CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Snow and cold temperatures didn't stop the Soldiers of Multinational Battle Group-East from attempting to earn the German Armed Forces Badge (GAFB) at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, March 8.
The GAFB is a decoration that is awarded to and worn by German soldiers of all ranks. The U.S. Soldiers can earn and don the badge on their Army service uniform.
The four events the soldiers must complete to earn the badge are the foot march, the 100-meter swim, the German physical fitness test and the German pistol qualification. Each event is timed.
"German soldiers have to complete these events each year no matter what their rank or position," said German army Ltc. Matthias Puschnig, the German liaison officer to MNBG-E. "The GAFB is all of the things any German soldier has to do to prove he is a soldier. They are the basic requirements to be a soldier in the German army."
The first event the Soldiers completed was the foot march. The 7.4 mile march has to be finished within two hours with a 35-pound assault pack on the soldiers back.
"It was snowing on the day we did the foot march so that was not so good, but the Soldiers came out and participated and that's what counts," said Puschnig.
The Soldiers completed a portion of the German physical fitness event in the snow.
"It was cold out there but it makes for even more commitment," said Puschnig. "You can tell these Soldiers really wanted this badge."
The pistol qualification was also in snow and consisted of 5 shots with the German P8 at 3 targets placed at 25 meters. The shooter fires from the standing firing position, and the first shot is fired without cocking the hammer back.
"The Soldiers were all pushing themselves and that was great to see," said Puschnig. "That is what these types of events are all about."
U.S. Army Sgt. Tarissa Vincent, a flight medic with the Army Reserve stationed out of Fort Carson, Colorado, and a native of Westminster Colorado, currently deployed as part of Kosovo Forces 19, trained for a few months for this challenge and said that out of all the events the swimming was the most challenging portion.
The swim is conducted in the Army combat uniform (ACU) while wearing an Army physical training uniform underneath. Once the swim is completed within four minutes, the Soldier is required to remove the outer uniform without touching the sides of the pool.
"The swim was fun but extremely exhausting," said Vincent. "It's easy to underestimate the swim. We watched other people make the laps before us and in your mind you think 'oh that's not that bad,' but then you jump into the pool and you realize how much energy those laps take. At the end of the swim I got a little frantic when I had to take of the uniform because I was trying to catch my breath and complete the event."
Being deployed to Kosovo has allowed many of the Soldiers to participate in and earn foreign badges and build esprit de corps.
"I think anytime there is an international event, it is a great opportunity for the soldiers here," said Vincent. "This event helped build camaraderie. I loved earning this badge because it wasn't a competition with others, it was a competition with your self. We were all cheering for each other not competing against each other. I can't wait until the next challenge. I hope to earn the other German badges they offer here in Kosovo."
Out of the 68 Soldiers that attempted to earn the GAFB, four soldiers earned silver and 15 earned the gold badge. Puschnig and his team will hold another GAFB at the end of the month.
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