On hand to present the awards was (from right to left) U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Commander, Colonel David Mayfield, Hesse Regional Territorial State Command of the Bundeswehr, Command Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Bernd Lesemann. , Sergeant Nathan Gatlin, Staff Sergeant Christopher Padilla and U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Command Sergeant Major Yves Pamphil.
Sgt. Gatlin and Staff Sergeant Padilla, both with the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, mastered all disciplines required to earn the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge.
“The badge is a visible symbol of not only the exemplary Soldier skills needed to attain this honor, but also a symbol of the enduring partnership between our two nations,” said USAG Wiesbaden Commander Colonel David Mayfield.
(U.S. Army photo by Thomas Mort) VIEW ORIGINAL
WIESBADEN, Germany – At a ceremony held on Clay Kaserne, 36 U.S. Army Soldiers from units representing Wiesbaden, were recently presented prestigious German military proficiency awards after competing and evaluation by members of the German Armed Forces from the State of Hesse.
At the combined German American awards ceremony held on Dec. 4, the Soldiers were presented with their awards – badges and certificates – by U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Commander Colonel David Mayfield and Hesse Regional Territorial State Command of the Bundeswehr, Command Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Bernd Lesemann.
“I am very grateful to the Landeskommando Hesse who generously organized trainings for our Soldiers, who speak a different native language and are used to different weapons and equipment,” said Mayfield.
Cut from the hardwood of real warriors!
The Schuetzenschnur is a Bundeswehr award that recognizes weapon proficiency and excellence in Germany's armed forces. It is one of the few foreign awards that American Army Soldiers can wear on the Army Green Service Uniform or on the Army Service Uniform, known as the blues. However, only enlisted personnel are authorized to wear the German award on their uniform.
It is not easy for U.S. Soldiers to meet the Schuetzenschnur requirements because American Soldiers do not receive standard pistol training, and shooting with a pistol is one of the requirements to earning this award. But competing for the GAFPB, which requires Soldiers to earn the Schuetzenschnur, is a different matter. Soldiers wishing to earn the gold, silver or bronze GAFPB must be prepared to train long and hard to be successful.
“I know that it takes a lot of planning, teamwork, coordination and training for Soldiers to be successful [in earning the Schuestzenschnur],” added Mayfield, acknowledging the Soldier’s dedication and hard work.
The GAFPB is one of the most sought-after awards to achieve and requires Soldiers to first successfully earn the Schuetzenschnur before moving on to compete for the GAFPB.
Soldiers who wish to earn their GAFPB must successfully complete tasks such as a basic fitness test, combat life saver course, nuclear biological and chemical training and pass a swim test in uniform without boots before they can proudly don the GAFPB.
We did it!
Out of the 36 participants, two Soldiers rose above the competition and successfully completed all tasks to take home the Proficiency Badges. Sgt. Nathan Gatlin and Staff Sgt. Christopher Padilla, both members of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, earned gold and silver badges respectively.
On hand to present the awards was (from right to left) U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Commander, Colonel David Mayfield, Bundeswehr Hesse State Command Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Bernd Lesemann, Sergeant Nathan Gatlin, Staff Sergeant Christopher Padilla and U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Command Sergeant Major Yves Pamphil.
(U.S. Army photo by Thomas Mort) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers representing a variety of units across the garrison’s footprint – including 11 from the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, 3 Soldiers from the 56th Artillery Command, 4 Soldiers from USAG Wiesbaden Headquarters and Headquarters Company and 16 Soldiers from the 2nd Theater Signal Brigade – all earned the coveted Schuetzenschnur.
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