Bagram Airfield (BAF), Afghanistan- As the sun rose over the Hindu Kush Mountains and planes flew overhead, 15 remaining soldiers battled against exhaustion and the rising temperature to earn the highly sought German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB). Their sweat and dust covered faces revealed a smile as each crossed the finish line. This final ruck march around Bagram Airfield was the culminating event in a battery of tests.

The GAFPB is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is one of the few foreign awards that is approved to be worn on U.S. military uniforms. This scarcity makes the badge highly sought after by soldiers of all ages and ranks.

The achievement of this badge does not come easy, however. The GAFPB test requires successful completion of a basic fitness test (including 11x10 meter sprint test, chin-up test, and a 1000 meter run), timed road march with a 15kg ruck sack, qualifying with a pistol, and a timed 100 meter swim. These rigorous events test the mental and physical prowess of all those who attempt.

With little ability to practice due to duty schedules and the difficult environment, soldiers found themselves thrust quickly into heavy competition.

Captain Carlito Rayos, Commander 137 MP Detachment (NVARNG) and GAFPB competitor/recipient, explained that "after some healthy peer pressure and trash talking our participation quickly grew, even I found myself competing for a GAFPB as the Provost Marshal. We were very thankful for the opportunity to participate, it was an unexpected opportunity in a combat environment, but it really went a long way towards improved physical fitness and unit morale. It also helped with us solidify some critical relationships with Bagram Tenants which really paid dividends."

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Cramer, NGA-A GAFPB OIC and Previous Gold Badge Recipient, agreed wholeheartedly with CPT Rayos' statement and highlighted that. "The GAFPB brought together a great mix of Active, National Guard, and Reserve, and Coalition Service members. An event this coveted encouraged networking with all components in order to form stronger bonds and relations on BAF".

A total of 18 service members from the U.S. and one allied country serving within the Combined Joint Operational Area- Afghanistan (CJOA-A) competed for the GAFPB.

These soldiers and contractors were members of a wide array of Active, National Guard, Reserve, and Foreign Allied units to include: HHBN 10th Mountain Division, USFOR-A J1 Section, A/230TH FMSD 4th Infantry Division, 137th Military Police Detachment (NVARNG), 518th RSSB, USACID, Army Reserve Engagement Cell-Retention, and the 265 Romanian Police Battalion.

Captain Jacob Bradford, Commander A/230th FMSD TF Diamond and Previous Gold Badge Recipient, noted that "it was a great opportunity for my Soldiers to compete for the GAFPB. They were excited and worked hard to prepare themselves for the events. In the end it was very satisfying to see them receive the German Badge and now they can proudly wear it on their ASUs."

One of the most difficult aspects of coordinating a GAFPB in Afghanistan was seen during the 100m swim event. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul currently has the only U.S. swimming pool in the country. This gave participants a once in a life opportunity to fly to Kabul and visit the embassy in order to compete.

Coordinating an event such as this for the first time at Bagram proved both challenging and satisfying for all those involved. "After many hours of organizing, planning, testing and finalizing the event, we finally made it happen and a limited number of contestants found themselves gathered for the first of several events on an early Bagram Airfield morning. We feel privileged that we were afforded to facilitate the first such event ever to be administered at BAF" (SSG Christian Marx, 137 MP Det. and Silver Badge recipient).

In the end, the GAFPB test administered by the National Guard Affairs --Afghanistan team proved to be an event and memory which all those involved will remember and cherish long into their careers.