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FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – Soldiers who completed the company-organized Norwegian Foot March earlier this year received their badges in a ceremony hosted by Comanche Company, 309th Military Intelligence Battalion May 26 at Warrior Sentinel Field.
Of the 108 participants, 69 successfully completed the Norwegian Embassy-approved satellite event here which began at midnight March 26, finished by dawn and was followed by a full-day of work per the official event standards.
The Norwegian Foot March was first held in Norway in 1915 and requires participants to complete a 30k (18.6 miles) march within a set time while carrying a ruck weighing 11 kg (25 lbs). The Marsjmerket, or Norwegian Armed Forces skill badge, earned in this event is authorized for wear on the Army uniform in accordance with AR 600-8-22, Appendix D.
“Having done the 18.6-mile march myself, I can say with certainty that it’s a tough event; all of you who earned the badge should wear it proudly,” said 1st Lt. Keith Jackson, executive officer, C Co., 309th MI Bn. “You poured a lot of sweat, and maybe some blood and tears, in the effort and certainly went through some pain.”
Jackson said it is a remarkable event, and it is not often Advance Individual Training (AIT) students get the chance to earn a foreign badge.
“This event started out as a company-level event then quickly expanded into something larger,” said Capt. Michael Everett, commanding officer, C Co., 309th MI Bn.
He thanked the Soldiers and civilians from around the installation who reached out to either participate or support the event.
“Approximately 80 percent of the Soldiers met the standard and completed this march,” Everett said. “It took a lot of intestinal fortitude to push through.”
The tenacity participants demonstrated to complete the march can have an extraordinary influence on their Army career, he related.
Pvt. Isaiah Stephens, AIT student, C Co., 309th MI Bn., was the overall top finisher of the Norwegian Foot March, completing the march in 3 hours, 31 minutes.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command, and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 964 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, critical components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army's Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca
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