ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland – Soldiers, Army civilians and family members participated in the Norwegian Foot March on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, July 3.
The marchers started at 1 a.m. and covered 18.6-mile march across the Army installation.
The event was hosted by the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. Department of Defense’s premier CBRNE formation that supports joint, interagency and multinational operations around the world.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of military operations and civil authorities.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) specialists and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams (Infrastructure).
Soldiers and Army civilians had to complete the march in less than six hours, with times varying based on gender and age groups, while carrying 24.4 pounds of dry weight in a rucksack or backpack.
To earn the Norwegian Foot March qualification badge, they also had to work a full day following the early hours march.
Of the 75 participants, 31 made the qualifying foot march time.
Maj. Gerrit P. Van Ommering, a Nuclear Operations Officer from 20th CBRNE Command’s Nuclear Disablement Team 2 (Infrastructure), crossed the finish line first in just over three hours.
Also known as the Marsjmerket, the foot march began in Norway in 1915 to familiarize Norwegian troops with the tough physical demands of serving in the infantry.
Maj. Steven M. Modugno, the public affairs director for the 20th CBRNE Command, coordinated the event for the installation.
A native of Santa Clarita, California, Modugno said the march demonstrated the grit, determination and endurance of the Soldiers and Army civilians serving on the nation’s oldest active proving ground in the science, technology and security corridor of northeast Maryland.
“We have the greatest Army in the world because we have Soldiers and Army civilians who are willing to take on challenges like this foot march to improve themselves,” said Modugno.
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