meter swim. While some cadets were able to rely on swimming technique to accomplish the events many of the cadets met the standards simply through will power and determination. The distance swim could replace the distance run and the 100 meter swim could be replaced by a future track and field event.
The track and field events were held on two separate days. On the first day the cadets completed a 100 meter and 400 meter sprint followed by a 1000 meter run. Although the times to meet the standards were far from easy there were still several cadets that were able to meet the times necessary to obtain a badge. The field events consisted of throwing a shot put, doing a long jump, and completing a high jump. Thanks to a practice session held earlier in the week these events did not prevent many cadets from still being eligible for the badges.
The final event was a 30 kilometer ruck march. Cadets had to march (or run) over 18 miles with at least 23 lbs strapped to their back. The standards were different for males and females to achieve the different medals. The cadets began their trek at 0600 on the morning of March 8th and found the weather for the next 5 hours to be unusually cool for Tucson. The first male to cross the line was Cadet John Cahir with a time of 3 hours and 25 minutes. He was followed closely by Cadets Kyle Miller and John McGrath, both finishing under 3 and a half hours. The first female cadets to cross were Enwei Liber and Mindy Dodge. The two of them ran the entire 30K together and finished ahead of many of the male cadets. After everyone was done and safely brought to the finish line, the cadets gathered for a picnic to eat, relax, and mend their torn up feet. The recipients of the GAFPB medals will receive them on a later date from liaisons from the German Armed Forces in a public ceremony.
View the photographs for this event